We’re recruiting an Account Director on behalf of a well-established, creative branded environments business with offices in St Neots and London. This is a full-time, permanent position offering a salary of £55,000–£60,000 depending on experience, and a senior leadership opportunity for someone ready to take full commercial and operational ownership of a major client account.
This is a genuinely broad role combining strategic account leadership, hands-on project delivery, team management and commercial accountability. You’ll be the senior point of contact for a key client account, working closely with Senior Project Managers to ensure every project and activation is delivered to a high standard, on time and on budget. Alongside the day-to-day, you’ll lead the longer-term planning, growth and development of the account — building the processes, workflows and team capability needed to reduce reactive working and deliver consistent, profitable results. The role can be based in St Neots or London depending on the right candidate.
Main Responsibilities:
Strategic & Operational Leadership
- Owning the account’s annual project delivery plan in line with client objectives, timelines and commercial targets
- Forecasting and coordinating activity, resources, budgets, production schedules and installation requirements
- Building structured workflows, planning cycles and project management processes to give clear pipeline visibility and minimise operational risk
- Personally leading a portfolio of projects and events end to end — from planning and client management through to production, installation and delivery
- Balancing hands-on delivery with account leadership and team management
Commercial & Financial Accountability
- Driving revenue, margin and cost performance across all accounts in partnership with the Group Account Director
- Forecasting labour and material requirements accurately to protect margin
- Identifying commercial risks early and adjusting plans to maintain profitability
- Identifying and monetising upsell opportunities
- Supporting pricing improvements, value engineering and cost controls
Line Management
- Leading Senior Project Managers and Project Managers with clear direction, coaching and regular feedback
- Setting clear objectives and expectations, and supporting development opportunities within the team
- Monitoring team KPIs and addressing performance issues through coaching and corrective action
- Planning resources and workloads to ensure the team has the capacity to meet client and business needs
Systems, Data & Process
- Quoting all projects accurately to ensure reliable pipeline reporting
- Scheduling production and installation work in the ERP system with accurate dates and costs
- Owning account invoicing and ensuring all project costs, variations and additional charges are captured and invoiced on time
- Maintaining clean, accurate and complete ERP system data
- Working with the Group Account Director and Project Managers to design and implement improved workflows and scalable processes
Health, Safety & Compliance
- Ensuring all work meets IOSH and company safety standards
- Championing safe working practices including reviews of toolbox talks and RAMS
Skills/Experience:
- Proven experience in a senior account management or account director role within branded environments, exhibitions, events, retail or a related production environment
- Strong commercial acumen with a track record of delivering margin and revenue targets
- Experienced people leader with the ability to develop and manage project teams with clarity and accountability
- Excellent project management skills with the ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously
- Confident working with ERP and project management systems
- Commercially aware with experience identifying upsell opportunities and protecting profitability
- Strong communicator — confident managing senior client relationships and internal stakeholders alike
- Knowledge of health and safety standards relevant to installations and live environments — IOSH awareness desirable
Salary & Working Hours:
£55,000–£60,000 per annum, dependent on experience. Full-time, permanent position. Based in St Neots (preferable) or London, dependent on the candidate.
Benefits:
- £55,000–£60,000 DOE
- Senior role with full account ownership and genuine commercial influence
- Work for a business with 30 years of experience across retail, exhibitions, sport and events
- Collaborative working environment alongside an experienced project leadership team
- Opportunity to shape processes, build capability and leave a lasting mark on a major client account