BRAND MANAGER

Job Role and Summary

The Brand Manager serves as the primary day-to-day owner of assigned client accounts at JNA Advertising. This role is responsible for managing execution, maintaining strong client communication, overseeing timelines and budgets, and coordinating internal teams to deliver high-quality work on schedule.

The Brand Manager bridges strategy and execution. They ensure that agency strategy is translated into clear plans, organized workflows, and measurable results.

This is not a purely administrative or coordination role. It is a client-facing leadership position focused on execution, accountability, and operational stability.

A. Primary Objectives

1. Own day-to-day client relationships
2. Translate strategy into structured execution
3. Protect scope, budget, and timelines
4. Lead internal workflow and coordination
5. Reduce operational pressure on senior leadership
6. Identify opportunities for account growth

B. Key Responsibilities

Client Leadership & Communication

1. Serve as primary day-to-day contact for assigned accounts
2. Lead weekly (or as needed) client status meetings
3. Draft and deliver client recaps
4. Manage client expectations around timelines and deliverables
5. Clearly communicate feedback to internal teams
6. Anticipate client needs and prepare proactively

Project & Timeline Ownership

1. Build and own comprehensive project timelines
2. Lead internal kickoff meetings
3. Assign internal responsibilities in coordination with creative, media, and production
4. Monitor progress and ensure deadlines are met
5. Escalate risks early
6. Ensure deliverables align with approved scope
7. Scope & Budget Management
8. Track account budgets and project-level hours
9. Ensure work aligns with approved scopes
10. Flag overages or resource strain to VP, Client Service
11. Coordinate with finance on billing documentation

Cross-Department Coordination

1. Partner closely with creative, media, and production teams
2. Ensure briefs are complete and aligned with strategy
3. Clarify priorities and sequencing
4. Facilitate collaboration across departments
5. Keep projects moving without friction
6. Strategic Alignment
7. Understand overall brand strategy for assigned accounts
8. Ensure deliverables reflect approved positioning
9. Provide input during campaign planning sessions
10. Support development of annual planning materials

Account Growth & Opportunity Identification

1. Identify opportunities for additional services or campaign extensions
2. Bring growth ideas to senior leadership
3. Support preparation of proposals or expanded scopes

C. Required Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (BA/BS) from four-year college or university (preferably in marketing, advertising or related field)
• 3-6 years of experience in marketing, advertising, communications, or account management
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• High attention to detail
• Clear written communication skills
• Comfortable leading client meetings
• Ability to manage cross-functional teams
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects
• Comfortable working in deadline-driven environments
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and/or Google Workspace
• Experience with project management tools preferred

D. Ideal Characteristics

• Structured and process-oriented
• Proactive communicator
• Assertive but collaborative
• Solutions focused
• Calm under deadline pressure
• Strong follow-through
• Comfortable holding clients accountable
• Enjoys supporting team efficiency
• Business-minded 

E. What This Role Is Not

• Not a traffic coordinator
• Not purely strategic leadership
• Not responsible for revenue forecasting
• Not responsible for creative direction
• Not an administrative role

F. Growth Path & Account Ownership Model at JNA

This role is designed to develop into:

Brand Manager → Sr. Brand Manager → Brand Director

This role is a development position for future supervisory leadership.

Brand Managers typically own 3-4 accounts and they may support specialized vertical efforts (ex. Government, Animal Health, Finance) as needed.

G. Performance Expectations (First 90 Days)

By 30 Days:

• Understand JNA workflow systems
• Build and manage timelines on assigned accounts
• Lead internal status meetings confidently

By 60 Days:

• Lead client calls independently
• Manage plans/scopes with minimal supervision
• Proactively flag risks
• Demonstrate budget awareness

By 90 Days:

• Fully own assigned accounts
• Drive internal accountability
• Identify at least one growth opportunity within an account
• Demonstrate strong cross-team leadership

Successful Brand Managers at JNA will:

• Keeps accounts organized and predictable
• Reduce leadership firefighting
• Maintains clear communication across teams
• Protect scope
• Builds trust with clients
• Anticipates problems before they occur

Why This Role Matters at JNA

As JNA’s account complexity has increased, the need for strong mid-level client leadership has grown. Brand Managers ensure that execution infrastructure matches the sophistication of the agency’s strategic and creative work.

This role directly supports stability, scalability, and long-term growth.

To Apply:

Send your resume and any additional materials to jliebnitz@jnaadv.com. Please include your email address and phone number in your correspondence.