Now Hiring - SGS & Co - Account Manager (Design) in Cincinnati, OH

Marks is hiring an Account Manager (Design) for our Marks Cincinnati or Chicago studio!

Who are we?

Marks is a consumer experience agency creating engaging moments across the entire brand spectrum – from brand design and packaging to content and consumer connections. Rooted in a deep understanding of human behavior, we are uniquely constructed to enable brands to win in an age of constant change.

A super-charged experience powerhouse - 700 people strong, with subject matter experts working collaboratively across 12 studios and 8 countries - we have helped some of the world’s biggest brands connect to their audiences and tackle the biggest challenges and opportunities of today’s consumer landscape.

About the Team

A multidisciplinary group of problem-solvers, you’ll work alongside strategists, creatives and others to uncover the truth behind client asks and needs, developing innovative and creative solutions that engage audiences, build brands and drive sales.

The Role

The Account Manager partners with creative and strategy teams to ensure the projects and clients are being managed with the right brand consultation and perspective. The Account Manager is responsible for managing the day-to-day while building and maintaining meaningful client relationships to support the procurement for repeat business and fiscal management on a project basis.

Core Expectations

As an ambassador for MARKS externally and internally, you are expected to:

• Always conduct yourself with professionalism
• Represent and project the values of MARKS
• Be able to articulate what MARKS does and our competitive points of difference
• Seek opportunities to position the organization for competitive advantage

As a key team player for MARKS, you are expected to:

• Fully own your responsibilities and deliverables
• Have a foundational understanding of MARKS services, products, processes, and protocol and proactively continue to learn
• Make a meaningful contribution to your team’s assignments and initiatives
• Voluntarily pitch in to support the efforts of your management and peers
• Regularly communicate with your team(s) and management
• Strive to achieve and exceed the MARKS standards of excellence
• Maximize your productivity and support the productivity of others
• Accept responsibility for your actions
• Instill trust and confidence in your peers, and management

Your Responsibilities Include, but are not Limited to

Client Consultation

• With direction, ability to create and present category analyses and market audits that provide a clear perspective to support creative direction
• Provides clients with distinct point of view on their portfolio of brands, their role in the broader landscape, and opportunities for expansion.

Relationship Building/Maintaining

• Seeks out opportunities to provide additional information on brand that is outside of project scope. Obsessively client focused, always looking for ways to surprise and delight clients.
• Provides “added value” through the strength of the relationship and personal association.
• Develops relationships with clients (associate and brand manager levels) to ensure continued success for the agency and to support the procurement of repeat business.

Project Management

• Serves as the direct contact liaison between the client and creative, strategic and production teams
• Receives and provides all client direction, questions, and relevant information to teams. Creates targeted briefs for teams to begin working
• Partners with senior Client Services team members to drive and influences the project process from initial briefing through implementation
• Provides input and coordination of creative brief development
• Coordinates internal review meetings and client meetings and conference calls as appropriate
• Partners with senior Client Services team members to determine “readiness” of work for client presentations with the senior creative and strategy teams
• Ensures smooth transition of the creative/strategic process to the production process
• Organizes content, flow, and materials with creative team to create a compelling, thought-provoking presentation and representation of MARKS
• Aids in gathering information needed to ensure a successful project (dielines, print specs, etc.)
• Understands and helps Project Managers with tasks in our project management system – opening jobs, entering estimates, creating task links for creative assignment
• Opens folders and files project information on our server for ease of access for the full team

Financial

• Develops proposals, budgets, and reconciliations for all project activity on assigned accounts
• Reviews financial performance against approved fee and expense budget
• Manages project deliverables and requests addendums for out-of-scope work
• Submits invoice requests, review/approves invoices, and tracks receivables

Competencies we Like

• Strong account management and brand consultation skills
• Self starter that demonstrates initiative and proactivity
• Creative and analytical thinker who is detail oriented
• Ability to apply discretion and judgment to actions internally and externally
• Ability to develop client-ready thinking and presentations
• Strong communication skills
• Excellent organizational skills with ability to multi-task and manage priorities and timelines

A Few Qualifications That Will Help

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college
• 3-5 years of related experience; CPG experience a plus
• Experience in packaging – from creative through to production
• Strong background in client relationship building and team leadership (agency experience a plus)
• Ability to present effectively to clients and internal teams
• Ability to work across multiple accounts and projects simultaneously
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment

Required

Required