Account Director

BRAND: Starcom
Job Function: Strategy
Location: London, United Kingdom
Experience Level: Specialist
Workplace Type: Hybrid

Company description

With a history that dates back over 80 years, Starcom is a global communications planning and media leader. We are an agency still grounded in our founding principle that people are at the centre of all we do. Each day, we apply this belief to harness the transformative power of data and technology to inspire and move people and business forward. With more than 7,000 employees in over 100 offices around the world, we are the flagship Publicis Media agency that uses our 'Power of One' business model, with teams that span multiple disciplines across clients such as Aldi, P&G, Primark, Samsung, Stellantis, and Visa.

We place a huge focus on our People, and have driven flagship D&I and L&D programmes within Publicis Media; our goal is to help every individual reach their fullest potential, and we encourage everyone to make "Brave Plays" in how they approach their work and their own career development. As a result, we have an exceptionally energised and committed talent base, all of us proud of our welcoming and supportive culture, as evidenced by our recognition as one of Campaign's Best Places to Work for five years in a row, Media Week's Agency of the Year 2025 and one of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2025.

Overview

What will you be doing?

We are hiring an Account Director to lead some of the world's most iconic drinks brands across a dynamic and ambitious portfolio; ABInBev and Suntory Global Spirits. This role blends scale and craft - from shaping high-impact, integrated campaigns to helping challenger brands grow their footprint in the UK. You'll sit at the heart of client relationships, connecting insight, creativity and media expertise to deliver work that genuinely moves the needle. If you enjoy building trusted partnerships and elevating teams while doing standout work, this is an opportunity to make a real impact.

Responsibilities

• Leading the day-to-day delivery of complex media accounts, ensuring consistently high standards across planning, execution and client service.
• Acting as a trusted partner to clients across ABInBev and Suntory Global Spirits, with clear ownership of relationships and outcomes.
• Shaping strategic responses that go beyond campaigns, connecting media thinking to broader business and growth objectives.
• Guiding integrated teams to deliver clear, insight-led plans across the full funnel and channel mix.
• Overseeing commercial accuracy, forecasting and compliance, working closely with senior leadership to protect and grow revenue.
• Elevating the quality of output through strong storytelling, clear direction and robust quality control.
• Creating an environment where collaboration, learning and shared success are part of everyday work.

Qualifications

What are we looking for?

• Experience leading media planning and client relationships within a complex or multi-brand environment.
• Strong strategic thinking, with the ability to turn data and insight into clear, persuasive narratives.
• Confidence managing commercial detail, including forecasts, contracts and financial accuracy.
• A collaborative leadership style that supports, develops and brings the best out of others.
• Broad understanding of media channels and how different approaches deliver different outcomes
• Curiosity and a learning mindset, staying close to audience behaviour, category trends and industry innovation.
• Clear communication skills, comfortable presenting and building trust with senior stakeholders.

Additional information

Starcom has fantastic benefits on offer to all of our employees, full details of which are shared when you join. This includes the classics like Pension, Life Assurance, Private Medical, as well as Reflection Days, Shared Parental Leave, and spans other initiatives like:

Please check out the Publicis Career Page which showcases our Inclusive Benefits and our EAG's (Employee Action Groups).

At Starcom, we are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, and do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion or belief, disability, age, citizenship, relationship status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic

We are committed to providing a fair, accessible, and inclusive recruitment process. If you have any access needs - for example, related to disability, neurodivergence, or a health condition - please let us know. We'll work with you to ensure the process works for you. Sharing this information will never impact your application.

Guided by our values, we listen with empathy, uplift each other, take responsibility, and embrace change - building a culture where everyone feels seen, respected, and genuinely included.

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