Account Lead

Collier.Simon is hiring a Senior Account Director to serve as a strategic, creative agency leader within an inter-agency team supporting a major automotive dealership group. This person will report directly to agency leadership and partner closely with the Creative Director, the Account Director, and field teams to lead the account, drive creative strategy, strengthen client relationships, and ensure the work delivers measurable business impact across markets. This is an account leadership role, but not a traditional one. We are not looking for someone whose strength is routing projects, managing status sheets, or keeping the trains running. Operational command matters, but it isn't the job. The job is to run the account from a strategic point of view, build the trust that earns the agency the right to lead, and ensure the creative work is sharp, well-briefed, and connected to the client's business. The right person brings senior account leadership with a strong creative strategy backbone . Someone with a sharp point of view who can build a brief, shape the narrative, give meaningful creative feedback, and drive a project from strategy through presentation. They are also a relationship builder. A significant part of this role is earning trust with dealership marketing directors and general managers — not just servicing them, but becoming the kind of partner they actively seek out. That takes business acumen, creative credibility, and the confidence to lead conversations that go beyond asset requests. This is not a single-lane role. The right person moves fluidly between strategic planning, creative oversight, client management, field support, and operational leadership — and knows which mode the moment demands. Core Responsibilities 1. Lead the Account Holistically Serve as a senior day-to-day leader across a complex, high-volume automotive account Own the client relationship, understand the business priorities, internal dynamics, field needs, and performance goals Translate business objectives into clear strategic direction for the agency Create clarity across workstreams, stakeholders, and agency teams so the account moves forward with purpose Anticipate issues and identify opportunities before they become urgent Bring strategic rigor to the entire account, not just individual projects Translate project briefs into strong creative briefs grounded in client objectives, audience insight, and a clear strategic narrative Provide substantive creative feedback that sharpens the work, in close partnership with the Creative Director and creative team leadership Ensure every project has a clear story when it's time to present, connecting creative rationale to performance data, cultural insights, and business context Drive projects like brand strategy, campaign concepting, and production from initiation to completion — not by writing the work, but by ensuring it is strategically sound and client-ready Build and refine client-facing presentations that frame creative recommendations within a narrative of insight, strategy, and measurable impact Ensure media and creative are working in concert to maximize the efficacy of every campaign, consistently pushing for stronger performance, not just delivery Read and interpret media performance reports, partnering with media teams to solve performance challenges through creative strategy adjustments Champion a culture of continuous improvement where creative is measured, iterated, and optimized — not just launched and forgotten Make creative ideas easier to understand, easier to approve, and harder to dismiss 3. Build Relationships with Marketing Directors & Key General Managers Earn trust by showing up with insight, preparation, and creative solutions — not just status updates Develop strong relationships with corporate marketing leaders, dealership marketing directors, and general managers Work to create client evangelists: marketing directors and GMs who actively advocate for the agency's work because they have experienced its value firsthand Ensure the agency has the right level of relationship depth at the right levels of the client organization 4. Support Field Teams with Creative Expertise Build strong working relationships with our account leads in the field, becoming a trusted creative resource they can rely on Understand the challenges and opportunities across the dealership network and help field reps articulate the value of creative initiatives to general managers Arm field teams with the narratives, playbooks, and talking points they need to win buy-in at the store level Be available and responsive: jumping on calls, building quick-turn materials, and providing the creative air cover field teams need to do their jobs well 5. Co-Manage Key Projects Across the Portfolio You will have a Creative Account & Strategy Director counterpart with whom you'll divide and manage a broad portfolio of concurrent projects, including partner sponsorships, annual conferences, grand openings, cluster campaigns, and key corporate initiatives Own assigned projects end-to-end: scoping, cross-functional alignment, timeline management, creative feedback, client presentations, and delivery Maintain operational clarity across workstreams so nothing falls through the cracks, even when volume is high Bring the same strategic rigor to project management that you bring to creative — every workstream should have a clear objective, a plan, and a defined measure of success What Success Looks Like The account is run with clarity, strategic intent, and senior leadership presence Creative strategy is proactive and sharp. The creative team receives clear, well-grounded strategic direction that makes the work better Creative performance improves measurably over time because strategy, media, and creative are aligned and iterating together Field reps feel armed and supported, with the narratives, materials, and creative confidence to win over GMs Priority marketing directors and GMs see the agency as a genuine strategic partner, not a production vendor Projects across the portfolio are well-managed, on time, and delivered with strategic intent — not just operational competence Client presentations land because they tell a story that connects creative to business outcomes What We're Looking For Required 10+ years of experience in an advertising or marketing agency environment, with a strong track record in account leadership, creative strategy, or integrated campaign management Proven ability to lead an account holistically — managing the client relationship, shaping strategic direction, and driving creative work from concept through client-ready presentation Ability to build creative briefs, provide strategic creative feedback, and guide projects from concept through delivery Experience managing complex, concurrent projects with the operational discipline to keep multiple workstreams on track Exceptional presentation skills. Comfortable building and delivering strategic narratives to senior client stakeholders Strong relationship-building instincts with a track record of earning trust with clients who are operationally focused, not just marketing-minded The ability to read and respond to media performance data, partnering with media teams to improve creative effectiveness Confidence to lead conversations, influence decision-making, and sell in creative direction without relying on formal authority This role is fully remote Strong Differentiators Experience with distributed businesses: franchise, multi-location, or regionally activated brands where corporate goals and local market needs don't always perfectly align Experience working within inter-agency or holding company team structures Background in cluster or multi-location retail marketing Bilingual English/Spanish or multicultural marketing background The Person We Need This role is for someone who can lead an account and elevate the work. They should be comfortable in the details, but not trapped by them. Organized, but not merely operational. They should have creative taste, but not need to be the Creative Director. They should know how to build trust with senior clients, guide teams internally, and make creative ideas easier to understand, easier to buy, and harder to dismiss. At the highest level, this is a senior account leader with the strategic range and creative credibility to lead — not just service — a complex account, in close partnership with agency and creative leadership. Benefits including healthcare, 401K, vacation/PTO policy to be shared in greater detail during the interview process. Collier.Simon provides equal employment opportunity to all individuals regardless of their race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by state, federal, or local law. #J-18808-Ljbffr