Managing Director - Strategic Accounts

As a pivotal partner to the world's most innovative enterprises, Aquent Studios is at the forefront of creative and marketing transformation. We empower leading organizations to achieve their strategic ambitions by embedding expert talent and delivering groundbreaking solutions. We are seeking a visionary leader to guide a critical partnership with a major global technology company, driving unparalleled value and impact.

This is more than a role; it's an exhilarating opportunity to be the strategic force behind a key enterprise relationship. You will be the commercial and engagement leader, steering a crucial alliance with a leading technology giant. Imagine yourself at the intersection of strategy, creativity, and technology, directly influencing senior executives, transforming marketing landscapes, and building multidisciplinary teams that deliver groundbreaking results. Your leadership will not only shape the future of this partnership but also significantly impact the client's products, brands, and market presence. You will be instrumental in identifying and solving complex business challenges, pioneering new opportunities, and fostering an environment where innovation thrives.

Impact & Responsibilities

In this dynamic role, you will lead with a clear vision, driving strategic growth and ensuring exceptional delivery across all facets of our partnership:

• Set the strategic direction for the account, spanning various business units, product teams, and corporate brand functions, with precise priorities for growth and impactful delivery.
• Cultivate robust relationships with senior marketing, product, operations, and technology leaders, proactively offering valuable market perspectives and innovative ideas.
• Identify, shape, and secure new opportunities, expanding our footprint within the organization, while maintaining a clear outlook on pipeline, renewals, and growth potential.

Marketing Advisory and Transformation

• Provide expert counsel to leaders on marketing strategy and transformation, covering product marketing, digital engagement, content and creative operations, martech, AI adoption, and operating model design.
• Facilitate executive discovery sessions, diagnostics, and workshops to clarify business challenges, align stakeholders, and articulate compelling cases for change.
• Translate strategic insights into future-state designs, robust business cases, detailed roadmaps, and practical initial phases that directly link strategy to measurable outcomes.

Solution and Delivery Leadership

• Orchestrate the deployment of Aquent Studios' diverse capabilities-across strategy, creative, content, data, and technology-to effectively solve client challenges.
• Maintain accountability for the work from initial engagement through implementation, ongoing delivery, renewal, and growth, overseeing Program Managers responsible for daily execution.
• Establish clear expectations for quality, performance, and business results, swiftly addressing any significant issues, and ensuring committed value is delivered and recognized.

People Leadership

• Cultivate an inclusive culture where every team member is encouraged to contribute ideas, experiment, and actively shape the business's evolution and improvement.
• Lead with trust, empowering employees with autonomy to take ownership of their work and outcomes, fostering an environment of creativity and iterative progress.
• Ensure the work remains interesting and meaningful, connecting individuals to the impact of their contributions, thereby fostering motivation and collective achievement.
• Provide consistent coaching and feedback to support continuous skill development, capability expansion, and growth into greater responsibilities.

Business and Financial Leadership

• Assume full ownership of the account's financial performance, including revenue, profit, growth, retention, and forecasting, making astute decisions regarding pricing, investment, and resourcing.
• Develop compelling proposals, detailed scopes, renewal agreements, and commercial terms that benefit both the client and Aquent Studios.
• Innovate practical ways to enhance quality, speed, and cost-efficiency through process improvements, automation, reusable solutions, and responsible AI integration.

Team and Capability Building

• Build and lead high-performing, multidisciplinary teams encompassing strategy, creative, product, data, technology, and operations experts.
• Recruit, mentor, and develop employees who excel in managing client relationships, shaping new work, and delivering strong results with increasing independence.
• Transform successful client engagements into scalable approaches, compelling case studies, and robust capabilities that benefit Aquent Studios more broadly, while upholding client confidentiality.

What We're Looking For

We are seeking a leader with a proven track record of driving significant impact:

• 8+ years of relevant experience within major global technology companies, or in consulting/agency roles providing dedicated support to them.
• A Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience, coupled with strong academic performance or demonstrable intellectual curiosity and initiative (e.g., independent projects, leadership roles, relevant certifications, self-directed learning).
• Deep expertise in a strategic marketing or digital discipline such as product marketing, digital marketing, customer experience, marketing operations, content strategy, martech, or AI-enabled marketing. B2B or enterprise experience is a significant advantage.
• Proven experience leading advisory or transformation initiatives, from initial problem definition through implementation and achievement of measurable results.
• A demonstrable history of building and scaling programs, teams, practices, offerings, or capabilities, including leading multidisciplinary and technical professionals.
• Active engagement with AI and modern technology, with clear examples of how these have revolutionized team workflows or value creation.
• Exceptional executive communication, sound judgment, and strong influential leadership abilities.

What Will Make You Stand Out

• You are inherently a builder and a trusted advisor. Senior leaders rely on your insights because you possess a deep understanding of their business, offer valuable perspectives, and skillfully translate ideas into decisive action.
• You effortlessly navigate between high-level client discussions, shaping intricate new projects, and guiding teams through successful delivery. You instinctively know when to apply a repeatable methodology and when a situation demands nuanced judgment and a custom solution.