Account Director

About the role

VML, part of WPP, is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and human first, award-winning work for blue chip client partners including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendy's. The agency is recognized by the Forrester Wave™ Reports, as a Leader among Marketing Creative and Content Service Providers, Commerce Services, Global Digital Experience Services, Global Marketing Services and, most recently, Marketing Measurement & Optimization. In addition, VML's specialist health network, VML Health, is one of the world's largest and most awarded health agencies. VML's global network is powered by 26,000 talented people across 55+ markets, with principal offices in Kansas City, New York, Detroit, London, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, and Sydney. About WPP WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world's leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company - powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit WPP.com . Who we are looking for: VML is seeking an Account Director to support one of our largest global clients in the automotive sector. This role will be based in our Costa Mesa office in a hybrid workstyle. The Account Director is responsible for the overall management, growth, and profitability for the account and represents the agency at the client level. This senior account leader will directly supervise a growing account team, providing support, guidance, and translating client business needs into clear agency action across functions. This role will lead senior day-to-day client relationships, drive delivery excellence across an expanding scope (including creative, strategy, social, and CRM), and help evolve a modern operating model that embraces AI-enabled ways of working to increase speed and scale. The role reports to the Managing Director, Account Management. The Account Director will also seek growth opportunities and may support new business pitches and pitch preparation as needed.

Requirements

• A builder | Entrepreneurial attitude couple with a strong business acumen. Ability and appetite to bring people together. Innate ability to marshal people and create gravity around ideas.
• Open and collaborative | Our team is close-knit and supportive and we're working with a lot of unknowns - you must champion of team environments that are comfortable and encouraging.
• Optimistic and resilient | Dig in and figure out how to work around problems. Yes and why not posture. Takes care of self and team. Balance needed to maintain stamina and positivity.
• Ego-less | We all wear the hats that need wearing, it's a mentality that makes the team successful.
• 8-10+ years of experience in account leadership within an advertising agency environment, with automotive category experience a huge plus.
• Demonstrated experience with modern, technology-enabled delivery models, including applying AI tools to scale output efficiently.
• Successful track record of client relationship development and service, particularly with large, multi-layered clients.
• Experience working with cros

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