Account Director (Maternity Cover, Fixed-Term)

Role overview

Work arrangement

• Full-time, fixed-term maternity cover from mid-November 2026 to 31 March 2027, approximately 5.5 months.
• Hybrid and remote-first during UAE business hours, Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM GST, with regular in-person client meetings, workshops, and steering reviews in Abu Dhabi.
• Candidates must be based in the UAE and have their own means of transport.

Responsibilities

• Lead senior government stakeholder relationships and manage complex expectations, approvals, and high-priority requests.
• Chair monthly steering reviews and lead weekly status meetings and working sessions, virtually and on-site.
• Provide strategic counsel on integrated communications and digital transformation and resolve client challenges early.
• Direct multidisciplinary teams across social media, paid performance and media buying, website development and maintenance, SEO/GEO, and content marketing.
• Develop account plans, scopes of work, and creative briefs from government mandates, and ensure timelines are met.
• Own quality across client-facing presentations, campaign reports, digital deliverables, and strategy documents.
• Manage account P&L, retainer utilization, scope burn, margins, billing, media-spend reconciliations, and third-party vendor costs.
• Report account performance, forecasts, and resource needs; identify account-growth opportunities.

Requirements

• 8+ years of agency account management experience, including at Account Director level or as a senior lead on integrated, multi-channel accounts.
• Hands-on understanding of social media, performance and media buying, web development, SEO/GEO, and content marketing.
• Confidence with formal protocol, layered government approvals, tight response windows, and fast-turnaround announcements.
• Strong commercial acumen in P&L ownership, retainer burn, and margin management.
• Executive presence, excellent written and verbal communication, and a structured, detail-oriented approach.
• UAE or Abu Dhabi Government experience is strongly preferred.

Preferred qualifications

• Arabic fluency, written and spoken, is advantageous for government relations and Arabic copy review.
• Familiarity with Abu Dhabi Government brand guidelines and protocol is preferred.
• Experience with digital project management tools and media reporting platforms is preferred.

Schedule

• UAE business hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM GST.
• The fixed-term maternity cover runs from mid-November 2026 through 31 March 2027.