Account Director

The Pathlabs Account Director is directly responsible for developing strategic opportunities into long-standing, profitable relationships through effective leadership. This position oversees a team of Account Managers, Campaign Analyst Supervisor, Campaign Analysts, and Account Associates and is accountable for the performance, development, and output of the entire team. An excellent Account Director operates from a documented, repeatable operating rhythm rather than reactive firefighting, and is evaluated against four core competencies: Client Leadership, Business Acumen, Team Leadership, and Strategic Thinking. The Account Director maintains close, senior-level relationships with clients but is not the day-to-day point of contact.

Candidates for this position must possess an extensive background in advertising and/or marketing, deep fluency in digital ad buying platforms and advertising metrics, and a demonstrated track record of leading people managers — not just individual contributors. The ideal candidate has served as an Account Director, Group Account Director, Senior Account Manager progressing into a leadership role, Digital Media Director, or similar leadership position at an agency, or in an execution-focused leadership role at a media-focused organization. This candidate has led and developed teams and driven measurable, profitable growth within a portfolio of accounts. 

Key Performance Indicators

• Team KPI Compliance > 90% 
• Team Delivery Compliance > 98%
• Team Make-Good Rate < 0.3%
• Team Margin

Responsibilities

Client Leadership

• Maintain senior, trust-based relationships with client leadership; implement and maintain consistent process, scope, and top-tier service levels 
• Act as the key strategist for campaign initiatives and business development pitches, including current-logo RFPs and proposal development
• Diagnose the real need behind a client request rather than reflexively accommodating it, and design solutions that protect both the client relationship and the team's sustainability
• Proactively identify service gaps, implementing immediate solutions. 

Business Acumen

• Own the retention, growth, and profitability of an assigned portfolio of client accounts 
• Identify efficiencies and improve profitability through effective management of media costs, accuracy, automation, and resourcing 
• Tie media efforts back to the end client’s business objectives, vs allowing vanity metrics to equate as success 
• Deliver structured, proactive updates to VP/leadership on portfolio health

Team Leadership

• Run regular 1:1s, calibrate each direct report against documented performance standards, and manage the staffing needs of the team – including hiring, discipline, and performance improvement – in partnership with the VP of Media Services.
• Train and develop team members to become independent operators and problem solvers; ensure proper utilization of AI tools, standardized workflows and support systems 
• Directly and promptly address performance gaps with documentation; do not let quality issues slide to avoid a difficult conversation
• Provide positive feedback to your direct reports to reinforce the right actions
• Collaborate cross-functionally with the sales team to identify strategic opportunities, remove challenges, and ensure alignment across our teams 

Strategic Thinking

• Look for the systemic cause behind recurring issues (e.g., a KPI target problem, a capacity problem, a process gap) rather than resolving each instance in isolation
• Dig deep with the team to have a clear understanding of capacity, roadblocks and gaps; ensuring we are understanding root causes first and providing necessary clarity to the team
• Plan roughly 90 days out across the portfolio to catch problems before they surface as client escalations
• Stay abreast of new solutions, technologies, and opportunities in the media space, and collaborate with the product team to influence the product roadmap
• Complete all work on accounts as assigned, and take on other duties as needed to evolve this position.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to lead through other managers – not just through individual contributors – with a track record of developing account service and technical team members alike into stronger operators
• Intelligent self-starter with an analytical orientation, strategic vision, and a strong executional track record at the portfolio level.
• Excellent customer intuition: the ability to anticipate a client's needs and potential issues before the client raises them.
• Genuine commitment to high standards and accountability, paired with the ability to hold direct, honest conversations with employees and clients while still leading with compassion and understanding.
• Ability to balance individual account needs, team capacity, and company-wide priorities without letting any one dominate.
• Forward-thinking mindset with a documented habit of proactive planning, not just reactive problem-solving.
• Strong business acumen that supports and is in line with the long-term vision of Pathlabs and its profitability.
• Demonstrated fluency in the Four Competencies framework; Client Leadership, Business Acumen, Team Leadership, Strategic Thinking
• Full alignment with Pathlabs's Core Values:
  • Unforgettable Service
  • People First
  • Own It
  • Master the Craft

Skills and Requirements

• Experience with digital advertising, advertising metrics, ad buying platforms, and DSPs at a portfolio-management level.
• Proven leadership experience managing people managers (not only individual contributors) – 4+ years.
• A proven track record of managing and growing a multi-account client portfolio profitably – 6+ years.
• Experience in a customer-facing role within the industry – 8+ years
• Demonstrated ownership of profitability decisions across a book of business, not just revenue reporting.
• Total comfort with technology, data analysis, and financial and mathematical calculations, including the ability to build and defend a margin or profitability case.
• Ability to run a structured, recurring operating cadence (weekly portfolio reviews, KPI compliance checks, proactive client and leadership updates) and hold to it without prompting.
• Ability to clearly delegate duties, timelines, and follow-up, and to coach direct reports toward independent judgment rather than resolving issues for them.
• Experience working with cross-functional tools (ex. Slack & Asana) as well as AI tools (ex. Claude & ChatGPT) to surface qualitative context (client friction, delivery risk, team capacity) alongside quantitative dashboards.
• Ability to develop and iterate on company processes with a keen eye for scalable solutions, and to document and publish training material for the team.
• Ability to tell stories with data at the executive level, connecting platform performance to client business outcomes.
• Superlative oral and written communication skills, including the ability to deliver difficult news to clients or employees with context and a plan attached.
• Comfortability in new business or business growth pitches, and in developing responses to current-logo RFPs.
• Solid understanding of advertising principles and paid digital media strategies across DSP, Facebook Business Manager, and Google Ads – 4+ years managing or analyzing performance-focused campaigns in each.
• Familiarity with Google Campaign Manager or Flashtalking/Innovid, and with verification partners (DV, IAS) a plus.
• Total comfort with advanced functions in Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel.

About Pathlabs

Pathlabs is an end-to-end digital media partner built for agencies. We handle all aspects of our clients’ digital media campaigns, so they can focus on growing their business.

Pathlabs is an extension of an agency’s team, combining the best of both worlds between in-house teams and media vendors. In a product-obsessed world, we double down on service-based solutions. We focus on planning, executing, optimizing, and reporting of performance-based paid advertising campaigns - providing our clients a single point of entry into the world of digital media. 

What we provide 

• Unlimited Paid Time Off & 13 paid holidays annually
• Competitive healthcare benefits 
• HSA-eligible insurance option with a company contribution 
• 401k investment opportunity 
• Hybrid workplace with in-office, flexible and remote options
• $250 annual match available when a donation is made by an employee to a charity organization. 
• 20 hours of paid time off to take action and make a difference in the civic life of your community
• Continuous learning opportunities funded by Pathlabs

**This position is not eligible for immigration sponsorship.

Commitment to Inclusivity 

Pathlabs recognizes and values the impact that diversity in background, experiences, culture, and identity brings to our company. Pathlabs is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, religious or political affiliation, gender identity, disability, and any other classification, rather we celebrate these differences. We encourage people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and gender diverse people to apply and we prioritize creating a safe and inclusive workplace for all individuals.