Group Account Director

The Group Account Director (GAD) is a senior leadership role within the Client Services team at 829. This position is responsible for the overall strategic leadership and growth of a portfolio of accounts, organized by a pod. The GAD directly oversees 2-4 Key Account Directors, each of whom leads their own pod of account managers. 

In this role, the GAD provides strategic leadership and serves as the point of accountability for client satisfaction, client retention, and operational excellence across their portfolio. They act as a final escalation point for complex client issues and consistently step in as a critical member of the executive sponsor team for key accounts, building C-Suite relationships and ensuring that 829 delivers measurable impact and best-in-class marketing strategy. 

Beyond client oversight, the GAD plays a critical role in mentoring and developing senior talent - coaching KADs to elevate strategic thinking, strengthening  cross-pod collaboration, and shaping scalable processes that enable growth.   
What You’ll Do
Portfolio Management:

• Serve as executive sponsor for a select number of high-value accounts, engaging directly with senior-level clients to build and nurture deep, strategic relationships.
• Own the accountability for gross logo retention and net revenue retention across all pods under your purview. Develop and implement high-level strategies to minimize client churn and maximize lifetime value.
• Determine and manage bandwidth, including account assignments, for KADs and their pods, ensuring optimal allocation of resources and alignment of team strengths with client needs. This includes forecasting team bandwidth and making timely adjustments to team dashboards. 
• Serve as the point of contact for client escalations across all pod accounts. This role is responsible for leading the resolution of complex performance or relationship issues, setting the standard for the entire team on effective client communication and conflict resolution. 
• Serve as the accountable party for the pods overall financial health. This means going beyond basic reporting to provide a clear, proactive view of the group's performance. The GAD will be responsible for financial forecasting and reporting, giving senior leadership a heads-up on projected revenue and potential churn. 

Growth and Operational Excellence:

• Use a deep understanding of each client’s business to identify, vet, and support upsell opportunities that align with their goals. Lead the narrative development for these opportunities, empowering KADs to position and close upsell/cross sell opportunities.
• Drive the continuous improvement of account management processes and deliverables, such as QBRs, strategy decks, and 90-day roadmaps, to enhance efficiency and strategic value.
• Oversee the monitoring and management of account health across the entire portfolio. Analyze KPIS like client satisfaction scores , revenue growth potential, and gross retention, and adjust strategies as needed.
• Equip the pod with the knowledge and tools needed to identify and articulate upsell opportunities. This includes training on new service offerings, and best practices for presenting value to clients. 
• Drive professional growth and retention of the team, mentoring and supporting KADs as effective leaders. This involves developing their skills, overseeing individual development plans, and providing consistent feedback. A core responsibility is succession planning, identifying and nurturing high-potential talent to build a strong future leadership pipeline.

Cross-Departmental Collaboration:

• Ensure seamless collaboration with other departments (e.g. paid media, organic, PR, SEO , email and creative) to deliver integrated, high-quality services that consistently meet and exceed client expectations.
• Work closely with strategist and other senior leaders to ensure high-level of account strategies are consistent and effectively applied across all client interactions and deliverables. 
• Proven thought leader, staying ahead of the curve with deep market and industry expertise, using knowledge of digital marketing trends and competitor activities to guide the pod and bring innovative ideas to clients. 
• Collaborate closely with a small group of Executive Sponsors across Marketing, Web, Strategic Communications and Leadership functions.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities:

• Conduct regular meetings (via L10s) with KADs to assess account health, review performance metrics, and strategize improvements.
• Provide direct support and step in for client presentations, pitches, and high-stakes calls, modeling effective client engagement for the team.
• Lead client escalations, providing strategic guidance and directly engaging with clients to ensure a swift and satisfactory resolution.
• Facilitate regular strategic reviews with executive-level clients to discuss service usage, satisfaction, and evolving needs.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of account management processes, ensuring the team is equipped with the best tools and practices to deliver exceptional service.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Pod / Portfolio Net Revenue Retention - ensuring account health and stability across all managed pod accounts.
• Pod / Portfolio Gross Client Retention - maintaining strong long-term client relationships and reducing churn.
• Successful Upsells and Account Growth - measurable contribution to the expansion of client scopes across service lines.
• Growth & Profitability Alignment - visibility into contribution margin and budgeted revenue targets with responsibility for influencing and tracking progress against pod-level financial goals.

• 10+ years of experience in client services, account management or strategic leadership with a marketing agency environment 
• Proven track record of leading enterprise portfolios, including responsibility for retention, growth, and profitability.
• Deep expertise across digital marketing channels (SEO, Paid Search, Paid Social, Programmatic, Email, Content Marketing) with the ability to connect tactics to overarching client business objectives.
• Executive communication and relationship skills, with the ability to engage C-suite stakeholders, influence decision-making, and serve as an executive sponsor for key accounts.
• Leadership experience managing and mentoring senior account leaders fostering career development, and building high-performing teams.
• Strong financial acumen with experience in budgeting, forecasting, and tracking contribution margin and Net Revenue Retention.

• Remote Workplace. You have the option to work at our office in Boston or remotely in the United States.
• Paid Time Off. Receive generous paid vacation benefits that increase each year you’re with us, 12 Company Holidays, and Summer Fridays from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
• 401K + Match. 401K plan with 4% Safe Harbor employer match after one year of employment and financial literacy services provided through our retirement provider.
• Life Insurance Benefit. No-cost coverage to ensure peace of mind for your family.
• Short Term Disability Benefit. We've got you covered if you need to be OOO with an illness or injury that keeps you out of work.
• Healthcare. Choose from several competitive healthcare plans for you and your family with 80% employer coverage for all medical and dental premiums, 100% employer coverage for vision, and the option to participate in the FSA program.
• Commuter Benefits. Allocate pre-tax funds towards your commute to save up to 40% per year in transportation expenses.
• Continuing Education. Access to monthly team-led webinars, exclusive 829-cohort based learning, digital course platforms, and funding opportunities to attend national conferences and events.

What We Believe

At 829 Studios, we boldly embrace diversity, inclusivity, and equal opportunity. Our goal: a team rich in backgrounds, perspectives, and talents. Why? Because inclusivity powers our brilliance and client success. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, religion, creed, color, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, disability, mental illness, age, ancestry, genetic information, military service, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws.

Who We Are 

829 Studios is a Boston-based integrated digital marketing agency with a mission to propel organizations to unlock their full potential and accomplish their most ambitious goals. We harness the power of logic with magic – a balance of data-driven strategy and brand-focused creative. We partner with diverse organizations across various industries and our client list encompasses venture-backed start-ups, publicly traded companies, non-profits, and more. By committing not only to our growth as a company, but the development of our employees and teams’, we have created a collaborative environment that fosters ingenuity and promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging values within our community. 829 has been recognized as one of the nation’s top agencies by the Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Privately Held Companies, Adweek 100 Fastest-Growing Digital Agencies, Boston Business Journal's Fast 50 (Massachusetts' 50 Fastest-Growing Private Companies), HubSpot's Top Digital Agencies list, and a we are and employee-certified Great Place to Work.