Account Director

Automotive Account Director

Martin Advertising | Birmingham, AL | Full-Time | Remote, Hybrid or On-Site

Founded in 1977, Martin Advertising continues to be a respected and established name in the automotive advertising industry, while also expanding into new and exciting categories. At Martin, we are proud to deliver innovative, results-driven solutions that help our clients grow.

We are looking for an experienced Automotive Account Director to join our team and help lead our key automotive relationships.

In this role, you will be a senior point of contact for clients and a leader within the agency. You will collaborate closely with dealer principals, general managers, marketing directors, ownership groups, and other decision-makers to understand their business, shape marketing strategy, and keep our teams focused on the work that matters most.

The right person understands how quickly retail automotive moves and knows how to balance big-picture thinking with the day-to-day realities of dealership marketing. You will need to be comfortable leading client relationships, directing internal teams, presenting recommendations, managing the business side of an account, and identifying opportunities to grow both existing relationships and new business.

If you are good at building strong client relationships, leading teams, developing smart retail strategies, and spotting opportunities to grow an account, we would like to hear from you.

What You'll Do

Lead Client Relationships: Serve as a trusted senior partner to dealer principals, general managers, marketing directors, ownership groups, and other key decision-makers.Understand the Business: Stay closely connected to sales goals, inventory, incentives, competitive activity, market conditions, and day-to-day dealership needs.Shape Account Strategy: Translate client business needs into practical, integrated marketing strategies and plans.Develop Recommendations: Partner with creative, media, digital, and other agency teams to identify and present marketing, promotional, and customer-engagement opportunities.Lead Cross-Functional Teams: Establish priorities, responsibilities, timelines, and expectations across account service, creative, media, digital, production, and other disciplines.Drive Collaboration: Maintain clear communication between clients and agency teams so work moves efficiently from strategy through execution.Monitor Performance: Stay close to campaign and account performance, provide actionable insights, and recommend adjustments or new ideas when business needs change.Lead Meetings & Presentations: Prepare and lead dealer meetings, client presentations, planning sessions, and internal account meetings, including research, agendas, follow-up, and contact reporting as appropriate.Guide Creative Development: Develop clear creative briefs and provide the business context and strategic direction teams need to produce effective work.Grow Existing Accounts: Identify client needs and opportunities where Martin can provide additional value and expand existing relationships.Support New Business: Build relationships, prospect, develop strategic recommendations, present pitches, and contribute to efforts that expand Martin's automotive client base.Mentor Account Teams: Lead and develop Senior Account Managers, Account Managers, and Account Coordinators by setting priorities, managing workloads, coaching talent, and maintaining high standards of client service.Manage Account Economics: Oversee scopes, estimates, budgets, billing, forecasting, profitability, staffing, and resource needs with support from the account team.Partner with Leadership: Collaborate with agency leadership on client health, staffing, account planning, operational needs, and growth opportunities.What You'll Bring

Agency Experience: 7+ years of advertising agency account experience, including several years in a senior client leadership role; retail automotive experience strongly preferred.Automotive Expertise: Experience managing and growing relationships with automotive dealers, dealer groups, or similarly fast-paced retail clients.Executive Relationships: A track record of earning the trust of senior decision-makers and helping clients navigate marketing and business challenges.Retail Automotive Knowledge: Strong understanding of dealership sales goals, inventory, incentives, competition, lead generation, customer acquisition, and the pace of retail advertising.Integrated Marketing: Experience developing recommendations across creative, traditional media, digital, performance marketing, and other customer touchpoints.Media Knowledge: Working knowledge of media planning and buying, with the ability to evaluate and discuss recommendations with clients and internal teams.Creative Strategy: Experience with creative briefing and an understanding of how strong strategy, clear direction, and effective client input produce better creative work.Production Experience: Familiarity with print, broadcast, digital, and other advertising production; retail automotive production experience is a plus.Team Leadership: Experience leading cross-functional teams and moving complex work from strategy and creative development through media, production, and execution.Financial Management: Strong skills in budgets, scopes, estimates, billing, forecasting, profitability, and resource planning.Business Development: Experience growing existing business and contributing to new business through relationship building, prospecting, and identifying opportunities.People Leadership: Ability to coach team members, set expectations, delegate effectively, and keep diverse workloads moving.Communication: Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with confidence working directly with senior client and agency leaders.Organization: Strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, and deadlines simultaneously.Adaptability: Good judgment under pressure and the ability to respond quickly as priorities, incentives, market conditions, and deadlines change.Ownership & Collaboration: A motivated, team-oriented approach combined with the initiative to take ownership and move work forward.Education: Bachelor's degree in advertising, marketing, communications, business, or a related field preferred.Location & Travel

Location: Based in Birmingham, Alabama, with remote or hybrid arrangements considered for the right candidate and situation.Travel: Travel will vary based on client needs, dealership visits, relationship-building opportunities, and new business development. Willingness to travel as needed is important.Compensation

Compensation: Please submit your resume and cover letter, including your salary requirements to [email protected] or visit us at martinadvertising.com/careersWhy Join Martin?

Meaningful Impact: Play a key role within a close-knit team where your relationships, ideas, and decisions directly influence the work and our clients' businesses.Strong Culture: We value relationships, smart thinking, accountability, adaptability, and results. We move quickly because our clients do, while recognizing that the best work comes from people who trust one another and communicate well.Opportunity to Grow: Help build strong client partnerships, lead talented teams, identify new opportunities, and contribute directly to Martin's continued growth.Thank you for considering Martin Advertising. We look forward to learning more about your experience and what you could bring to our team.