Account Director (Project Management & Operations) (Payment Services Client)

***Our headquarters is in Stamford, CT, but the location of this position can be flexible with a priority given to candidates open to hybrid work (3 days week in office) in one of our office locations - - Stamford, CT, New York, NY, Charlotte, NC, Chicago, IL, or Atlanta, GA. EST hours will be required.

Do you have an interest in sports and entertainment sponsorship, combined with experience in finance, operations and project management? Are you a collaborative self-starter who can connect dots and juggle multiple projects at a time? Do you thrive on bringing order and structure to a fast-moving complex environment? If so, this could be your next career move within our Client Services team, supporting one of our largest global clients that moves quickly at the center of sports sponsorship.

We are looking for a strong, organized and dynamic Account Director to join our team. In this role, you’ll work directly with the account Vice President to build and manage the operational foundation of a large, established, and innovative client account, that is growing quickly. You will work across team to develop structure and processes that allow our agency to be more nimble and deliver quickly and creatively for our client. This role will work across our internal account team and specialties (finance, creative, experiential, legal, etc) to stay organized, adhere to timelines, and manage resources. This person will also play an important client facing role, as a key point of contact for all account operations and client-related project management needs, supporting with projects moving from inception to delivery across integrated agency teams.

This is a unique opportunity to drive efficiency and management across one of our biggest and most dynamic account teams, activating at some of the world’s biggest sports partnerships. This person will thrive on new challenges and provide flexibility to jump into new projects and solve problems.

Our ideal candidate is highly organized, detail-oriented, and an exceptional project manager and team communicator. We are looking for a collaborative self-starter who is comfortable taking the lead, solving problems, identifying roadblocks or gaps, and determining outcomes.

• Develop, implement and manage processes across the full account to manage scopes, budgets, resources, reporting, procurement and finance tracking.
• Finance - support business lead with all account finance and revenue tracking. Develop and manage finance tracker for full account, including revenue, expenses, invoicing, and payments.
• Staffing/resources - Support new project resource requests and work with account team to align resourcing to client needs. Align scopes with resources and staff, and track hours delivery
• Documentation - manage scope paperwork across project lifecycle, including drafting, approvals, submission, internal reporting and recognition. Manage all finance documentation (creation of POs, job codes, and onboarding new clients/vendors into our systems).
• Account strategy and growth - serve as a thought partner and support to the account leads, using financial and operational data to identify trends, challenges and growth opportunities
• Project Management – drive timelines, with a deep understanding of how workback schedules impact milestones and integrated teams must come together to win while keeping everyone on track
• Client interaction - act as the day-to-day contact for key finance and procurement clients, ensuring clear, proactive, and effective communication regarding all project management initiatives.
• Proactive management - proactively suggest processes to improve communication, efficiency and work delivery. Identify and escalate issues or potential risks

Recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work in Sports”, Octagon is the global sports, entertainment, and experiential marketing arm of the Omnicom Group.

We take pride in being Playmakers – finding insightful, bold ways to create play in our work, our lives, and in the world. We believe in the power of play to create big ideas and unlock potential for our clients and talent.

We can put ourselves in the shoes of fans because we ARE fans – of sports, entertainment, and culture at large. This expertise allows us to continually evolve the fan experience across sports and entertainment alongside some of the biggest brands and talent in the world.

The world needs play more than ever. Are you a Playmaker?

• 7+ years’ of experience with financial, operational and/or project management roles or projects
• Agency/client service experience or sports sponsorship background a strong plus
• Experience creating new processes that improve efficiency including development and maintenance of project tracking tools
• Validated ability to work as part of a team and to tackle problems effectively and independently in a fast-paced environment
• Self-starter who will take initiative with new projects and work with a variety of people
• Interest and capacity to learn client’s brand, agency work, and the state of client’s industry
• Experience supporting presentations for senior leadership
• Exceptional ability to manage diverse relationships with key partners – internal and external
• Detail-oriented work ethic, capable of managing multiple projects and tasks simultaneously, producing high-quality work (e.g., reporting, client decks, budgets), and adhering to strict deadlines.
• An outstanding organizer and communicator, adept at clear and persuasive communication.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (PowerPoint, Excel, Word) and Project Management tools (i.e. Asana)
• Ability to supervise, manage, and mentor junior team members
• Flexibility and willingness to travel domestically and internationally, and work weekends or holidays as needed. Anticipated travel level: low (10-30%)

The base range for this position is $75,000 – 100,000. Where an employee or prospective employee is paid within this range will depend on, among other factors, actual ranges for current/former employees in the subject position; market considerations; budgetary considerations; tenure and standing with the company (applicable to current employees); as well as the employee’s/applicant’s background, pertinent experience, and qualifications

Octagon is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law.