Account Manager

Agency: GSD&M Job Function: Account Management and Growth Job Subfunction: Account Management Job Description: At GSD&M, we’re on a mission to build First & Only brands, meaning the first to do it and the only ones who can. We’re able to do this because we set a high bar for ourselves and our work. We care about what we put out in the world. We’re humans who like other humans. Our ideas make a difference. Shift culture. Create a smile. Inspire change. Initiate belly laughs. Deepen our understanding of the world and ourselves. We grow. We learn. We get better. We do it all over again. Because that’s what it takes to build and be First & Only. DEPARTMENT : Account Leadership REPORTS TO : Account Supervisor TRAVEL : 10-20% FLSA STATUS : Exempt SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:  Yes LOCATION : Austin POSITION FUNCTION As an Account Manager, you are the backbone of the account team. You are closest to every project on the status report and you understand how those projects relate back to the bigger goals of the brand. You are the champion of “flawless execution” and foster the creative process from briefing to presentation and production through release. The ideal Account Manager is someone who is eternally optimistic, an exceptional communicator, an organizational expert and an advocate for cross-departmental integration. SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES/DUTIES SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF. Nailing the everyday tasks is one way to ensure that your account will run smoothly. Managing job change forms, owning status reports, overseeing estimates/billing, crafting and distributing conference reports and meeting agendas, helping with meeting prep—having all of these expected elements in place and moving seamlessly allow you and your team to focus on what truly makes a difference. OWN THE PROCESS. To a senior account leader, there is nothing more comforting than someone who always delivers. Lead the creative process from briefing to presentation and production through release. Problem solve, find solutions and remove roadblocks to great work. Be in lock step with your Project Manager. It is your responsibility to be sure that your PM always understands what’s hot, what’s coming up and what we should be preparing for in the future. Work with that partner closely to be sure we are getting the most advantageous resources and timing. Make it your personal mission to make every client meeting successful. Take the time to think through who is attending, what is important to them and what we should focus on to make them feel special. Become adept at the art of managing up (to your supervisor), down (to any junior team members or interns) and sideways (to your peers/client team). CHAMPION INTELLIGENT AND INSPIRING STRATEGY. Understand strategy and ensure that it translates into day-to-day account activity. Know a client’s business and how the creative work answers to that strategy. This includes paying the price to know the real problem—the deep issue in culture, the category or business that the client may not see. FUEL CREATIVITY. Creative is not a department. Engage in the work and partner with your creative teams to come to an end product that meets client needs and delivers cutting-edge, smart and creative work. Inspire ideas and build on others. Everything you do is in service of the work. BE A TRUSTED CLIENT PARTNER. Nurture relationships. This goes for both the client side—everyone from the CMO’s Admin to the Marketing Research Manager—and for relationships with partner agencies for client success. Our primary goal is to build our client’s business. Know their business and how they make and lose money. Track results and lead optimization. Help our clients be heroes in their own organization. Most importantly, always do what you say you’re going to do. Ensure the agency delivers. REMAIN CURIOUS. Hone your craft. Keep up with the competitive landscape and relevant cultural trends in search of insights and truths to