Strategic Account Director, Media Buying

The Strategic Account Director is the senior relationship and strategy owner for one to two of 829’s most important enterprise advertisers — high-value clients running 6- to 7-figure monthly media budgets across CTV, OLV, display, native, audio, and emerging digital channels. The role sits within 829’s Enterprise Media Buying practice and serves as the executive-level point of contact for client leadership, including CMOs, VPs of Marketing, and senior media decision-makers.

This is a true player/coach role. You are accountable for the relationship, the strategy, and the commercial outcomes — and equally accountable for the day-to-day quality of the work. Early in the role you will operate with a deliberately lean, integrated team supporting a single high-value account. As the practice and your portfolio scale, dedicated resources scale alongside it — but the standard does not change. This role owns net revenue retention, and the long-term trajectory of every account on its desk.

The Strategic Account Director is part executive sponsor, part strategic advisor, and part commercial owner — the person clients trust to translate media performance into business outcomes, and the person 829 trusts to grow these relationships into multi-year, performance-accountable partnerships.

What You'll Do

Executive Client Leadership

• Serve as the senior strategic lead and executive point of contact for one to two high-value enterprise clients

• Build and sustain trusted partnerships with C-suite, VP-level, and senior marketing leadership at the client organization

• Lead executive-level conversations including QBRs, annual planning, business reviews, strategic planning sessions, and renewal discussions

• Act as the primary escalation point for complex client, operational, or strategic concerns

• Connect media performance — across CTV, OLV, display, native, audio, and emerging channels — to client business objectives, marketing organization priorities, and broader commercial outcomes

• Maintain a high standard of executive communication, professionalism, and relationship management across all client interactions

Strategy & Business Impact

• Develop and lead long-term account strategy across the full programmatic stack, in close partnership with the assigned media strategist, media buyers, operating leadership, and analyst(s).

• Translate performance insights and analytics into actionable, executive-ready recommendations

• Anticipate organizational shifts, market changes, and competitive pressures that may impact client priorities or partnership health

• Guide clients through annual and quarterly planning cycles, budget reallocations, and channel expansion conversations (e.g., CTV scale-up, retail media, audio, DOOH)

• Ensure agency recommendations align with enterprise client realities — approval structures, brand safety standards, measurement frameworks, and procurement timelines

• Stay fluent in the broader programmatic landscape — DSP changes, supply-path optimization, privacy regulation, attention metrics, AI-driven optimization — and translate the implications into client strategy

Retention, Growth & Commercial Ownership

• Own retention, NRR, and account satisfaction across the assigned portfolio

• Identify and convert strategic growth opportunities tied to client business needs, performance trends, and evolving media priorities

• Lead scope expansion conversations — additional channels, increased budgets, adjacent service lines — in partnership with practice leadership

• Own renewal strategy and forecasting; partner with agency leadership on commercial planning, pricing, and structural agreement evolution

• Co-own the client’s staffing and resource budget — making intentional, accountable decisions about how dedicated and shared resources are deployed in service of client outcomes and engagement profitability

• Maintain visibility into engagement profitability, resource allocation, and delivery quality across the account

Account Leadership & Player/Coach Execution

• Operate as a player/coach on the account — leading the relationship and the strategy while remaining directly involved in the work

• Hold accountability for delivery quality, on-time execution, and integrated work product across media strategy, buying, creative, and analytics

• Own day-to-day meetings and client communication, in conjunction with project management and media strategists.

• Set the cadence, the standards, and the priorities for the integrated team supporting the account; create the conditions for a focused, distraction-free team

• Scale the engagement model thoughtfully as the book of business grows — bringing on additional dedicated resources as account complexity warrants, never ahead of need

• Escalate and resolve operational risks, delivery challenges, and stakeholder concerns proactively

• Help establish scalable best practices for senior-led, performance-accountable account leadership as the practice grows

Portfolio Scope

• 1 - 2 enterprise client relationships

• Co-ownership of the client staffing and resource budget with Media Buying President and Leadership.

