Business Unit Director

The role of a business unit director is multifaceted, encompassing strategic leadership, client relationship management, team development, financial management, project execution, performance monitoring, compliance and quality assurance. Being a business unit director is a combination of business acumen, creative passion, leadership skills, strategic thinking and a commitment to excellence.

Being a business unit director in our agency is like being the conductor of an orchestra. You are not playing every instrument, but you are making sure everything comes together harmoniously to create a beautiful symphony – or in our case, successful campaigns and projects.

Think of yourself as the captain of a ship. You are steering the course, navigating through challenges and ensuring that we reach our destination – which, in our case, is meeting our clients' needs and exceeding their expectations.

One of your main roles is to be the bridge between our clients and our creative teams. You are the point person for clients, understanding their goals, challenges and dreams, and then translating that into actionable plans for our team to execute. You are essentially the translator, making sure everyone speaks the same language and stays on track.

You are also a strategist. You will need to keep an eye on the big picture – market trends, industry shifts, competitor moves – and use that insight to guide our clients and our team towards success. It is like playing chess, thinking several moves ahead to stay ahead of the game.

When it comes to our internal team, you are the ultimate cheerleader and coach. You are there to support them, motivate them and help them grow. Whether it is providing resources, removing roadblocks or just being a sounding board, you are their go-to person for guidance and encouragement.

And of course, you are a problem solver extraordinaire. When things go wrong – and let's face it, they sometimes do – you are the one who steps in, assesses the situation and leads the charge to find a solution. It is all about staying cool under pressure and keeping everyone focused on the end goal.

It is about juggling multiple hats, balancing competing priorities and always keeping your eye on the prize.

Three key pillars at Grid

• Creative excellence
• Culture and relationships
• Client value and profitability

Creative excellence

• Strategic and creative leadership – Deep understanding of the client’s business, brand and brief to guide strategic and creative outputs.
• Manage and guide strategic and creative development workstreams – Maintaining a strong understanding of changes in the client’s industry, their customer needs, how they are adapting and developing, relevant case studies, trends, competitor insights, etc.
• Deliver strategic client engagements and presentations – Providing concise, insightful and actionable recommendations both to clients and internally.
• Proactive management of all project timelines – Always ensuring on-time delivery and accountability for project execution.
• Oversee deliverables of extended internal teams – Ensuring client needs are met, including suppliers, strategic partners and production partners.
• Build relationships with senior creative leads – Driving collaboration to enhance creative outputs for clients.
• Focus on Grid’s internal creative excellence goals – Contributing to awards, reputational impact and growth.
• Intentional problem-solving – Bringing great thinking to every brief to enhance the creative process.

Culture and relationships

• Client relationship management – Serve as the primary point of contact for key clients, building strong and lasting relationships based on trust, transparency and exceptional creative delivery.
• Ownership of full client scopes of work – Managing processes to achieve scope and deliver outcomes.
• Proactive learning and growth – Seek opportunities and engage in projects beyond day-to-day tasks.
• Drive internal integration and collaboration – Work across Grid’s departments, inter-agency relationships and external partners.
• Champion Grid’s shared values – Act as an ambassador for the company culture and values.
• Build and enable excellent communication and collaboration – Foster strong relationships across departments and client stakeholders.
• Team building and talent growth – Support knowledge transfer, upskilling and mentorship within the team.
• Ensure onboarding of new team members – Coaching to close talent gaps, develop skills and navigate challenges.
• Promote collaboration across departments – Maximise efficiency and effectiveness in executing projects.
• Build relationships with senior Grid leads – Ensure alignment, optimisation and best-practice outcomes.

Client value and profitabilityValue as a client’s strategic partner

• Understand client business objectives and industry landscape – Anticipate needs and proactively offer strategic solutions.
• Lead client presentations, negotiations and business reviews – Ensuring alignment with expectations and objectives.

Value in creative delivery

• Deliver meaningful client solutions – Driving business impact through creative excellence and financial objectives.
• Own financials for clients – Including forecasts, budgets, scoping, tracking and reporting to ensure clear mutual understanding.

Financial value

• Client organic growth and new business development – Play an influential role in driving organic growth, supporting new business initiatives and leveraging client relationships to drive overall business growth.
• Financial health and process diligence – Oversee and manage financial practices, including supplier payments, reconciliations across fees and production, tracking, reporting and forecasting.
• Monthly management of client retainer reconciliations – Ensuring accurate time tracking against budgets.
• Weekly financial management and reporting – Tracking and updating financials (CEs, POs, billings) to ensure effective cash flow management.
• Responsible for financial targets – Ensuring profitability across the client portfolio.
• Ability to scope projects – Ensuring accurate resourcing and timing estimates.
• Operational excellence – Driving financial, creative and relationship success through effective operations management, resource optimisation and strategic planning.

Role requirements

• Financial services experience is required.
• Experience running a large, multifaceted client portfolio is required.
• ATL advertising experience is required.
• Branding and design agency experience is beneficial.