Senior Account Manager

Overview

As a Senior Account Manager at MSL, you are on top of everything happening in your portfolio of clients –

you know what needs to happen when and ensure it gets done. You identify any potential issues early on

and display problem-solving skills to rectify any issues alongside your AD. You are the primary point of

contact for clients and they trust you. With the help of your team (Intern/AA/AE/AM), you ensure reporting

is slick and accurate. You own the editorial plans for clients and are involved in strategy development

with your AD/SAD. You ensure monthly billing is done effectively and work with your AD/SAD to ensure

profitability for your stream.

• Account management:
  Demonstrate real-time knowledge of all client activities, ensure status documents are updated, run client status meetings, and take ownership for initiatives.
• Delegation:
  Demonstrate ability to effectively delegate tasks, ensuring timely completion and quality.
• Project management skills:
  Take responsibility for specific projects from start-to-finish.
• Selling ideas:
  Demonstrate advanced presentation and influencing skills.
• Strategy:
  Develop, alongside your AD/SAD, strategic and tactical client proposals, plans and calendars.
• Writing:
  Demonstrate an ability to write effective content for your full client portfolio and display proficient editing skills; effectively brief the content team when specialist help is needed.
• Media relations:
  Drive journalist relationship‑building initiatives within the team, across your full client portfolio, display an excellent knowledge of the South African media landscape (and an interest in the broader African media landscape), develop solid media relationships, and oversee the effective running of your team’s entire media relations process.
• Pitching skills:
  Write and pitch excellent quality, relevant story angles to targeted media, displaying creativity and an understanding of newsworthiness.
• Research:
  Demonstrate strong research skills, and assimilation and presentation of information.
• MSL Newsdesk:
  Participate in daily newsdesk/media meetings and ensure relevant news and angles are marked and shared with clients.
• Media lists:
  Ensure your team regularly updates media lists, informs the broader agency of media changes, compiles tailored media lists per client content piece, and ensures that master client media lists are kept updated.

• Quality: Consistently deliver quality work to professional, MSL standards, and ensure quality output from team prior to submitting to AD/SAD for final approval.
• Detail‑orientated: Execute unwavering attention to detail in all aspects, including documents, presentations, emails and all other communiques.
• Proactive upskilling: Constantly work to ensure an excellent understanding of content for all clients (even beyond your portfolio), your client’s industry, staying abreast of the broader news environment and spotting opportunities for media conversation building.
• Proactive learning: Demonstrate use of the Marcel Classes portal and other internal training sessions to upskill yourself, taking initiative and responsibility for your learning journey.
• Taking initiative: Demonstrate consistent self‑starter approach as well as ability to solve problems effectively.
• Time management: Display impeccable time management skills, while ensuring team is managing time effectively.
• Media lists: Ensure your team regularly updates media lists, informs the broader agency of media changes, compiles tailored media lists per client content piece, and ensures that master client media lists are kept updated.
• Profile: Manage and build your own profile within your team and the broader agency.
• Respect: Acknowledge and respond to instructions from senior staff as soon as possible (email, instant message or spoken).

• Client relations: Demonstrate excellent client relationships and ability to manage their expectations.
• Client meetings: Drive participation in client meetings, managing meeting protocols, agendas, etc.
• Understanding: Perfect a detailed, thorough and informed understanding of your clients’ businesses and knowledge of their competitors, for…