Account Director

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