• Full accountability for retention, NRR, account health, and expansion contribution

• Direct executive reporting line into client C-suite and senior marketing leadership

Twelve months into the role, the Strategic Account Director has succeeded when the following retention and revenue outcomes are demonstrably true across the assigned portfolio:

Retention & Net Revenue Retention (Primary)

• 100% gross logo retention across the assigned portfolio at the 12-month mark

• 115%+ Net Revenue Retention across the book of business in the first full year

• All assigned accounts have completed renewal or extension at or above original contract value

• No material churn risk indicators on any active engagement at the 12-month mark, validated through documented account health reviews

• Documented expansion roadmap for each account with quantified opportunity sizing and a clear path to year-two NRR targets

Strategic Account Health (Supporting)

• Active, codified relationship with at least two senior stakeholders per account (CMO/VP plus a secondary executive sponsor)

• QBR cadence established and consistently delivered at or ahead of client expectation

• Strategic plan presented and adopted by client leadership within the first 90 days of account ownership

• Engagement profitability and resource budget managed within target ranges; staffing decisions demonstrably tied to client outcomes

What You'll Bring

• 10+ years of experience in agency client services, account leadership, or strategic account management with a focus on performance media or programmatic buying

• Demonstrated history of owning enterprise client relationships at significant scale, with clear ownership of retention, expansion, and revenue outcomes

• Direct experience leading clients through programmatic media strategy — CTV, OLV, display, native, audio — at the executive level

• Working fluency (not necessarily hands-on execution) in major DSPs (The Trade Desk, DV360, Amazon DSP, Xandr, or similar), supply-path optimization, attribution and incrementality frameworks, and brand safety standards

• Proven track record of driving NRR and expansion within named enterprise accounts

• Comfort operating as a player/coach — willing to lead the relationship and stay close to the work, with the maturity to scale that posture as a team grows around them

• Experience navigating complex client organizations — multi-stakeholder structures, procurement cycles, brand and category gates, longer planning horizons

• Exceptional executive communication, presentation, and storytelling skills; comfort presenting to C-suite

• Experience leading integrated teams without direct authority — strategists, creative, analytics, project management

• Comfort in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment; agency or consulting background strongly preferred

Benefits and Perks We Provide

• Remote Workplace. You have the option to work at our office in Boston or remotely in one of these states: AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, ID, IL, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, MO, NV, NH, NJ, NY, NC, SC, OH, OK, PA, RI, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA.

• Paid Time Off. Receive generous paid vacation benefits that increase each year you’re with us, 14 Company Holidays, and Summer Fridays from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

• 401K + Match. 401K plan with 4% Safe Harbor employer match after one year of employment and financial literacy services provided through our retirement provider.

• Life Insurance Benefit. No-cost coverage to ensure peace of mind for your family.

• Short Term Disability Benefit. We've got you covered if you need to be OOO with an illness or injury that keeps you out of work.

• Healthcare. Choose from several competitive healthcare plans for you and your family with 80% employer coverage for all medical and dental premiums, 100% employer coverage for vision, and the option to participate in the FSA program.

• Commuter Benefits. Allocate pre-tax funds towards your commute to save up to 40% per year in transportation expenses.

• Continuing Education. Access to monthly team-led webinars, exclusive 829-cohort based learning, digital course platforms, and funding opportunities to attend national conferences and events.

What We Believe

At 829 Studios, we boldly embrace diversity, inclusivity, and equal opportunity. Our goal: a team rich in backgrounds, perspectives, and talents. Why? Because inclusivity powers our brilliance and client success. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, religion, creed, color, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, disability, mental illness, age, ancestry, genetic information, military service, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws.

Who We Are

829 Studios is a Boston-based integrated digital marketing agency with a mission to propel organizations to unlock their full potential and accomplish their most ambitious goals. We harness the power of logic with magic – a balance of data-driven strategy and brand-focused creative. We partner with diverse organizations across various industries and our client list encompasses venture-backed start-ups, publicly traded companies, non-profits, and more. By committing not only to our growth as a company, but the development of our employees and teams’, we have created a collaborative environment that fosters ingenuity and promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging values within our community. 829 has been recognized as one of the nation’s top agencies by the Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Privately Held Companies, Adweek 100 Fastest-Growing Digital Agencies, Boston Business Journal's Fast 50 (Massachusetts' 50 Fastest-Growing Private Companies), HubSpot's Top Digital Agencies list, and a we are and employee-certified Great Place to Work.

Salary Range: $145,000-$185,000

We determine compensation based on experience, demonstrated skills, and current market conditions at the time of hire to ensure fairness and consistency across roles. Actual compensation will depend on experience and may be adjusted based on skills, qualifications, and alignment with the scope and impact of the role.