Business Director (Contract) NEW

Athlon
We’re on the hunt for

A Business Director, who will lead and grow our global client partnerships while helping ensure the highest standards of service delivery. This is a maternity cover position commencing in April, with the potential to become a permanent role.

As a key member of our team, you’ll lead client satisfaction, business growth, and strategic alignment, working collaboratively with internal teams to drive success for both our clients and the agency. You are an ambassador for our company, its work, products, and services. You support winning new business, deepening our strategic positioning along with proposing new products, services and offers.

What good looks like

CLIENT GROWTH:

• Acting as the senior point of contact for our clients, building trusted and lasting client relationships.
• Ensure client servicing frameworks are followed to maintain regular client reviews, planning and feedback
• Own pipeline and sales reporting to track growth opportunities and focus team efforts,
• Liaise directly with clients to encourage annual forward planning to deliver their marketing and digital growth plans to budget
• Drive client satisfaction by ensuring consistent communication, excellent service delivery, and problem resolution.
• Anticipate challenges and implement proactive solutions to improve client service quality.

STRATEGIC OVERSIGHT:

• Lead strategic planning for key accounts, aligning client objectives with our capabilities and market trends.
• Develop a deep understanding of client businesses, industries, and goals to proactively identify opportunities for added value.
• Oversee the development and execution of client strategies, ensuring they deliver measurable results.
• Collaborate with internal teams to translate client needs into actionable plans, balancing innovation with feasibility.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT:

• Identify and pursue opportunities to expand accounts, introducing new services and solutions that drive growth.
• Partner with the new business team to pitch and onboard new clients, contributing to the agency’s overall revenue targets.
• Confident creating proposals that articulate client needs into tangible recommendations and roadmaps, and aligning solutions with discipline leads.
• Monitor account profitability and ensure services are delivered efficiently and within budget.

LEADERSHIP:

• Work in concert with other Department Heads to ensure cross-agency cohesion and excellence.
• Positively motivate, excite and engage those around you to bring about the best outcomes in our team and their work.

Five values that underpin everything we do

• Be Brave: Take chances, be ambitious. This is how you grow. Take risks, nothing can substitute experience.
• Take Ownership: Be a pro. Act like a champion. Own your domain. Not almost. All the way. Not most of the time. All of the time. Take ownership. Whatever it takes.
• Team First: Talent wins games, but teamwork wins championships. Respect the team. Treat others fairly. Build friendships. Disagree honestly. Share ideas candidly. We’re one team first.
• Craft Everything: Quality is never an accident; It’s always the result of intention, effort and skill. Craft everything.
• Passion Over Apathy: One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested. Use your passion as a catalyst to motivate and lead others.

Experience required

• A minimum of 5 years experience in strategic client services, account management, or similar roles within a digital or creative agency
• Strong understanding of Brand, UX and Digital Product Design
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with the ability to inspire confidence and trust
• Demonstrated success in building and growing client relationships and managing complex accounts
• Leadership experience, with a track record of mentoring and managing teams
• Strong commercial acumen and the ability to balance client needs with agency objectives

Attitude and approach

• Demonstrates a responsible and positive, can do attitude even when under pressure
• A reliable, trusted and resilient individual
• Solution focused, with a proactive and positive attitude
• An excellent communicator
• A collaborative, helpful and resourceful team player
• Sharp attention to detail and a drive for perfection
• A high degree of personal motivation and professionalism
• Excellent time management and prioritisation skills
• Strong decision making ability and active listening skillsEmpathetic and approachable, able to mentor and support the growth of junior team members

How we work

• You will report to the Client Services Director (CEO whilst CSD is on maternity leave)
• This is a remote first role, however, there is an expectation you can travel for key client meetings, workshops and agency sessions. These are typically London-based.

Benefits

• The chance to work on innovative, high profile projects that make an impact
• A flexible work set-up – remote, hybrid, or whatever helps you do your best work
• A competitive salary with a benefits package to match
• Room to grow your career within a fast-growing international design