Senior Account Manager

Guardian Australia is part of Guardian News & Media (GNM), publisher of theguardian.com. As a leading global media organisation, we are renowned for our pioneering independent journalism and our award-winning digital products.

We are seeking a dynamic and results-driven Senior Account Manager who excels in building and nurturing client relationships, with 6-8 years of experience in sales account management.

In this role you will…

  • Represent Guardian Australia to a portfolio of agencies and clients, responding to briefs, in order to hit designated revenue targets.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of all Guardian products including display, content, podcasts and programmatic in order to meet the demands of agencies and clients.
  • Ensure all clients and agencies are kept up-to-date with relevant information about Guardian Australia through regular meetings and presentations - up holding a minimum of 5 client meetings per week.
  • Continue to drive content partnerships, direct display, programmatic, and audio driven solutions for key clients on Guardian platforms in order to maximise revenue, with a focus on new and repeat business.
  • Be able to work as a cohesive team member in order to meet client needs and achieve revenue targets for allocated agency and client patch.
  • Contribute internally to meetings by sharing industry knowledge, advice and experiences to better help to performance of the wider team.
  • Unwavering commitment to achieving quarterly targets and pipeline management and keeping the State and Account Directors up to date.

You'll bring….

Sales Skills

  • The ability to receive and interrogate a brief and work with the agency/client in order to gain the necessary information to facilitate the best possible Guardian response.
  • Excels at putting together a response (usually via PowerPoint) using various elements and specialist resources - producing a response which is clear and answers the brief, by the deadline required.
  • Able to present to a group of customer and internal stakeholders to communicate key elements of a response and how it addresses the brief.
  • Able to cultivate solid customer relationships which encourage repeat and long term business.
  • Ability to negotiate and close deals, using various closing strategies.
  • Manages pipeline to ensure there are adequate opportunities to meet targets.
  • Uses tools such as Excel and Salesforce to produce pipeline and track conversion rates etc.
  • Works with the Account Director to ensure revenue targets are met together on agency patch.
  • Work with the Account Director to plan and forecast accurately on agency patch.
  • Execute autonomy on allocated patch of clients, flagging to Account Director/State Sales Director sales strategy and market conditions.
  • Demonstrate a proactive approach to building a robust pipeline.
  • Ensure all clients and agencies are kept up-to-date with relevant information about The Guardian Australia through regular meetings and presentations.

Knowledge

  • Understanding of the wider media landscape and where The Guardian will fit in regarding a client's brief. Using this information and The Guardian's value proposition, be able to piece together a response utilising The Guardian's product suite.
  • Work alongside delivery and commercial optimisation teams (internal) to offer clients the best possible solution to access The Guardian suite of products.
  • Seek knowledge inside and outside the organisation to ensure industry and product knowledge is current.
  • Understanding of content marketing, brand strategy and the role of premium publishers in helping brands grow.
  • Strong technical knowledge of digital advertising systems and technology incl Google Ad Manager, Tags, Rich Media, Google Analytics etc.
  • Ability to understand pipeline management and forecast revenue
  • Keep up to date with Trade Press.

Mindset

  • Maintains an open-minded approach to tasks and tackles work with an optimistic mindset.
  • Is able to collaborate successfully with different internal departments in order to successfully coordinate and implement both brief response and implementation from a sales perspective.
  • Understands, and is able to act in accordance with, the company values. Is able to use those values as a guideline to how they conduct themselves internally and externally.
  • Able to self-motivate and self-direct tasks to ensure time is spent on the appropriate tasks to achieve goals.
  • Ability to remain resilient and resourceful across the peaks and troughs of revenue generation.
  • Has excellent interpersonal skills in order to develop and maintain relationships across the entire organisation as well as with agencies/clients.
  • Open to new ways of working and being a positive influence on others in the team.

About working at Guardian Australia…

  • Hybrid working
  • Employee assistance program (EAP) to support employee wellbeing
  • Paid volunteer leave
  • Dedicated diversity and inclusion employee groups, action plans (including our Reconciliation Action Plan) and cultural competency training
  • Guardian digital subscription

For more information please view the full job description here.

This role is being offered on a full-time, permanent basis.

To apply for this position, please apply online and upload your résumé (maximum three pages) plus covering letter as one document. In your covering letter please outline your motivation for applying for the role and why you think you are suitable.

Closing date for applications: Friday 24 January 2025

If you have application questions or if you require an adjustment to be made during the recruitment process, please email australia.hr@theguardian.com

We believe that our role in the Australian media is to give a voice to the most marginalised people in society and value and respect all differences in all people — including people of colour, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from different social classes, people with diverse gender and sexual identities, and people with disabilities (seen and unseen). We believe that these communities must be centred in the work we do, bringing a new perspective and a diversity of thought. We also encourage flexible working and aim to create a work environment where all employees feel respected.