About Ogilvy
Ogilvy, part of WPP, has been creating impact for brands through iconic, culture-changing, value-driving ideas since the company was founded by David Ogilvy 75 years ago. It builds on that rich legacy through Borderless Creativity – innovating at the intersections of its advertising, public relations, relationship design, consulting, and health capabilities with experts collaborating seamlessly across over 120 offices in nearly 90 countries. Ogilvy currently ranks as the #1 global agency network for creative excellence and effectiveness by WARC, signifying its ability to deliver creative solutions that drive unreasonable impact for clients and communities. Ogilvy is a WPP company (NYSE: WPP). For more information, visit Ogilvy.com, and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook.
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.
Department: Advertising
Location: London
Contact type: 12-Month FTC
Full Time/Part time: Full Time
Reporting into: Business Director
The Role:
An Account Director is a leader within the team, responsible for directing larger, more complex projects and ensuring they align with both client objectives and agency goals. You’ll act as a trusted partner to mid-level clients, building relationships based on strategic insight and creative excellence.
With a solid understanding of strategy and how it connects to creative development, you’ll guide teams to deliver impactful work that solves client challenges. You’ll also play a key role in mentoring junior team members, setting the standard for collaboration, problem-solving, and accountability.
You’ll need to be a confident and inspiring leader, capable of navigating challenges, anticipating risks, and driving high-quality results.
Candidates will have experience delivering large scale, integrated campaigns, including TV and have previous experience working across retail, food and beverage clients.
Key Responsibilities:
- Be the client’s trusted advisor – Build strong partnerships with mid-level clients, acting as a point of escalation and a source of strategic guidance. Know your clients’ businesses, challenges, and expectations inside out, acting as their trusted advisor.
- Be the creative problem-solver – Anticipate challenges and proactively develop solutions. Push for creative excellence while ensuring projects stay on track.
- Be the strategic leader – Lead the development of strategies that connect client objectives with creative solutions. Ensure all work aligns with the client’s broader business goals.
- Be a driver of creative excellence - Actively participate in creative reviews, offering thoughtful and well-substantiated insights to challenge and enhance our work. Possess a keen understanding of what resonates with audiences and delivers results, applying this knowledge to ensure all creative aligns with strategic objectives and market effectiveness.
- Be commercially focused – Oversee financial management, including fee/scope tracking and profitability. Ensure projects meet financial targets and contribute to the agency’s success.
- Be the team guide – Oversee project execution. Lead cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality work. Provide mentorship and support to junior team members, empowering them and helping them grow and succeed.
- Be a role model – Set the standard for collaboration, accountability, and resilience. Inspire teams to deliver their best work, even in high-pressure situations.
- Be the connector between strategy & delivery - Drive your projects with confidence, ensuring they deliver on client objectives from strategic development to creative execution and production. Lead strategic discussions, questioning and refining strategies to ensure they are robust and aligned with your clients’ goals.
- Be the external face of the agency - Own all client-facing elements, including scopes, presentations, and communications, ensuring alignment with both client and agency goals.
- Be the advocate - Advocate for your account’s needs within the agency, ensuring it receives the resources and attention required to succeed
Key Skills:
- A strategic mindset, with the ability to connect client objectives to creative solutions and long-term goals.
- Strong leadership skills to guide teams, inspire collaboration, and set the standard for excellence.
- A creative problem-solver who can anticipate challenges and develop innovative solutions.
- Exceptional organizational skills to manage complex projects and ensure smooth delivery across multiple stakeholders.
- Confident and persuasive communication skills to present ideas, negotiate effectively, and manage client expectations.
- A deep understanding of the creative process and the ability to champion bold, impactful work.
- Resilience and adaptability to thrive in high-pressure situations and deliver outstanding results.
- A relentless focus on advocating for the client’s needs and ensuring their objectives are prioritised.
- A creative problem-solver who thrives on tackling complex challenges and finding innovative solutions.
How we help you Thrive:
- 25 days annual leave + 1 Volunteer Day
- Bupa Healthcare
- Enhanced Maternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave
- We have a Flexible Working Model with core working hours: 10am – 4pm
- A 1.5:1 Matching Pension Structure
- Wellbeing and Health: Up to £25.00 per month towards physical or online exercise class membership, Unmind membership, LifeWorks tool and annual eye tests and development budgets and Wellbeing incentives and activities throughout the year
- Season Ticket Loan and Cycle to Work Scheme
- Life Assurance
At Ogilvy, our people are at the heart of what we do: a creative agency that sparks game-changing ideas across culture and business through collaboration, integrity, and a celebration of self-expression.
We believe in building powerful teams with purpose - and we relentlessly curate transformative initiatives that make our commitment to fairness, and equity a reality.
Our ultimate mission is to leave a positive impact on the world, creating a better future for all, while supporting and uplifting the global communities we serve. This is central to our mantra of Borderless Creativity.
Ogilvy is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.
If you need any assistance seeking a job opportunity, or if you need reasonable accommodation with the application process, please contact us at [email protected]. Please note that this contact is only for candidates who are requesting accommodation. Emails for other purposes, including application status requests, will not receive a response.
Skills Required
- Experience delivering large-scale integrated campaigns, including TV
- Previous experience working on retail, food and beverage clients
- Strategic mindset connecting client objectives to creative solutions
- Strong leadership skills to guide and inspire teams
- Ability to mentor and develop junior team members
- Commercial and financial management experience (fee/scope tracking, profitability)
- Excellent organisational skills to manage complex projects and stakeholders
- Confident and persuasive communication and presentation skills
- Deep understanding of the creative process and ability to drive creative excellence
- Resilience and adaptability in high-pressure situations
Ogilvy Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Ogilvy and has not been reviewed or approved by Ogilvy.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage is described as comprehensive in several markets, with medical, dental, and vision plans alongside mental health support options. Wellness supports such as EAP access and gym-related perks are also described as part of the package.
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Retirement Support — Retirement benefits are positioned as a meaningful component of total rewards, including 401(k) matching in the US. In the UK example provided, pension contributions are described as robust and potentially high after probation.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off benefits are described as relatively broad in some locations, including sizeable annual leave and additional days such as a birthday off and volunteering time. Parental leave is also portrayed as enhanced in certain markets.
Ogilvy Insights
What We Do
Ogilvy has been creating impact for brands through iconic, culture-changing, value-driving ideas since the company was founded by David Ogilvy 75 years ago. We build on that rich legacy through Borderless Creativity – innovating at the intersections of its advertising, public relations, relationship design, consulting, and health capabilities with experts collaborating seamlessly across over 120 offices in nearly 90 countries. We are proud to currently rank as the #1 global agency network for creative excellence and effectiveness by WARC, signifying our ability to deliver creative solutions that drive unreasonable impact for clients and communities.
