ROLE: GROUP ACCOUNT DIRECTOR
TEAM: THE KITCHEN NORTH AMERICA
LOCATION: CHICAGO
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Welcome to The Kitchen by Kraft Heinz – the in-house agency taking marketing into a new era. With bases in Toronto and Chicago, we're not just a team; we're culinary pioneers blending culture, creativity, and collaboration. Join our 90+ crew of Creatives, Strategists, Producers, Designers, and Content Creators. Together with our brand partners, we unlock creativity at the speed of culture, turning brands into icons with breakthrough social and digital ideas. Come be part of a team where passion meets innovation, crafting experiences that leave a lasting impression—one spicy idea at a time.
ROLE OVERVIEW
As a Group Account Director, you oversee a team of Account Directors, Supervisors and Executives, reporting directly to the Head of Operations, with the support of the full Kitchen leadership team.
You’ll ensure that we’re proactively shaping an agency that anticipates Kraft Heinz brands’ needs, constantly innovating, and making best-in-class work come to life every single day.
You’ll need to be passionate about the work and the industry – from the breadth of insights and opportunities it pulls from culture to the ultimate quality of the creative that your team produces.
You are responsible for implementing our ways of working across your Account team and partnering with the Strategy Director, Lead Producers and Creative Directors to ensure the processes of the team are implemented. You will also partner closely with Brand and Business Units (BUs) to ensure the Account team has clear direction and focus for the year, months and day-to-day. You’ll lead the processes that deliver success and own relationships with PR, Brand Comms, and other IAT partners.
You have the experience that allows you to manage processes that balance quick turnaround work with longer-lead creative. You’ve worked across various media with an excellent understanding of what works in social and digital. You have experience managing large scale productions for multiple brands or campaigns at one time and ensuring your team delivers all assets against a media plan.
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
INTERNAL RELATIONS: You are the main point of contact for our marketing brand partners within Kraft Heinz. You’ll work directly with marketers in the organization to ensure we’re anticipating the future, and building a team to do incredible work that is unique to The Kitchen.
ACCOUNT TEAM MANAGEMENT: Manage your team’s structure and resourcing, ensuring that we focus on the work that exceeds expectations. You lead teams and ensure strong and non-traditional creative output, collaborating and working with The Kitchen’s Executive Creative Director.
WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT: You’ll direct the team’s focus – ensuring that you are helping the team stay on top of their deliverables and are focused against the right work daily, quarterly, and annually.
TEAM LEADERSHIP: You Inspire and direct a team to believe in The Kitchen’s mission and to deliver true success for our brands. You are responsible for growing, retaining, and motivating the Account team to succeed.
COLLABORATION: You act with optimism and a love for the next big challenge, working as one integrated team with your brand partners and the Creative Directors. You are the voice of the brand team inside The Kitchen.
ADAPTABILITY: You demonstrate resiliency in a dynamic, fast paced work environment where ideas and opportunities happen fast and require flexibility.
ORGANIZATION & FOLLOWTHROUGH: You have a process driven heart and like defining new processes and ways of working and can communicate them out to a broader group. You can sit above the work but are able to dive in as needed. You follow through in all you do via clear communication. You help the agency develop a strong and positive relationship within the Kitchen and Kraft Heinz.
EXPERIENCE & SKILLS
- 8+ years of experience working Accounts, Client Service, Project Management, or a related role in a traditional, social, or medium agnostic agency focused on big ideas.
- Significant experience leading large scale productions
- Exceptional leadership and people management skills
- Proven project management & Account management expertise
- Proven strategic thinker.
- Authentic people person with exceptional interpersonal skills
- Confident and experienced with presentation skills.
- Excellent organizational, negotiation skills
- Outstanding critical thinking and problem-solving skills
- Demonstrated ability to oversee, and deliver against, a large P+L.
- Proven ability to identify, pursue and sell business growth opportunities.
- Exceptional relationship building and people management skills.
- A positive and optimistic force, that drives projects forward through relationship-building, collaboration, and clear communication.
The Kitchen, Kraft Heinz, and Salt are committed to Equal Employment Opportunity and to attracting and retaining the most qualified employees regardless of race, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age, or disability.
