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Walker Sands is seeking a seasoned Vice President, Account Management who will serve as a senior leader within the Client Services department and a key member of the agency’s Senior Leadership Team.
This role will drive the success of our account management function, serving as a strategic advisor for some of the agency’s largest and most complex client accounts, including integrated and point-solution programs that leverage SEO, paid media, creative, brand and strategy, marketing automation, PR and social media services. The Vice President, Account Management will serve as a senior strategist and relationship manager, and work with our services teams to define program goals and strategies, build and maintain client relationships, expand accounts, support sales pitches and deliver exceptional results.
The Vice President, Account Management should have B2B industry and channel expertise across our range of services. They will work with in-house channel experts to drive outcomes for B2B technology clients and become invaluable extensions to our clients’ marketing teams, providing senior oversight to ensure client satisfaction, revenue growth, and profitability. They may actively run 1-2 large accounts, and provide senior oversight for a portfolio ranging from 6-10 accounts.
As a senior member of the Client Services team, the VP, Account Management will manage and mentor a team of up to 15 employees, including 2-4 direct reports, cultivating their professional development while aligning departmental performance with agency-wide goals. This role will also contribute to agency leadership, fostering collaboration across teams, and advancing initiatives that enhance employee engagement, diversity and inclusion.
Responsibilities
Client Relationship Management
- Lead up to 2 large, multi-service accounts as the primary senior strategist and relationship manager
- Works with services teams to define program goals and strategy; monitors results and client business impact; builds client relationships; and manages account profitability, client health and renewals.
- Serve as senior oversight for a portfolio of large, integrated and/or high-value accounts, establishing trusted advisor relationships with senior client stakeholders (e.g., CEOs, CMOs) and senior point of contact for internal service teams.
- Act as a strategic advisor to clients, providing expert guidance on marketing trends, opportunities, and best practices.
- Provide strategic direction for client programs, ensuring alignment with client goals and agency capabilities.
- Navigate high-stakes client conversations, including budget discussions, quality concerns, and sensitive business challenges such as leadership transitions or budget cuts.
- Lead the development of integrated marketing plans and campaigns with a deep understanding of B2B industries (tech, SaaS, professional services).
- Produce and present client-facing reports that demonstrate the business value of our programs to clients.
- Identify opportunities for account growth, cross-selling, and upselling while maintaining strong client satisfaction.
Department Leadership and Coaching
- Collaborate with the head of Client Services to establish and achieve departmental goals, ensuring alignment with agency objectives.
- Provide department leadership including: managing utilization for those in the coaching tree, contributing to department process improvement and innovation, and shaping department training to elevate the skillsets of account management staff.
- Coach junior Client Services team members, including Associate Account Directors, Account Directors and Senior Account Directors, while overseeing a broader team of up to 15 team members.
- Inspire, mentor and motivate team members to produce great work and develop expertise.
- Lead and mentor cross-functional teams on key accounts, ensuring seamless collaboration and outstanding results.
Business Growth
- Lead and participate in sales pitches for new business, with strong presentation skills that build confidence in the program and team.
- Drive measurable revenue growth through proactive account expansion, upselling, and cross-selling initiatives.
- Oversee scoping, pricing strategies, and contract negotiations for complex client engagements.
Operational Excellence
- Monitor key department KPIs, including client profitability, revenue retention, and utilization metrics.
- Conduct regular account reviews and provide actionable feedback to drive client health, profitability, and team performance.
- Responsible for scoping, pricing and staffing.
- Drive increased profitability of accounts over time.
- Review and approve contracts, billing, statements of work (SOWs), and other client agreements, ensuring accuracy and profitability.
Agency Leadership
- Contribute to the overall strategic direction of the agency as a member of the SLT.
- Drive integration and collaboration across all teams to deliver outcome-driven integrated marketing solutions while balancing internal team advocacy.
Actively support diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and foster a positive, inclusive work culture.
Experience
- At least 12-15 years leading client accounts in a marketing, PR and/or creative agency.
- Demonstrated success in managing high-value, integrated marketing accounts with complex scopes.
- Deep understanding of B2B industries (e.g., tech, SaaS, professional services) and all aspects of the marketing landscape.
- Demonstrated ability to build trusted advisor relationships with executive and C-level client contacts.
- Exceptional leadership working with and/or managing cross-disciplinary teams in a matrix account team structure.
- Extensive experience in business development, including leading sales pitches, growing client accounts, and negotiating contracts.
- Strong financial acumen with experience managing client budgets, profitability, and utilization metrics.
- Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
- Proficiency in project management tools and software.
- Excellent listening, negotiation and presentation skills.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
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