Senior Account Manager

Overall Purpose of the Senior Account Manager  Role:

Account Managers are the face of Bicycle. Good service quality in their blood.

As an Account Manager you will coordinate all your client campaigns and projects as well as being the main point of contact for your clients too.

This role brings the full suite of Bicycle’s services together to drive business growth for advertisers. You’ll be working on several accounts across different categories; for example food, financial services and alcohol.

You’ll be supported by an Account Executive and report into a Business Director. You’ll work closely with our channel specialists to create and deliver optimal media campaigns across all offline and online paid channels.

This is an exciting opportunity for anyone wishing to gain high level exposure to client and agency management.

Core Competencies

Client Management

A Bicycle campaign should be delivered on time and on budget, and should exceed a client’s expectations in all areas of the campaign. You are highly skilled at working on multiple client campaigns simultaneously, guiding and assisting the more junior members of the team to deliver activations.

You should have a good understanding of trafficking, tagging and tracking processes.

Ensure your work is accurate and check through work before your clients see it. Always look for errors by proofreading and checking for anything the client might want to see corrected. Basically, be one step ahead – always!

You will need to demonstrate your skills in leading a small or medium sized brief/ campaign. You will be required to go to client briefings and advise on the development of the proposition. You will need to translate the brief in writing and verbally through the brief. You will need to be involved in client presentations, feedback, project implementation and review.

To help build a good relationship with our clients, we expect you to manage their expectations solidly by completing projects smoothly and ensuring your client is informed every step of the way.

Speak to your most day-to-day clients on the phone regularly so they feel valued and occasionally organise face to face sessions too.

Strategy at your level is always encouraged. Thinking like a client and understanding their needs above all else will enable you to translate a brief into a brilliant campaign.

You work closely with clients in order to understand their long-term goals so you are the go-to person that provides strategic recommendations, and you align campaigns with their broader business objectives.

Although we don’t like to stick to the rules, we expect you to follow best practice when it comes to process. There’s a reason for it and it will make sure that all bases are covered to make delivery better.

Your development is really important to us. Start by following best practice and look for your line manager’s sign off and always remember to let them see jobs whenever required.

Technical Skills

We expect you to have a good understanding of the advertising industry & media landscape. This will help you add value to your job as well as a good all round view of the varying disciplines.

Your role involves you coordinating with internal teams, such as specialist media buyers, to ensure campaign objectives are met.

As an Account Manager you will be adept at analysing market trends, target audience data, and campaign performance that supports strategic decision making and are skilled at preparing performance reports, analysing data, and providing the insight to optimise campaign effectiveness. Good at using metrics and tools to evaluate campaign performance and make data-driven recommendations.

AMs have advanced skills in data analysis and campaign optimisation and have the ability to conduct in-depth performance analysis, identify areas for improvement, and provide strategic recommendations to enhance campaign effectiveness.

They are also abreast with the latest industry trends, emerging technologies, and media landscape changes and either apply the knowledge to provide valuable insights and recommendations to clients or share it with the rest of the agency.

Continuous development is not just encouraged, but expected, so make sure you read up on the trade magazines and literature and attend the required training for you at your level.

Finance Management

You will be involved in managing client budgets and estimating external costs. Your role will be pivotal to both their financial rewards as well as Bicycle’s, so make sure you are clear how revenue and profit works.

You work in collaboration with clients to establish budgets and manage campaign finances as well have the ability to monitor spending and prepare reports for clients in a timely manner.

You also proactively take responsibility for all client budgets including external costs, time and revenue and actively provide updates to senior internal stakeholders and clients.

It’s a Bicycle policy to have all retained fees billed on the 1st of the month. Maximise cash-flow by always making sure this is done.

You’ll need to oversee Account Executives’ and Channel Buyers’ billing, and ensure that Bicycle's finance processes are always followed.

People Management & Leadership

You should be a role model and ensure those junior to you are supervised well. Mentor and develop them well in order to achieve outstanding work at Bicycle.

Develop your management skills here, both upwards and downwards. If you need help, call on these resources to get the job done.

Stay motivated to ensure that you motivate others within the agency. Motivated people are far more creative and alert. So, whomever you’re with, if you’re enjoying what you do and show it – they will be too.

We are a collaborative organisation – develop skills to work with your peers and you’ll do well at Bicycle.

Keep your line manager and/ or Business Directors updated, obtaining their consultation on planning and escalating difficult issues as well as opportunities constructively.

Agency Development

You are proactive and involve yourself in wider agency activities and encourage the more junior members to do the same. These never go unnoticed and will always add to your development in your own field.

You have the ability to support and provide guidance across all disciplines- planning, buying and account management.

We are a sharing organisation and encourage you to share knowledge to your peers and team members. Join in brainstorms to add a fresh perspective to the brief.

Business Development

We encourage entrepreneurialism – be on the lookout for new opportunities with existing clients and prospects.

Communication Skills

You will be expected to liaise with other agencies on optimal asset deployment.

You are adept at addressing key client issues and presenting them in an engaging and confident manner to clients.

You are able to hold your own court in client and internal meetings, but are also able to challenge if/when needed.

Keep your line manager informed of changes to scope of work and briefs to ensure they communicate the right numbers throughout the month.

Communicate with everyone effectively, especially with clients to ensure expectations and deliverables are communicated in a timely manner.

Essential Skills & Experience

You will have at least 4 years’ marketing/advertising experience. Including at least 2 years in a full service (offline & online) UK-focused media planning & buying agency

• Confident building and maintaining positive, constructive relationships with client individuals. Can get to know clients as people, able to ‘read the room’, identify potential challenges and opportunities, and when to escalate these to Business Director 
• Able to independently run status and reporting meetings. Capable of project managing all account workflows, ensuring all projects stay on brief, on deadline, and on budget
• Experience of training and coaching junior team members. Ability to line manage and delegate appropriately to Account Executive
• Able to complete relevant, accurate, insightful audience and competitive research. Comprehensive working knowledge of Ad Intel, TGI, Touchpoints, Telmar Plan
• Extremely competent in briefing and collaborating with internal specialist teams (including more senior colleagues), collating and refining media schematics
• Thorough knowledge of media channels’ metrics, relationships with brand and business objectives. Good grasp of channels’ roles, limitations, common vendors and formats.
• Well-versed in collating and evaluating campaign reporting data, and articulating media performance clearly and constructively to clients
• Analytical, numerate and commercially-minded
• An excellent multi-tasker, exceptionally well-organised, outstanding attention to detail
• A fast-thinking problem-solver, undeterred by unexpected change
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
• Always diplomatic, proactive, inquisitive and positive
• A passion for media, communications and creativity

Ideal additional skills and attributes:

• Working knowledge of tools such as Mediaocean’s MX and Buyer Workflow/Prisma, Google Analytics, TV attribution tools, YouGov, DEN, Techedge, Meta Ads Manager, Google Ads, CM360, Double Verify, TikTok Business Manager
• Media buying experience in OOH, press & digital
• Experience working on pitches and/or onboarding new clients
• Line management experience
• Knowledge of media landscape in other markets, e.g. Ireland, Germany, France, USA
• Experience presenting to senior clients (CMO, Marketing Director)

Remuneration & Benefits:

£33,000- £45,000 depending on experience. 

Flexible, extensive benefits post probation.