Job Description

About the job

We are thrilled to be recruiting an experienced Account Director who will lead some of our biggest clients in motorsport.

Our ideal candidate would have professional knowledge and interest in motorsport while being passionate about creating impactful work with brands and properties.

From day one, you’ll be tasked with building and leveraging multiple relationships at all levels, so experience of stakeholder management is essential. You’ll be the day-to-day point of contact for our client’s events and sponsorship teams and will lead a team managing the partnership planning and development, event executions, marketing and digital promotion/activation and asset tracking.

Alongside this, you’ll work closely with our internal teams across live production, creative design, and planning

To your team, you’ll provide strong leadership and direction, accompanied with a supportive and nurturing approach to enable them to thrive and produce the best possible work. Leading by example, you’ll inspire the team to meet your own high standards. Across the rest of the agency, you’ll manage and galvanise multi-discipline teams to deliver client projects to the highest possible standard. You will report into a Group Director.

 

Key responsibilities

Partnership development, supervision and implementation of operational and tactical sponsorship activations including but not limited to:

• Development of year-long activation plan based on annual client objectives and contractual deliverables.
• Rights holder relationship management and working with client Partnership Leads
• Event delivery across a number of events. Including off track events, product launches and brand experiences
• Lead and build strong relationships with client and various internal stakeholder teams, be trusted as the go-to oversight person for sponsorship activations.
• Support strategic planning of programme and comms with Group Director
• Lead and grow key relationships including client, rights holder and third-party vendor partners.
• Line management of direct reports, providing day to day support and oversight, guidance and career development opportunities.
• Provide oversight for the account team’s day-to-day activities and quality control for all client facing materials.
• Budget management and financial reporting against deliverables of scope.
• Prepare presentation documents supporting strategies, ideations, sponsorship evaluations, POV’s, program overviews, recap summaries, finances and partnership opportunities.
• Project management and tracking of sponsorship assets.
• Help keep the larger agency team on task and on time – manage timelines and status documents.
• Develop a working knowledge and understanding of the client’s business initiatives and marketing trends.
• Working with internal departments such as internal Live, Strategy and Creative Design Teams to develop and deliver communications and experiences

We’re looking for someone who

• Minimum seven years’ relevant experience within an agency environment running partnerships and event delivery
• Experienced in live event delivery. Skilled in creating and delivering experiences and events on track and off-track. Leading project management working in conjunction with live production teams and suppliers.  
• Ability to cultivate strong, professional and effective relationships with staff and partners at all levels
• Exemplary verbal communication skills; ability to articulate clearly and offer a strong, collaborative and constructive presence and personality in client and internal meetings – communicating with conviction, enthusiasm and confidence
• Capability and comfort in overseeing and driving large budgets, showing excellence of financial management and reporting to client.
• Has prior experience serving as liaison between brand and partners, both internal and external, with the ability to become the brand and subject expert.
• Is proficient in directing, reviewing, and providing quality control on deliverables prepared by outside vendors
• Able to manage and prioritise the deliverables of multiple clients, work streams. Has exceptional attention to detail, time management and organizational skills
• Enjoys working, contributing and being part of a larger team.

Desirable

• Experience and knowledge in Formula E, World Rally Championship, WEC, IMSA series

BENEFITS 

We’re pleased to offer wide range of benefits, including but not limited to the following:  

• Core benefits (available from start date) – flexible holiday allowance, AXA private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection, pension scheme with 4.5% employer contribution, Employee Assistance Programme 

• Flexible benefits (available after probation) – Gymflex, dental insurance, travel insurance, health cash plan, Cycleshceme, interest-free season ticket loans  

• A Flexible Workplace – we have a number of initiatives in place to ensure that our team have the flexibility to balance work with their lives, this includes flexible holiday and flexible working options.  
• We also run a number of internal programmes to support physical and mental wellbeing, alongside learning and development opportunities to support career development and progression. 
   

WHO YOU’LL BE JOINING
Recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work in Sports”, Octagon is the global sports, entertainment, and experiential marketing arm of the Interpublic Group. 

We take pride in being Playmakers – finding insightful, bold ways to create play in our work, our lives, and in the world. We believe in the power of play to create big ideas and unlock potential for our clients and talent. 

We can put ourselves in the shoes of fans because we ARE fans – of sports, entertainment, and culture at large. This expertise allows us to continually evolve the fan experience across sports and entertainment alongside some of the biggest brands and talent in the world. 

The world needs play more than ever. Are you a Playmaker? 

ABOUT US  

Octagon is a global creative agency in sports, entertainment and culture.  

We’re part of a wider family of agencies – the Octagon R&CPMK – a group of specialist agencies working with brands, athletes, and celebrities. Group agencies include Futures Sport & Entertainment, FRUKT and No2ndPlace. We’re all part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG), one of the world’s most respected advertising networks. 

Founded in 1982 with over 800 employees around the globe. Our Headquarters is in Stamford, Connecticut with further offices around the world including: New York, LA, Miami, McLean, Sao Paulo, Johannesburg, Sydney, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Barcelona, Madrid, London and Manchester. 

We believe that great brands own an idea in the minds of their audience. For Apple, it’s creativity. For Nike, it’s performance. For BMW it’s Joy. For Coca-Cola, it’s happiness. For Mastercard, it’s priceless experiences. 

At Octagon, it’s all in Play. 

We inspire brands and people to play. 

http://www.octagon.com/ 

Octagon is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, disability, or any other basis prohibited by law.