Senior Account Executive

This role serves as the day-to-day client liaison, leading small to mid-size projects while evolving from a strong doer into a strategic thinker who proactively drives business and team success. Clients trust you to anticipate needs and guide projects forward, ensuring work moves efficiently through strong organization, accountability, and strategic alignment. Internal teams rely on you for clarity, collaboration, and direction, while your manager can depend on you to independently manage day-to-day business and escalate issues with thoughtful, solution-oriented recommendations.

Who You Are

You are a thoughtful, proactive account leader who thrives in fast-paced, collaborative environments and is motivated by doing meaningful work well. You bring a strong balance of executional excellence and strategic curiosity, with a desire to deepen your impact as a trusted partner to clients and teammates alike. You are highly organized, clear in your communication, and comfortable navigating complexity. You value collaboration, listen first, and approach your work with integrity, empathy, and a continuous improvement mindset. As someone who takes ownership and pride in your work, you are eager to grow, contribute to positive social impact, and help make both the work and the team better.

Who We Are

We’re marketers for good. Civilian is a different kind of marketing communications agency. For starters, we are a Certified B Corporation, which means we are part of a global network of companies using business as a force for good. We take on clients and projects that align with our mission to improve lives, strengthen communities, and better the world.

We are changemakers.

We are a dynamic, innovative, and creative collective united in our mission to improve lives, strengthen communities, and make the world a better place.

We are problem-solvers.

We love to tackle big, complex problems together. We question convention, consider diverse perspectives, and geek out on research until we find a solution.

We are problem-solvers.

We love to tackle big, complex problems together. We question convention, consider diverse perspectives, and geek out on research until we find a solution.

Our work includes mental health and wellness, preventing suicide, environmental sustainability, promoting the value of education, and driving economic development. We call it “marketing for good.” From our headquarters in San Diego to our offices in Sacramento and Washington DC, we are dedicated to tackling challenging issues and creating positive change in the world.

Responsibilities

Client Management

- Proactively support planning initiatives by providing input, helping gather and organize information, contributing to draft content, and overseeing internal team contributions.

- Support thought leadership initiatives through research, insights, and/or content development that helps identify opportunities or issues affecting the Client or industry.

- Identify, navigate, and propose resolutions to problems across Clients, departments, and/or teams. Escalate issues appropriately with recommended solutions when required.

- Develop a thorough understanding of each Client’s business, contract, deliverables, challenges, and industry landscape in order to better guide internal teams.

- Recognize when creative is off strategy and confidently voice concerns while contributing fresh thinking during brainstorms and reviews.

- Demonstrate a consistent approach to collaboration with department counterparts that enhances efficiency, productivity, and collective success.

- Actively listen and provide clear, concise communication with context and confidence to influence outcomes credibly and effectively.

- Provide and receive constructive feedback in a way that inspires and motivates positive change while helping elevate team performance.

- Maintain fluency across all agency department deliverables — creative, media, PR, strategy, and digital — and understand how they work together within integrated campaigns while identifying opportunities for cross-department collaboration.

Account Management

- Draft new scopes of work for review and feedback while managing internal and Client approval processes.

- Partner with Strategy in the development of briefs for Supervisor review. Lead development and execution of projects while ensuring strategic alignment, quality control, and timing and budget parameters are met.

- Provide counsel, input, and insight on campaign performance, reporting, and optimization opportunities.

- Support events, sponsorships, and experiential activations as assigned, including vendor coordination, on-site management, and post-event reporting.

- Facilitate and lead Client presentation meetings for minor projects while actively participating in Client and internal status meetings.

- Where appropriate and under supervisor guidance, lead client presentations ensuring work is framed strategically with a clear agency recommendation and POV.

Financial Management

- Share ownership with Supervisor for forecasting responsibilities while proactively raising concerns and participating in finance reviews.

- Provide first review and feedback on all aspects of Client billing and budget management, ensuring timely and accurate invoicing, tracking, issue resolution, and escalation as needed.

- Work in partnership with Project Management to actively monitor Client profitability and margin goals while providing context for pacing and escalating concerns as needed.

- Surface unmet client needs and emerging opportunities within existing accounts to the account lead, supporting organic revenue growth.

Qualifications

- 4-6 years of experience in an advertising agency setting OR working on multiple projects in a fast-paced environment

- Bachelor’s degree required

- Mastery of advertising agency disciplines, departments, and outputs (especially media);
how they work together in an integrated way;
and how to sell services

- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills;
capable of writing and speaking with a clear, concise point-of-view and should be comfortable presenting internally/ externally if necessary

- Experience and mastery with MS office and Google Docs/Charts/Sheets and ability to create clear, client-worthy presentations if necessary

- Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to relate to, persuade, and build consensus with clients

- Impeccable organizational and project management skills

CIVILIAN’S COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING

Civilian is committed to an ongoing journey in becoming an actively anti-racist, inclusive organization where everyone can feel a sense of belonging and know that their diverse experiences, voices, backgrounds, and contributions matter. Through an intentional focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our agency, we harness the unique contributions and lived experiences of our team to create innovative work in response to some of our society’s most pressing challenges.

How We Put This Into Practice At Civilian:

- We actively work to create a safe and welcoming environment where all employees and partners feel like they belong, are valued, and can bring their whole selves to work.

- We consistently assess how BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and other diverse individuals can thrive in a predominantly white industry and organization, and are continually working to build a more equitable workplace.

- We hire and promote the most qualified individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, age, parental status, national origin, religion, color, or creed. We only get better when diverse ideas, perspectives, and identities come together, and therefore actively seek out candidates with non-traditional backgrounds, education, experiences, and skills who bring new viewpoints to our agency.

- We also know that inclusion doesn’t stop at hiring, which is why we actively incorporate staff voices into decision-making, policy development, and agency practices.

Location

This position is a hybrid role based in San Diego, California. Remote working options with in-office Wednesdays and every other Friday morning for collaboration and team building.

Compensation & Benefits

This is a full-time salaried position with a comprehensive benefits package. Salary Range: $70,000 - $95,000, depending on experience.

- Health coverage: Tiered medical plans with a fully employer-paid option, plus expanded employer-paid coverage after four years. Employer-paid dental and vision included.

- Insurance and protection: Company-paid life insurance, AD&D, and legal support, with optional supplemental coverage.

- Time off and flexibility: Generous PTO, flexible schedules, paid holidays, parental leave, and volunteer time off.

- Retirement: A Safe Harbor 401(k) with employer contributions.

- Wellbeing support: An Employee Assistance Program.

- Growth: Ongoing professional development support.

- Office experience: Ergonomic, dog-friendly offices designed to support focus and collaboration, with on-site parking and access to a fitness center.