Account Director

Account Director (South Africa) 

WPP Production is expanding its global production capability through the development of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in South Africa. The CoE strengthens WPP Production’s position as WPP’s global production engine, providing best-in-class, client-facing delivery and production across some of the world’s best-known and most prestigious brands. Our South Africa Client Delivery team partners closely with clients and UK, regional and global counterparts to deliver high-quality, scalable production and world-class client servicing. These Client Delivery roles operate as part of a unified global delivery organisation, upholding WPP Production’s gold-standard operational excellence, commercial discipline and commitment to an exceptional client experience.

The role 

Our Account Directors (ADs) are trusted client leads responsible for end-to-end delivery across complex projects, global programmes and multi-market client accounts. ADs partner closely with Client Delivery teams, production counterparts, global stakeholders and clients, ensuring operational discipline, strong commercial stewardship and high-quality project delivery. They lead geographically dispersed, multidisciplinary teams and ensure work is delivered on time, to specification, within budget and in accordance with applicable market requirements.

Key areas of responsibility

• Serve as the day-to-day lead for global and multi-market Client Delivery across assigned client accounts.
• Ensure Client satisfaction by understanding needs and escalating concerns appropriately.
• Manage timelines, deliverables, scope and expectations across project teams.
• Provide regular status updates and maintain clear, effective communication with clients and global stakeholders across markets and time zones.
• Collaborate confidently with geographically dispersed Client Delivery, Production, Finance and partner teams to ensure smooth operations and consistent delivery.
• Lead medium‑to‑complex projects from initiation through completion.
• Drive operational discipline by managing objectives, budgets, timelines and deliverables.
• Maintain accurate task lists, schedules, trackers, risk registers and reporting.
• Identify risks and escalate to Senior Account Director or Delivery Lead where necessary
• Liaise with clients, suppliers, agencies and market teams to gather briefs, assets, technical requirements and local advertising regulation and clearance requirements.
• Ensure the highest level of delivery quality and compliance across all relevant markets.

Leadership

• Create a culture of collaboration, respect, inclusion and continuous development.
• Lead by example, demonstrating ownership, professionalism and passion.
• Support teams by removing barriers, enabling them to deliver effectively.
• Contribute to team growth, development and retention.

Financials

• Demonstrate strong commercial acumen and financial management skills.
• Manage project budgets, tracking costs and reconciling estimates to actuals.
• Oversee financial reporting, billing and profitability analysis.
• Understand commercial arrangements, contractual obligations and SLAs across accounts.
• Protect margins, ensure all projects are profitable and identify new organic revenue opportunities.

Non-negotiable requirements

• Previous professional experience delivering global and multi-market work, with accountability for coordinating delivery consistently across multiple countries or regions.
• Proven experience managing global stakeholders, including aligning differing priorities, expectations and decision-makers across markets and time zones.
• Demonstrable confidence working with and liaising across geographically dispersed, cross-functional teams.
• Previous hands-on experience navigating multi-market advertising regulation, compliance and clearance procedures, including coordination with local market stakeholders and relevant approval bodies.

Additional requirements 

• Client or project management experience within an integrated, production or digital agency.
• Strong understanding of production processes across channels including broadcast, digital, social, content and video.
• Proven ability to manage complex projects and multidisciplinary teams across markets.
• Experience building strong senior-level client and stakeholder relationships.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, globally matrixed environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and project management tools such as JIRA, Trello, Smartsheet or Miro.
• Curiosity about and a foundational understanding of AI and its application