Company Description
Publicis West AfricaLimited is part of the Publicis Groupe, the second largest communications group in the world, employing over 100 000 talented minds, across 100 countries. Publicis Groupe has made a name for itself by putting its people first. We, at Publicis Groupe Africa, are no different. With over 60 agencies across 36 countries on the continent, there’s no better place to grow a rewarding career in media, communications, marketing, or advertising in Africa.
Publicis Groupe Africa is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and prohibits any forms of discrimination or harassment. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all our employees in line with our Employment Equity Plan.
Company values:
TRUST
Trust is the cornerstone upon which we build our relationships. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of how a partner should behave. We treat our people and our clients with respect, transparency and honesty.
TALENT
This is first and foremost a people business. We are committed to ensuring Publicis Groupe a destination for the best talent in our industry. We value people as individuals, growing ourselves as we grow our client’s business.
TRANSFORMATION
True transformation comes when we stop managing change, and instead initiate change. We believe in our purpose to be the admired force for business transformation. We believe that focusing on performance and results has the power to transform client business.
Job Description
Scope of work:
You will lead the work on one of the most popular consumer brands in the world, impacting the daily lives of over half a billion people in the fastest growing region in the world. You will work for clients who not only care about success in the marketplace but are passionate about the role of brands in helping bring about social change. The Account Director is responsible for seamless delivery on a client account including creation and communication of effective brand strategies, oversight of all client relations and presentations, while providing active support and oversight to an Account Service team.
Expectations of an Account Director:
- Supports Category Lead and Manages key client relationships across the region.
- Acts as the first point of contact for client questions and requests
- Talks to other departments in the organisation to facilitate client requests.
- Builds and maintains relationships with clients often through regular meetings.
- Partners with Planners to develop and implement highly integrated strategic responses for brand’s business and communications needs.
- Problem solves on high level account and production issues and knows when to involve their supervisor.
- Generate accurate reports on the status of existing accounts and new business.
- Supports and Leads presentations with clients.
- Manages and facilitates new business pitches when requested by Category Lead or CEO.
- Committed to constantly improving our work, and how we work.
- Maintains a sense of discretion and professionalism, representing the Groupe.
Expectations as a member of our community
- You believe passionately in the power of creativity to bring change to the world. But you’re realistic and have a clear-eyed view of what it will take to get there: not a path you walk alone, but with a group of people putting a diverse range of skills and perspectives to work, towards a common goal.
- Your ideas and your voice will be heard, respected, and protected with passion. Ideas are not disposable commodities here; they are our most precious assets.
- You will be tested, you will be challenged, and you will be pushed beyond your comfort zone, but you will equally be supported, encouraged, and celebrated. Because the true value of a community is that we bring out the best in each other
Expectations as a team leader
As your own leadership journey evolves, your primary goal will be to nurture the next generation of leaders. You will reflect our “People First” ethos, where we believe that the best work can only come from a team that feels happy, secure, and motivated, with a clarity of purpose. You value diversity, equality, and inclusivity, not because it’s fashionable but because it’s obvious.
In this role, you will be expected to:
- Provide leadership and professional development to department staff.
- Mentor and train team members, write performance reviews, and allocate work.
- Monitor teams to deliver beyond client’s expectations.
- Motivate your team and be the glue that keeps teams going.
- Set goals and KPIs for each team member and works with them to achieve these.
Qualifications
- Required 7+ years account and digital experience in a creative advertising agency.
- Deep understanding of digital production steps and processes – responsible for high level digital communication to clients
- Capable of writing a thoughtful interactive communication strategy presentation, highlighting current trends in digital, media, technology and advertising that may be utilized to achieve a client’s business outcomes.
- Lives the interactive ecosystem (truly born of Digital), understands how social, mobile, experiential, search, etc all co-exist.
- Able to effectively interpret and lead regarding measurement reporting, whether regarding standard or rich media advertising or social
- Rallies behind integrated briefs and pushes clients and creatives to explore new projects.
- Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines in a fast-paced creative environment.
- Effective negotiation and problem-solving skills
- Strong financial understanding of budgeting, estimating and agency profitability.
- A track record of gaining trust and respect by consistently demonstrating sound critical thinking skills and maintaining composure in stressful situations.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate with all levels of employees.
- Highly organized with a keen sense of attention to detail
- Exceptional initiative and follow through skills.
- Exceptional French writing and speaking skills is a hiring advantage.
