Marketing Specialist III - Account Manager

Position : Marketing Specialist III - Account Manager
Location : Hoffman Estates IL Remote
Direct Client Requirement

Must haves: 5+ years previous client facing experience, 3+ years of project management experience. 3+ years of experience using project management software, Workfront preferred., experience leading digital creating projects end to end.

ROLE OVERVIEW
The Account Manager carries the delivery discipline that gets work out on brief, on time, on budget, and at the highest standard of quality, and works in direct contact with the client on the execution of that work. The role facilitates accountability across the full engagement lifecycle, from intake through closure. Reporting into a Group Account Director, this is a client-facing role on delivery execution and is held accountable for the day-to-day client experience of the work in flight, including responsiveness, accuracy of information, and follow-through on commitments. This is a contract engagement supporting a large national retail business with an always-on promotional calendar. Work is already in flight, so the role requires an immediate start. The person in this role must be effective quickly, comfortable running multiple concurrent campaigns at pace, and confident holding process without slowing the client down.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Account Management and Delivery Coordination Understands the business objective behind every request, not just the deliverable. Serves as the day-to-day operational point of contact for active project communication and delivery, maintaining regular and proactive contact on status, timing, budget, and scope concerns, and clarifying questions from the creative team, working under the direction of the Group Account Director (GAD). Lead status meetings, capture requirements, and manage expectations/escalations. Collects, analyzes, and distills client feedback at each stage, translating client input into clear, relevant, and actionable direction to share with the team. Engages Creative Strategy, Creative Directors, or the GAD when feedback or risks require additional strategic, creative, or broader business relationship context. Manages the change order process when scope changes occur, documenting the change, assessing impact on timeline and budget, and updating the project plan once approval is secured. Builds trust with client stakeholders and internal creative teams, navigating a large and complex organization to reach the right decision makers.

Project Intake and Initiation
Leads operational requirements gathering with the client when an idea moves from abstract conversation to tangible project, confirming project scope and tiering, timing, budget, deliverables, constraints, and dependencies with the client, entering the project into Workfront, and establishing a clear timeline and milestone plan before work begins. Ensures all materials required for a successful kickoff are in place before any project proceeds, including intake details, creative brief, source files, reference materials, and any compliance or legal requirements specific to the project. Communicates project requirements and coordinates with creative and resourcing teams, ensuring the right skills, capacity, and expertise are assigned before work begins.

Cross-Functional Coordination and Operational Excellence
Ensures there is a realistic timeline, estimate, and milestone plan for every engagement, accounting for complexity, review cycles, client approval, and compliance requirements.
Monitors milestones and budget burn throughout delivery, identifying risk early and escalating to the GAD, Creative Strategist, or Creative Director when timelines or budgets are in jeopardy. Routes work through required legal, compliance, and brand review, building approval time into every plan, and maintaining documentation of approvals. Regularly monitors that Workfront reflects the current status of active projects, including milestone completion, resource allocation, budget burn, and active risks or escalations. Workfront is the single source of truth and is accessible to all relevant team members on demand. Partners with resourcing teams to participate in capacity planning across creative teams to provide a clear view of utilization and bandwidth.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS:
Bachelor's degree in marketing, business, journalism, or communication. In lieu of degree, HS Diploma/GED, and 7 years of experience leading digital creative projects in an agency environment. Direct experience supporting a large national retail brand, ideally mass or membership retail, with working knowledge of promotional calendars, seasonal peaks, and high-volume campaign cycles.
5+ years of client-facing account management experience guiding clients through the creative delivery process in a fast-paced environment.
3+ years of project management experience. 3+ years of experience using project management software, Workfront preferred.

DESIRED CHARACTERISTICS:
Understanding the digital creative process and how to balance it with project management and workflow. Experience leading digital creative projects and managing resources for an advertising agency, either external or in-house. Conflict resolution and problem-solving skills. Comfort operating in a regulated environment where legal and compliance review is a required part of the workflow. Ability to ramp quickly and operate independently within the first week