Associate Account Director

AGENCY FOR THE NEXT GEN

We are all about the next generation. Next generation of consumers. Next generation of platforms. Next generation of content. Next generation of brands.

That’s what gets us up every day. Working with brands to be at the forefront of the next generation. To create relevant and industry-defining work. Whether it’s to better align on the brand’s business challenges, understand the people they need to reach, tell the stories they’ve always wanted to tell or identify the best direction to get there – when brands work with us, they get a team who knows that if we don’t rethink everything, we change nothing.

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Culture

We’re obsessed with what’s coming next—in culture, platforms, and human behaviour. When brands work with us, they get a team that believes rethinking everything is the only way to change anything.

We’re not in advertising. We’re in the business of understanding people, then bringing brands to wherever those people are—physically, virtually, emotionally.

What makes us tick? Taking chances. Solving problems. Doing work that challenges conventions and makes life a bit more interesting. The kind of place where your best creative thinking actually gets built.

What We Do

We obsess over the psychology of our audience — what people are into, their pain-points and motivations, what makes them tick. That has allowed us to transcend conventional channels and take care of a full spectrum of services.

Integrated Marketing

Products and Platforms

Social and Content

Branding

UI/UX

Experiential

Data & Technology

Your Role

The Associate Account Director is a senior account management role that bridges the gap between the Senior Account Manager and the Account Director. This role carries end-to-end ownership of assigned client accounts, with oversight from the Account Director on key strategic and commercial decisions.

The Associate Account Director is expected to manage client relationships at a senior level, contribute to campaign strategy, oversee project delivery, and play an active role in business development. This role also carries responsibility for mentoring and developing junior members of the account management team.

As DSTNCT takes a social and content-firstapproach to integrated marketing, the Associate Account Director must be comfortable working across disciplines and confident in guiding clients through campaigns that span digital, social, content, experiential, and branding.

The Associate Account Director reports to the Account Director and/or the Directors.

Key Responsibilities

Client Relationship Management

Serve as the primary day-to-day contact for senior client stakeholders on assigned accounts, building trusted, long-term relationships.

Manage client expectations effectively, balancing responsiveness with the agency’s creative and commercial interests.

Proactively identify and address client concerns before they escalate, involving the Account Director on complex or sensitive matters.

Lead client meetings, presentations, and strategic reviews with confidence, ensuring DSTNCT is positioned as a valued partner.

Develop familiarity with public sector client requirements, including government procurement conventions, sensitivity protocols, and formal communication standards.

Strategic Direction and Account Leadership

Contribute to campaign strategy alongside the strategy team, ensuring work is grounded in audience insight and addresses a clear objective.

Set and articulate the strategic direction for each account in your portfolio: what the account is trying to do, the campaign idea behind it and DSTNCT’s role in delivering it.

Translate client briefs into clear creative and strategic frames for the team, rather than passing them through unfiltered.

Hold the team accountable to the quality of the work, not just the timeline.

Bring a point of view to client conversations, including pushback when a brief is off.

Monitor industry trends, competitor activity, and platform developments to inform client recommendations and keep DSTNCT’s work relevant.

Business Development

Identify opportunities for organic growth within assigned accounts –expanded scope, additional services, or increased budgets – and develop recommendations to present to clients.

Team Leadership &Development

Mentor and guide Account Managers and Account Executives within the team, providing day-to-day support and development feedback.

Delegate tasks appropriately, giving team members room to take ownership while maintaining oversight of quality and timelines.

Support the Account Director in conducting performance reviews and identifying development opportunities for team members.

Lead by example in upholding DSTNCT’s standards for work quality, collaboration, and professional conduct.

Financial & Operational Management

Monitor the financial health of assigned accounts, tracking budgets, margins, and scope to ensure profitability.

Prepare and manage project budgets, campaign costings, and fee proposals, escalating to the Account Director where commercial decisions are required.

Ensure accurate project tracking, timely reporting, and adherence to agency processes and delivery standards.

Coordinate with the operations team on resource planning and project scheduling.

Cross-functional Collaboration

Work closely with the creative and strategy teams to develop integrated campaign solutions that meet client objectives.

Coordinate across disciplines – creative, content, social, experiential, UI/UX, and data – to ensure cohesive delivery of multi-channel campaigns.

Act as the connective tissue between the client and internal teams, ensuring briefs are clear, feedback is actioned, and timelines are met.

Required Skills & Experience

Minimum 7–8 years of experience in account management within an integrated marketing, advertising, or creative agency.

Strong track record of managing client relationships at a senior level, with experience navigating complex stakeholder environmen