Account Director Digital

Location Hybrid: incorporating regular client travel required (within UK) and working in Bromley 3 days a week

Salary £60,000 to £70,000 dependent on experience

Hours Full-time and part-time available

As an Account Director, you will lead a portfolio of client accounts across Blue Lozenge’s full range of services, with a particular focus on the health and care sectors. You will be a trusted strategic adviser to senior clients, shaping insight-led communication and engagement strategies that connect their organisational challenges to measurable outcomes for patients, the public and staff.

You will lead and develop a talented team, grow the commercial value of your portfolio and play an active part in shaping Blue Lozenge as an agency. You will report to the Chief Executive and work in line with our values and the Blue Lozenge Infinity Model.

Alongside this generalist Account Director role, you will bring senior specialist leadership in digital communication, one of specialisms. Working alongside other Account Directors who share this specialism, you will lead digital strategy for your clients, advise senior leaders on digital-first approaches to communication and engagement, and help develop the people and resources behind our digital offer. This specialism adds to your core Account Director responsibilities rather than replacing them, and you will continue to work across the full range of Blue Lozenge services as needed.

Key responsibilities

Strategic client leadership

• Lead a portfolio of client accounts, acting as the senior point of contact and trusted adviser to clients at executive and board level.
• Shape insight-led communication and engagement strategies that connect each client’s organisational challenges to measurable outcomes.
• Challenge client thinking constructively, offering a fresh perspective and adding long-term value beyond individual projects.
• Present strategy and recommendations with confidence to senior audiences, including boards and executive teams.
• Lead account reviews and planning sessions with clients, using their feedback to improve our service.

Insight and evaluation

• Commission and interpret research, audience insight and data to define problems and set clear direction.
• Design measurement frameworks for your accounts, in line with the Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC) framework, focusing on outcomes rather than outputs.
• Use evaluation findings to adapt strategy, improve future activity and share learning across the agency.
• Stay up to date with developments across the health and care sector and the wider media landscape, and keep clients and colleagues informed.

Portfolio and commercial leadership

• Maintain clear oversight of resource, risk and commercial performance across your portfolio, allocating resource to protect quality and margin.
• Identify and resolve client, delivery and supplier risks early, escalating to the Chief Executive where appropriate.
• Agree outcome-focused key performance indicators (KPIs) with clients that reflect what matters most to them.
• Grow the value of existing accounts through proactive advisory work and new ideas.
• Lead proposals and new business pitches, from shaping the approach to presenting to the client.
• Build strong relationships with our associates, creatives and suppliers to deliver integrated work to time, budget and quality.

People leadership

• Line manage Account Managers and Account Executives, setting and reviewing objectives and supporting their professional development and wellbeing.
• Build a psychologically safe, high-performing team where people feel able to contribute, learn and grow.
• Coach colleagues to develop their skills and confidence, giving honest feedback in real time.
• Address performance issues promptly, with care and honesty.
• Model Blue Lozenge’s values and contribute to a positive agency culture, including through a corporate objective linked to developing Blue Lozenge.

Digital communication

In addition to your core Account Director responsibilities, you will share leadership of our digital communication specialism with the other Account Directors in the practice:

• Lead digital and social media strategy for your clients where digital is a core part of the account, connecting channel activity to clear organisational and audience outcomes.
• Advise senior clients on digital-first approaches to communication and engagement, including patient empowerment tools, app-based services and emerging technologies such as chatbots and patient portals.
• Oversee organic and paid social media activity across your portfolio, including targeting, budgets and performance, making sure it delivers value for money.
• Set digital measurement frameworks using social listening and analytics, and report on outcomes and return on investment to senior clients.
• Assure the quality, accessibility and brand compliance of the digital content your teams produce, in line with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
• Advise clients on reputation risk in digital spaces, including misinformation, working with PR colleagues on response and monitoring.
• Work with fellow digital Account Directors to develop the tools, templates and training behind our digital offer, and build digital capability across the team.
• Share knowledge, platform insight and learning with fellow Account Directors so that every client receives a consistent, high-quality digital service.
• Stay ahead of digital trends, platform changes and the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in communication, and bring new ideas into Blue Lozenge.
• Identify opportunities to grow our digital offer with new and existing clients.

Skills and experience

• Senior experience in a digital communications, content or social media role, including in an agency setting, ideally within the health, care or public sector.
• A track record of leading digital and communication strategy for senior clients, with clear evidence of measurable outcomes.
• Strong experience across organic and paid social media, including oversight of paid campaign budgets and performance through platforms such as Meta Ads Manager and LinkedIn Campaign Manager.
• Confidence designing measurement frameworks using digital analytics and social listening tools, for example Google Analytics, and turning data into insight that changes decisions.
• A good understanding of accessibility standards, including WCAG, and inclusive communication.
• Working knowledge of search engine optimisation, websites and content management systems, sufficient to advise clients and brief specialist support.
• Experience managing a portfolio of accounts, including budgets, resource and margin.
• A track record of leading successful pitches and growing account value.
• Experience line managing and developing a team, with evidence of helping people grow.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presenting to boards and executive teams.
• A commitment to Blue Lozenge’s values: we put people first, we improve lives, we are compassionate, we bring joy, we collaborate and we are data-driven.
• Experience working with NHS organisations, integrated care systems or other public sector bodies.
• Experience advising clients on digital transformation, patient-facing digital tools or the use of AI in communication.
• Professional membership or qualification, for example through the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) or a recognised digital marketing body.
• Familiarity with design and video editing tools such as Canva, and with media monitoring tools, for example Meltwater or Cision.

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