The Senior Director is responsible for securing, maintaining and growing business that his/her group works on. It is his/her responsibility to meet the firm’s profitability targets, and provide strategic counsel and guidance to AD/AM to ensure all campaigns run smoothly. He/she also maintains a relationship with senior level client contact to gauge client’s needs, concerns while attempting to grow business within the client servicing team. Specific duties include, but not limited to:
Client Servicing
- Oversee client service function for campaign planning, problem solving and strategic counsel
- Lead E2 programs where applicable
- Maintain client contact on a senior level
- Keep fully briefed on current campaign activities and seek out potential business opportunities for the team and extended divisions/offices
- Negotiate/help solve problems before or as they arise
- Participate in client meetings when appropriate
- Introduce the client to new practice capabilities
- Match client needs with the right capabilities
Media Relations
- Counsel team to develop media relations strategy for client projects
- When appropriate, pitch media contacts (with whom SAD has developed relationships with over the years)
- Manage strategic process in pitching stories and/or responding to media inquiries
- Train team on methods and procedures to respond to media
- Be a consumer of news – help identify media trends/interests, what “works” with top media
Financial Planning and Management
- Manage monthly fees for each client
- Responsible for management of overall profitability on projects
- Work with team to establish appropriate and profitable client budgets
- Track and modify team budgets on a mid-year and annual basis
- Minimize over servicing on clients
- Plan team hours against fee/project needs to maintain profitable work load
- Work with billing manager to track forecast figures against actual figures
- Sign off on all billing sheets
Business Development
- Proactively pursue new business opportunities with current clients
- Ensure excellent work on current business to garner new business within existing clients
- Expand scope of work (i.e. different types of projects, convergence assignments, etc.) and fee billings on current accounts
- Research new business leads
- Prepare capabilities presentations
- Arrange meetings with new business prospects
- Meet growth business goals
People Development
- Directly supervise 3-8+ staff members
- Conduct performance appraisals for team members
- Interview and select new hires
- Coach and lead team to successful outcomes
- Actively develop others, providing frequent coaching and feedback
- Seek opportunities and resources to help the team develop on and off the job
- Hold self and others consistently accountable for performance
- Delegate to others to allow them to take the lead and create shared responsibility
- Promote team cooperation either within team or between teams through genuinely valuing the opinions and views of others
- Continually raise the target level for individual performance over time
- Explicitly link reward, recognition and promotion directly to the climate that subordinates’ create, as well as the results that are delivered
- Create conditions that enable the team to perform at its best
- Initiate and engage in team-building activities
Leadership
- Possess advanced strategic thinking abilities
- Identify new growth opportunities based on insights into the company, client, industry and economy
- Initiate timely, proactive actions to gain improvements and create or enable growth in business results
- Define a clear vision for self and others and ensure that the growth message is understood by team
- Challenge complacency wherever it exists to remove barriers to change
- Energize others, creating momentum and ensuring the messages are cascaded and sustained through the business
- Set challenging growth goals for yourself and others and put into plans to achieve these goals
- Create a climate that encourages entrepreneurial behaviors and learning
- Communicate a compelling and inspired vision of future possibilities and direction
- Implement and support new initiatives to create fundamental, positive business changes. Help others adapt to change.
- Identify and implement new processes and initiatives that help clients, internal partners and/or departments accomplish their goals. Actively seek and suggest better ways for accomplishing goals.
- Live the VMV values (respect, integrity, mutual benefits, entrepreneurial spirit and quality); lead by example
- Demonstrate clear client and team leadership, motivate and inspire employees
- Clearly communicate the vision, goals and strategy for client development to the team
- Be a leader in the industry by participating in speaking engagements, being active in industry organizations and serving on boards
- Apply convergence approach to other practice areas in the company
EEU Credits
- Presentation Skills (Advanced)
- Consulting Skills
- The Role and Requirements of a Client Relationship Manager (CRM)
- Coaching Skills
- Creating Winning Presentations
- Cross-Selling (inter-office)
- How We Make Money (Advanced)
Measuring progress
The Senior Director will be at the senior level of the job, working toward Deputy General Manager when s/he demonstrates the following:
- Consistently deliver outstanding strategic counsel on client programs and issues
- Successfully manage a P&L
- Develop new business from organic growth and new prospects
- Successfully interface with top management
- Consistently receive above average Upward Reviews
- Incorporate VMV values including work/life balance
- Effectively delegate to team
- Excellent decision-making and problem-solving skills
- Lead with a vision and a purpose: communicate a compelling and inspired vision of future possibilities and direction
- Create a growth vision; have a passion for growth, develop breakthrough thinking and organizational awareness
- Live the VMV values
- Apply convergence approach whenever possible
- Motivate and empower others by inviting input on decisions and requesting appropriate assistance. Use active listening skills regularly
- Balance conflicting needs between clients, internal parties and agency standards
- Anticipate socio-economic shifts and how to exploit these to create growth
- Create a team climate which encourages entrepreneurial behaviors and learning
- Proven to be a strategic thinker; doesn’t focus solely on immediate task, considers longer-term needs
To apply, write to info@phbd.com.hk