Account Director - Health

About the role

The Account Director plays a pivotal role in leading senior client engagements, driving organic business growth, and delivering transformative healthcare communications. Acting as a trusted advisor to clients and an inspiring leader to cross-functional agency teams, this role drives overall account vision, creative excellence, team development, and financial profitability across every initiative.

Responsibilities

• Build Senior Client Relationships: Cultivate and maintain long-term client relationships built on deep trust, credibility, and strategic partnership.
• Lead Strategic Account Growth: Collaborate with Strategy and Planning to transform client business objectives, scientific insights, and market dynamics into actionable communications strategies and tactics.
• Champion Creative & Brief Development: Co-develop and interrogate project briefs to ensure alignment with client objectives, regulations, and standards; partner actively with creative teams throughout development.
• Manage & Mentor Teams: Lead, motivate, and develop direct reports (Account Managers and Account Executives), delegating tasks appropriately, setting priorities, and supporting their professional growth.
• Drive Financial Performance & Viability: Oversee overall account profitability, budgeting, resource utilization, and forecasting, ensuring agency profitability while delivering high-value work on time and on budget.
• Mine New Business: Proactively identify and seize organic growth opportunities within existing client accounts and contribute to agency new business pitches.
• Pitch & Present Proposals: Confidently present, sell, defend, and negotiate agency strategic proposals and creative work with senior client stakeholders.
• Ensure Agency Supremacy: Collaborate seamlessly across all agency disciplines at the right time and manage client vendor relationships to maintain agency leadership.
• Executive Escalation & Reporting: Regularly inform the Group Director / Managing Partner on account health, performance, and key milestones, escalating issues as needed.

Required skills

• Medical Communications
• Healthcare advertising
• Leadership
• Strategic planning
• Financial management
• P&L management
• MS Office
• CRM
• English

Nice to have

• E-commerce
• Paid search
• Digital media

Qualifications

• Scientific degree with Marketing/Economics specialization
• Equivalent industry experience

About the Company

VML is a global creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce to create connected brands that drive growth. VML Health is part of the VML network, focusing on crafting innovative solutions that drive meaningful change and improve patient outcomes.