| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Media and Advertising |
| Level | Mid level |
| Reports to | Client Servicing Manager |
| Direct reports | None |
| Experience | 2 to 4 years in agency client servicing or account coordination |
Account Executive (Advertising) job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Account Executive (Advertising)
Department: Media and Advertising
Reports to: Client Servicing Manager
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
An Account Executive in an advertising agency handles the day-to-day running of client accounts. They take briefs, write internal briefs for the creative and media teams, chase timelines, share work with clients and manage rounds of feedback. The role sits under a client servicing manager and is the link between the client and the agency's teams. A good one keeps jobs moving on schedule, writes briefs clear enough to work from the first time, and keeps clients feeling looked after on the small things.
Key responsibilities
- Take briefs from clients, ask questions to fill gaps, and write clear internal briefs for the creative and media teams.
- Track every job on your accounts through concept, production and delivery, and chase each team to hold the timeline.
- Share creative and media work with clients, collect feedback, and pass consolidated changes back to the teams.
- Prepare cost estimates and timelines for approval, and raise job numbers and purchase orders.
- Join and take notes in client meetings, and send contact reports that record decisions and next steps.
- Coordinate with production, studio and vendors so assets are ready in the right format on time.
- Keep account trackers, approvals and files up to date for every brand you handle.
- Follow up on billing and pending payments with finance and the client.
- Flag risks such as slipping timelines or budget overruns to the servicing manager early.
- Build day-to-day rapport with client contacts and respond to their requests quickly.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in marketing, mass communication or commerce
- An MBA or PG diploma in marketing is an advantage
- Some agency or client-side coordination experience
- 2 to 4 years in agency client servicing or account coordination
KRAs and KPIs for a Account Executive (Advertising)
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Brief quality | Internal briefs accepted by the creative team without major rework on most jobs |
| On time delivery | Jobs on your accounts delivered by the committed date at least 95 percent of the time |
| Client responsiveness | Client requests acknowledged the same working day and closed within the agreed time |
| Estimate accuracy | Estimates approved before work starts, with no unbilled scope on jobs |
| Documentation | Contact reports sent within a day of every client meeting, with trackers kept current |
| Billing follow-up | Invoices raised on delivery and payments followed up within the credit period |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: MS Excel, PowerPoint, Email and calendar, Project tracker, Job or billing software.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Client Servicing Manager, Account Director
Interview questions for a Account Executive (Advertising)
- How do you turn a one-line client request into a brief the creative team can actually work from?
- A client keeps adding changes after the work is approved. How do you handle it?
- Two of your jobs are due the same day and both teams are behind. What do you do?
- What goes into a contact report and why does it matter?
- How do you follow up on a pending payment without upsetting the client?
- Tell me about a time a job nearly missed its deadline. How did you save it?
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What does an account executive do in advertising?
An account executive handles the day-to-day running of client accounts in an agency. They take briefs, write internal briefs for creative and media teams, track timelines, share work with clients, manage feedback rounds and prepare estimates. They are the daily link between the client and the agency's teams, working under a servicing manager.
What is the difference between an account executive and a client servicing manager?
An account executive runs the day-to-day tasks: briefs, timelines, feedback and coordination. A client servicing manager owns the client relationship, carries the revenue target, presents big plans, handles escalations and manages executives. The executive is the more junior, hands-on role that grows into the manager position.
What qualifications do you need to be an account executive in an agency?
Most agencies ask for a degree in marketing, mass communication or commerce, and value an MBA. More important are clear communication, organised follow-up and two to four years of coordination experience. Freshers sometimes start as client servicing executives and move up to account executive within a year or two.