Senior Account Manager (South Africa)

WPP Production is expanding its global production capability through the development of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in South Africa. The CoE strengthens WPP Production’s position as WPP’s global production engine, providing best-in-class, client-facing delivery across some of the world’s best-known and most prestigious brands. Our South Africa Client Delivery team partners closely with clients and UK and regional counterparts to deliver high-quality, scalable production and world-class client servicing. These Client Delivery roles operate as part of a unified global delivery organisation, upholding WPP Production’s gold-standard operational excellence, commercial discipline and commitment to an exceptional client experience. 

The role 

Our Senior Account Managers (SAM) are highly organised project leads, accountable for delivering projects on time, on specification and on budget. They partner closely with Client Delivery Teams, production counterparts and clients, leading project delivery, managing Client relationships and ensuring operational excellence across multiple projects. 

Key areas of responsibility 

• Act as the day-to-day client management contact for assigned client projects.
• Ensure deep understanding of client needs to maintain high satisfaction.
• Ensure all team members are aligned on timelines, deliverables and scope.
• Manage the client relationship with a focus on delivery excellence.
• Provide regular status updates, define scope and approach and escalate issues when needed to Account Director or Client Delivery Managing Director.
• Work with clients and agencies to gather briefs, clarify deliverables and define timelines.
• Partner with Client Delivery, Production and Finance to ensure smooth delivery.
• Lead medium-to-large projects from initiation through completion.
• Manage project objectives, budgets, expectations, deliverables and timelines.
• Maintain task lists, schedules, risk registers, trackers and status reports.
• Identify risks early, develop contingency plans and escalate to Senior Account Director where appropriate.
• Liaise with clients, suppliers and agencies to obtain assets, schedules and technical specifications.
• Ensure delivery quality meets WPP Production’s standards.

Financials 

• Own project budgets, track ongoing costs and reconcile estimates to actuals.
• Manage POs, billing and financial reporting across assigned projects.
• Resolve financial discrepancies across vendors, disciplines and clients.

Requirements (non-negotiable experience) 

• Demonstrable previous experience delivering work globally and across multiple markets.
• Proven experience managing global stakeholders across regions, cultures and time zones.
• Comfortable liaising with geographically dispersed teams and coordinating delivery across locations.
• Previous experience navigating multi-market advertising regulations and clearance procedures.
• Project or client management experience within a production, integrated or digital agency environment.
• Understanding of production processes across digital, content, video and social channels.
• Ability to independently manage medium-to-large complex projects on time and on budget.
• Experience building strong client relationships.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• A calm, professional and collaborative approach to working in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and project management tools such as JIRA, Trello, Smartsheet or Miro.
• A curiosity and foundational understanding of AI and its application.