APPLY; http://www.bullhornreach.com/job/1245895_managing-director-ad-agency-toronto-on-canada
Reporting to the CEO, the Managing Director will be the operational lead for the agency, pulling together the senior management team and creating a more efficient and culturally aligned agency. They will have a fundamental understanding of the advertising industry and the ability to get under the skin of clients and understand what makes them tick. They must understand what clients want from their agency and have the ability to help deliver it.
The successful MD will be a natural client services professional who will help build, inspire and nurture a strong client service team; ensuring daily, weekly and monthly reporting on revenue, utilisation and profitability; and managing the account teams to target levels of revenue growth and profit.
They will be a well-seasoned strategic leader and with the ability to help run and manage an effective, successful and culturally aligned creative agency.
The MD’s role is to be the complimentary counterpart to the CEO, helping to align the operational, client relationship and cultural success of the agency.
They should be hot on the CEO’s heels with the confidence and ability to one day become CEO themselves; meanwhile, remaining happy to get stuck in and do the unsexy stuff. This will be the person who gets stuff done and empowers others to perform at their best.
Key Activities and Responsibilities
MANAGE CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS AT A SENIOR LEVEL
- Having a good nose for what’s happening with the agency’s clients, ensuring all relationships are healthy and intervening when appropriate.
- Working with and supporting Managing Partners to help increase and maximise client relationships and business.
- Raising the bar by providing inspirational client service principles and benchmarks to ensure that the agency is strategically leading clients and building strong, long lasting relationships.
NEW BUSINESS
- Overseeing and ensuring that opportunities for new business are developed, pursued and converted.
- Working closely with the New Business & PR team to define strategy and provide support for new business pursuit.
- Heavy involvement in running large pitches and new business activity, ensuring optimum productivity and success.
CULTIVATE THE SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM AND BUILD INTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS
- Mentor business leaders within the agency, supporting them in the management and success of their teams, improving client satisfaction scores and account retention.
- Inspire the management teams, acting as a role model and mentor. Being seen as a future leader, decision maker and problem solver.
- Build strong partnerships with the senior Creative and Planning leaders and their departments, to ensure the agency delivers award winning work that generates measurable business returns for our clients.
- Effectively develop and grow connections, working relationships and joint ventures, inspiring innovation.
SHIFT CULTURE
- Understand and encourage the agency’s culture and long term strategy. Aligning senior management in creating a more joined up business and encouraging collaborative working and aiming towards the same business and cultural goals.
- Proactively lead and contribute to the on-going vision of the agency, leading by example and driving an entrepreneurial spirit within the management team.
- Working with senior client management team in helping to shift the agency’s relationships with clients from pure service delivery to becoming more consultative partners.
OPERATIONAL SUCCESS
- Work with the Head of Operations on improving agency processes and how we function as a business.
- Constantly evaluate the senior management’s performance and help them to improve their individual and teams’ performance.
- Acting as the central conductor for the agency, supporting the senior management team, new business team and Support Services (HR/Finance/IT etc) in improving operational processes, employee relations and client relationships.
- Take responsibility for client and employee audits, improving scores year on year.
COMMERCIAL AND BUDGETARY RESPONSIBILITY
- Help to ensure business profitability (running staff cost meetings, ops meetings etc.)
- Contribute to the reporting and forecasting process.
- Keep abreast of market development and trends and actively network in order to identify potential opportunities for the agency.
Skills Required
- Substantial proven experience in strategically leading an Account Management department and/or running a business in an MD / Director level role for a large successful advertising agency.
- Demonstrated experience in successfully leading and converting new business opportunities, understanding all stages of the new business process and ability to pick up a pitch at any stage and make it a success.
- Solid understanding of the operational processes and running of a large advertising agency, and the business impact of being part of a global network.
- Creative and strategic appreciation understand the value of great ideas and able to recognise strong creative work and how to produce it.
- Exceptional relationship builder with the ability to operate at a senior and strategic level with key clients and help resolve issues smoothly and effectively.
- Business and emotional maturity.
- Gravitas and charm. Have presence in a room, ability to earn respect and influence people.
- Problem solving – understanding and offering solutions.
- Durable, stamina, relentless high energy, drive and proactiveness. Ability to do what it needs to “just get stuff done” over any obstacles.
- Naturally outgoing, charismatic.
- Strategic thinker with an excellent understanding of key industry influences and the ability to apply this thinking to a variety of clients and brands.
- Commercial focus and entrepreneurial drive.
- Excellent people manager with an ability to inspire, motivate, mentor and build commitment.
- Ability to successfully collaborate with key agency partners.
- Self-starter who is confident in their own abilities and decision making.