Business Manager

JOB DESCRIPTION 

Role: Business Manager  

Department: Business Management 

TBWA REPRESENTS 

Disruption has never been a catchphrase or a trend. It’s a mindset. It’s a behaviour. 

We don’t dabble in Disruptive thinking. We embody it, day in and day out. 

When we solve problems, we do it collectively. None of us is better than all of us. 

Together we strive to create disruption the world needs. 

The Business Manager is the hub of the account team. The conductor who brings a project together. They are the client’s day to day partner in terms of delivery. They think ahead, spotting problems before they occur, managing client and internal expectations and contingency planning as they go. This trust enables them build strong relationships and with an understanding of how to get the best out of them for the benefit of the work. They are passionate about our creative product and know what best in class looks like.  

Responsibilities 

Strategy 

Demonstrates an understanding of how we create and deliver great strategy. 

Skills and Knowledge 

• Can articulate client’s business objectives and priorities, interrogating against the context of their marketplace & competitive set.  
• Proactively assists with strategists on all briefs and contributes to briefing process. Shows high awareness of cultural and competitive context through regular competitive reviews and input from their Business Executive.  
• Shares their POV on the campaign strategy and asks questions on the brief. Brings a unique POV which they have proactively informed.  
• Develops an understanding of research methodologies/data and the role they play in the creative process, by helping to inform KPI discussions and navigating Creative Development process.  
• Understands the role of channel planning and the role of media partners and third parties to contribute to a wider campaign strategy. 

Creative 

Genuinely enthusiastic, curious, and interested in all things creative, actively contributes to an environment where the best work can flourish. 

Skills and Knowledge 

• Has a broad frame of reference beyond industry to help stimulate teams. Volunteers this to teams and shows a proactive interest in gathering stimulus.  
• Demonstrates & articulates creative understanding and shares their POV on the campaign work. 3 
• Shows creative judgement at all stages of the process, against context of target audience and brand context, factoring in legal regulations.  
• Understands how ideas can travel across media and works closely with teams to help translate ideas across executions.   
• Presents creative passionately. Listens and understands feedback to ascertain problems not solutions. 

Operations 

Manage the smooth implementation of all campaigns and account operations, with your direct reports, producers, and traffic manager to ensure all deadlines and budgets are met. Makes things happen and makes things better. 

Skills and Knowledge 

• Develops the project plan and helps deliver against it to the highest possible standards, thinking one step ahead.  
• Provides energy and glue to the process, which leads to other departments & stakeholders working better together.  
• Remains calm when plans change & provides options for revised course of action, helping to architect process.  
• Communicates information, expectations & actions effectively between all parties through a project.  
• Manages their own time and expectations of others throughout all levels of the team.  
• Display an ability to support on multiple projects. 

Production 

Manages the delivery of high-quality work in all channels on time, every time. 

Skills and Knowledge 

• Works closely with agency producers, production companies & third parties to deliver projects across all media.  
• Shows a constant desire to learn & develop a breadth of experience across media & techniques. Embraces new challenges.  
• Can understand and articulate appropriate production choices within context of a project. Interrogates the information they receive as the client’s advocate.  
• Helps make the work happen and can work at the speed necessary to always deliver high quality content. Proactively manages client expectations at each campaign stage. 5 
• Respects the craft and maintains highest possible standards for everything we make no matter how big or small. 

Relationships 

Maintains solid and trustworthy relationships with team their and stakeholders. They are enthusiastic and upbeat with a can-do attitude. 

Skills and Knowledge 

• Understands the agency environment and always demonstrates professional behaviour.  
• Builds trusting relationships across client network and agency by investing time with people. Demonstrates passion for and high standard of client service.  
• Has strong EQ and confidence in managing different people, preventing conflict to reach best possible outcome.  
• Demonstrates good communication skills – is an active listener (what is the client saying and not saying), is always clear and concise.  
• Active citizen in the department and wider agency, through participation & proactivity. 

Commercial 

Demonstrate the importance of financial rigour, accurate budgeting and champions the monthly agency finance processes as a support to their Business Director. 

Skills and Knowledge 

• Invests time in developing strong relationships with finance dept by running the JCR process to a high standard.  
• Interrogates estimates & payments to ensure tight cost control.  
• Effective at communicating and explaining costs to client to help them understand the value we offer.  
•  Shows awareness of big picture finances (income, profit, scope & contract). 
•  Is aware of and supports new agency revenue streams when instructed.  
• Understands importance of campaign performance and results to generate revenue. 

WHAT LIFE IS LIKE AT TBWA 

• Fast paced, collaborative and rewarding 
• We’re professionals but don’t take ourselves too seriously 
• We’re hard on the work, kind to each other 
• We’re a diverse bunch of misfits (in a good way) 
• We’re flexible, but believe the good stuff happens when we’re in the agency together 

WHAT WE’LL BRING TO YOU 

• Career development: growing and developing all our people is critical to our success – we do so through an always on feedback culture – not just an annual review. 
• Training: we have a continuous learning culture, designed to empower our people with the skills and confidence to steward our most important asset: Creativity. We provide a range of internal and external training opportunities, personalised to your individual needs. We also benefit from access to Global Learning Programs. 
• Collective: we are a collective, not a network. Each of our offices has its own personality and special skills but are united by our common language of Disruption®. 
• Disrupt This: we truly believe that ideas can come from anywhere, not just one department. We have created a wall of client & cultural problems that anyone can help solve. 
• Homeland leave: offer homeland leave to full-time employees of TBWA time to connect with their families and the TBWA global collective.