Associate Account Director at Kantar

Job Summary

• We are currently recruiting for the role of an Associate Account Director (AAD).
• The ideal candidate will be responsible for delivering financial targets for the Nigeria business unit, managing a team, and building strong client relationships.

Key Responsibilities

• The Associate Account Director (AAD) is an experienced growth consultant and advisor who leads teams and drives powerful and distinctive solutions to clients.
• The AAD role represents a leadership role with independent accountability for leading teams, solutions and client relationships.
• Every AAD leads the delivery of both projects (design, thinking & solutions) and whole client relationships (farming & creating), and is fully responsible for client satisfaction, commercial targets, profitability and growth of our business.
• Great AAD’s play a further role in challenging and developing our offer, solutions and organization to be faster, fresher, better, bigger.
• Additionally, the AAD plays an integral role with our people, understanding that they are leaders and role models, responsible for coaching and development of our people, and in delivery of the broad organization's commercial & organizational strategy.
• The suitable candidate would be highly numerate, experienced in design and delivery of complex non-standard quantitative methods, and very comfortable with complex data and analysis.

Their role would include:

• Client Relationship Leadership: Our AAD’s all lead full client relationships, building deep trusted partnerships with our key clients. This will include taking and interpreting briefs into our organization, writing proposals, selling Consulting solutions to win business, and leading thinking on solutions to our client’s briefs.
• Solution Leadership: Design, execution, analysis and growth strategy to create applied solutions to client briefs, using their smart thinking & experience to deliver the convincing, innovative solutions that bring clients back to our teams over and over. This comprises: Designing, executing & delivering great solutions. A deep understanding of Quantitative analysis and hands-on experience is a MUST in this role. Elevating analysis to simple, clear solutions. Strategic & inspiring thinking, making significant contributions to finding solutions for our clients’ marketing challenges with fresh and inspiring thinking. Writing and presenting intellectually convincing and emotionally appealing proposals & debriefs to meet client briefs. Good presentation skills are essential to deliver confident, articulate, energetic debriefs. Facilitation, to develop workshop process design, co-facilitation of internal meetings and external client workshops
• Project Delivery of Quality, Timely Solutions: Through the team, taking overall accountability for making projects happen with excellence. While support comes from project managers, the AAD always takes ownership of deliverables, including: Ensuring project administration and finances are soundly delivered by the team, mobilising and coaching our teams and overseeing the junior team members’ work scope
• An Important Role in New Business: Winning projects and developing new client relationships: Writing, costing, presenting and negotiating proposals that win new projects, in teams, farming existing client relationships with a view to finding new opportunities for the next project, taking the lead to develop new client relationships – always something we do together.

What We are Looking for

• Experienced research & marketing leaders with 8+ years relevant experience and a proven, diverse track record. These are experienced leaders who have gained mastery in leadership roles.
• A Proven Quantitative Analysis Track Record: An experienced researcher or analytics thinker. Expert practitioners with deep expertise and experience in analytics, quantitative research and commercial sales & marketing. Is a great practitioner, but also a proven leader of thinking & solutions in the areas of data, analysis and/or segmentation. Has proven commercial results under their belt in consulting or clients. Has a range of expert skills and a well-developed point of view, and deep insight into growth levers. Understands portfolios, channels and demand.
• Analytical and strategic. Manages complex, unfamiliar problems well.
• Creative Ideas and a Strong Point of View: Someone who thinks creatively and is happy to push the boundaries/ challenge conventional research methodologies and thinking on a project by project basis to deliver cutting edge solutions as part of a team who love a challenge
• Proven People Skills: A great communicator, able to collaborate and build relationships with both clients and our team. Strong written and verbal skills for proposal and presentation purposes
• Strong New Business and Commercial Aptitude: Able to understand financials and deliver profitable projects. Be responsible for the client relationship, income and profitability– build and grow sustainable relationships, identifying and understanding the long term needs of the client business
• A Passion for Excellence in Execution: Can oversee all aspects of marketing projects – a polished project practitioner (proactive, strong problem-solving and project management) who is ultimately responsible for building the solution and final project delivery.