Account Director bei Guardian Australia

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 skilled and motivated account director based in Sydney to join us on a full-time, 12 month parental leave contract. As a leader, you will use your strategic thinking and deep understanding of the Australian market to help the organisation generate revenue from allocated clients and agency partners using all available Guardian products and platforms, including branded content, podcasts, video and display advertising solutions.

You’ll work on…/In this role you will…

• Represent Guardian Australia to a portfolio of key agencies and clients in order to hit designated revenue targets.
• Have knowledge of all Guardian products including display, content and programmatic in order to meet demands of agencies and clients.
• Develop and maintain senior relationships with agencies and at client level with a view to creating long term, strategic partnerships. This is achieved through frequent in-person client and agency engagement.
• Leverage existing senior-level client relationships to build new business opportunities and strengthen existing partnerships.
• Ensure all clients and agencies are kept up-to-date with relevant information about Guardian Australia through regular face-to-face meetings and presentations.
• Build content driven advertising programs for key clients on Guardian platforms in order to maximise revenue and contribution to the business.
• Lead and coach their Account Manager, working as a team in order to meet client needs and achieve revenue targets for allocated agency and client patch.

You’ll bring….

Sales Skills

• Has strong business acumen and is able to talk at senior level about major business issues and challenges and help shape solutions using the Guardian as a channel
• Is customer focused and able to deliver complex solutions, has the ability to offer alternatives and resolve customer objections whilst keeping maintaining the highest client satisfaction
• A strategic thinker, is able to approach an agency or a customer proactively with a solution to a client issue
• Has extensive knowledge of agency patch, business units and clients within patch. Understands key timings and has long term contact strategy for allocated patch in order to keep Guardian top of mind
• Is an excellent presenter, regularly presenting to large  groups and has the ability to bring an idea to life and take an audience on a journey
• Is able to quickly and accurately identify a client need and match it to a solution. Works with clients to shape a brief for the Guardian
• Builds end-to-end sales proposals for complex long term campaigns using excellent written skills in order to build a winning sales narrative
• Is able to negotiate a deal using a variety of closing techniques to achieve a win/win position for the Guardian and the client
• Has the ability to close large deals and has experience of selling multiple large deals in the past
• Excellent pipeline management skills, understanding the need for short, medium and long term business to achieve a target across the year
• Has strong questioning and listening techniques and has the ability to extract necessary information through truly open questions
• Is able to solve problems through innovative thinking in order to achieve a solution
• Has proven leadership capabilities, helps others in their team grow and encourages others by acknowledging strengths and contributions. Takes time to show other, empowering junior members of the team
   

Knowledge

• Strong knowledge of content marketing, having executed multiple content campaigns. Understands the role that content marketing can play in enhancing brand capability
• Strong knowledge of brand strategy. Understands a brand’s lifecycle and long term strategy and the differences between types of brands
• Has a good understanding of the production process involved in bringing a successful content partnership to life
• Excellent knowledge of the Australian media landscape, including knowledge of how media agencies are structured, what accounts are held where and the role of creative and clients in the process of planning and booking a campaign
• Has good technical knowledge, particularly in understanding production processes. Understanding of Ad Tech also required
• Media Strategy - understands a clients business issues and can devise a solution that fits with the Guardian and aligns with a clients overall direction
• Has an understanding of the Guardian brand and its editorial integrity
   

Mindset
 

• Is able to collaborate with multiple stakeholders in order to lead a project from a client facing perspective, as well as internal facing
• Applies company values on a daily basis both internally and externally. Is seen as a champion of values and has excellent integrity
• Is self-sufficient in their role, can be relied upon to complete tasks and uses initiative to solve tasks
• Is goal oriented in regards to budgets and understands the process involved in achieving short and long term revenue goals. Has a proven track record of achieving budgets even in difficult times
• Has inbuilt resilience and is able to stay calm in the face of setbacks, responding with a positive attitude under pressure
• Is self-aware and has excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate well with different personalities, always in a positive manner
• Maintains an open-minded approach to tasks, tackling them with a professional and optimistic mindset
   

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 basis for 12 months (parental leave cover)

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

Closing date for applications: 24 October 2025

If you have application questions or if you require an adjustment to be made during the recruitment process, please email [email protected]

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.