Key Account Manager – Maternity Cover

Salary: £30,000 – £42,500 dependent on experience + OTE

We are looking for an experienced Key Account Manager to join our multi-award-winning team, working across our varied client portfolio. You will be responsible for independently owning the client relationship and strategy across several key accounts, as well as supporting the Account Directors across a number of high value accounts. The role is critical to the growth of Arke Agency by delivering best-in-class client satisfaction, efficient project delivery, and strategic account planning.

Elevating the role from a Senior Account Manager to a Key Account Manager, we need to emphasise greater strategic responsibility, leadership over key accounts, and a focus on business growth.

Who we are

Arke is a multi-award-winning, bold, and innovative digital marketing agency based in Brighton. We break norms and merge creativity with strategy to deliver campaigns and customer experiences that don’t just hit targets—they redefine them. Driven, curious, and unapologetically ambitious, we push boundaries to help our clients lead their industries while staying true to our values: Be Real, Be Curious, Be Bold.

Experience

• Seasoned Expertise: You bring a wealth of experience, with a proven track record of at least 3 years in account management, either on the client or agency side, working with diverse brands and organisations.
• Digital Knowledge: Your digital expertise is extensive, with a deep understanding of digital marketing strategies and experience in successfully managing complex digital projects, campaigns, and initiatives.
• Skilled Communicator: You are a skilled communicator, with a demonstrated ability to excel in client and internal communications. Your exceptional influencing and negotiation skills ensure successful relationship management.
• Client Growth Focus: You have a strong desire to nurture and expand existing client relationships while actively seeking out opportunities to cultivate new ones, driving revenue growth and client satisfaction.
• Financial Precision: You can provide accurate financial forecasting against client projects, growth plans, and invoice schedules. Your proficiency in financial management ensures that client targets are met.
• Commercial Strategist: You are commercially minded and skilled at crafting strategic client proposals across all elements of marketing services. Your proposals are not only compelling but also financially viable and attractive, ensuring that client relationships are mutually beneficial and contribute to the company’s growth.
• Strategic Leadership: You naturally assume a leadership role as a key stakeholder in client meetings, presentations, and pitches. Your confident presence and strategic insight set you apart.
• Challenger: You are comfortable having open and frank communication with clients and internally. If you aren’t comfortable or confident in the direction of progress, planning or strategy you can challenge backed by reason, evidence, experience and data.
• Client-relationship builder: You develop client relationships with key decision makers at all senior and c-suite levels across the business by delivering trusted, exceptional, service and value, ensuring your clients remain loyal and confident in Arke.
• Data-Driven Decision Maker: Your decisions are informed by data and insights, enabling you to continuously optimise strategies and achieve exceptional outcomes for your clients.
• Crisis Management Skills: Your experience equips you with the ability to navigate and resolve crises or challenging situations whilst maintaining client confidence and trust.
• Industry Expert: You have a passion for the marketing industry, and you stay ahead of the curve with a strong appetite for knowledge about emerging trends and the future of our industry and clients.
• Creative Problem Solver: As a naturally creative thinker, you thrive on managing challenges as they arise, leveraging your problem-solving skills to achieve your client’s objectives.
• Organisation: Your organisational skills are second to none, and you approach your role with a digital-first mindset, ensuring seamless project management and client satisfaction.

Responsibilities

• Industry Expertise: Stay current with industry updates across Arke’s client base and within the marketing industry, focusing on account management, paid media, creative, and digital trends to provide strategic insights and recommendations to clients and the wider team.
• Client Project Ownership: Assume ownership and management of key client projects with budgets of <£100,000 per annum, ensuring their successful execution and client satisfaction.
• Strategic Planning: Independently develop and execute proactive, future-focused annual client strategies that drive growth, deliver value, and align with Arke’s business objectives.
• Target Achievement: Accurately forecast, and meet/exceed monthly and quarterly targets assigned to your specific client base, showcasing your ability to drive financial results and maintain/improve client satisfaction.
• Large Project Support: Assist the Account Directors in the delivery of certain key client partnerships, ensuring their successful completion and alignment with client goals through effective account management processes and communication – so when needed you can lead calls, manage Teamwork fully, client material/communication & organisation.
• Service Expansion: Actively promote and provide input on expanding Arke’s services in response to client demand and feedback, alongside driving the access and use of Arke’s full-service offering, contributing to the company’s growth and diversification.
• Client Relationship Ownership: Take full ownership of your client partnerships, ensuring clear communication of key client objectives to department heads and providing feedback to drive continuous improvements.
• Effective Client Communication: Build trust, through transparent and continuous communication on project status, budget allocation, and innovation opportunities while meticulously documenting actions and follow-ups. To plan and manage weekly client calls-with clear expectations and responsibilities for attendees.
• Client QBR Leadership: Independently plan, arrange, and lead client Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) with a structured approach, ensuring that client objectives, performance metrics, and growth opportunities are thoroughly discussed and aligned with Arke’s strategic initiatives. Provide actionable insights and recommendations to clients during these sessions, fostering transparency and strengthening the client relationship.
• End-to-End Sales Process: Take ownership of the entire brief-proposal-pitch-sale process across your assigned client base, ensuring a seamless and effective journey.
• Tender Submissions: Provide input into tender submissions, taking responsibility for allocated sections and ensuring they are delivered successfully.
• Process Improvement: Offer insights and ideas for internal process improvements and contribute to fostering a culture of innovation and excellence within Arke.
• Continuous Learning: Participate in cross-team training, 1-2-many webinars, and identify online training sessions and courses to support your professional development and growth.
• Time Management: Measure and audit all project time within Arke’s project management system (TeamWork), ensuring accurate tracking of billable time and resource allocation.
• Financial Accuracy and Timelines: You will work closely with clients to understand their specific needs and expectations and ensure accuracy and timelines of financial reporting, particularly related to invoice reporting and media budgets.

Who you are

• You’re real: We are inclusive and collaborative; we encourage the free exchange of ideas; we respect and celebrate diversity and diverse ways of working. We are accepting: of new ideas, new partnerships, new ways of doing things.
• You’re curious: We believe in the power of curiosity, always hungry to know more, to challenge known truths and uncover new trends, innovations and approaches. We never want to do the “same old”, we push boundaries and bring excitement to all we do. 
• You’re bold: We encourage creative thinking and conviction in your delivery. We embrace differences and use this as our USP to show our innovative approach to often similar challenges.

As an equal-opportunity employer, we actively encourage diversity and respect the independent perspectives of all.

Package

As well as being an integral part of an exciting and fast-growing company, we offer competitive packages and are proud to be a living wage employer.

Every member of staff’s personal development is extremely important to us. So, you will receive a personalised progression plan crafted to suit your ambitions and all the training required to help you achieve them.

We also have a generous benefits package including:

• 25 days paid holiday + bank holidays
• Extra day off on your birthday
• WFH Tuesdays and Wednesdays
• An additional day of holiday for each year of service
• Extra 2 days paid leave a year for volunteering
• Pension scheme
• A choice between Pirkx benefits scheme, Vitality health insurance, a gym membership or a health and wellness package with About Balance
• Flexi-time and TOIL
• Employee events
• Early Finish Fridays: Optional early start at 8am and finish at 3:30pm