Who we are

The Kite Factory is an independent media agency that gives brands the best in Heart, Art, and Science to craft creative media ideas that deliver. With a rich heritage in measurement, TKF combines data-driven insights and craft planning to deliver media effectiveness that drives measurable growth for clients like Skin+Me, WaterAid, Redrow, Crisis, Lovehoney, White Claw, Triodos Bank, and Little Freddie.

We exist because we saw a gap in the market. A gap between ideas and measurement. Anyone can have a good idea, but they don’t necessarily know how to measure it. Conversely, just because you can measure things, it’s no guarantee you can have good ideas. Well, we do both.

We’re a dynamic team of creative visionaries, professional achievers, and data enthusiasts, all driven by a passion for delivering tangible results. Now with over 100 media specialists, The Kite Factory has experienced remarkable growth over the past five years. We've celebrated multiple new business and award-winning campaigns, earning the prestigious title of Campaign’s Independent Agency of the Year in 2023. Our workplace culture shines as we proudly rank among Campaign’s Best Places to Work and hold IPA Platinum status, reflecting our unwavering commitment to the development and well-being of our people.

What we are looking for

As a Client Services Business Director, you relish being front and centre of the client facing side of our agency. You are integral to helping shape the future of our agency culture, delivering our core services and ensuring the agency deliver the best in class for our clients. You naturally look to drive best practice for your direct team, get the best out of other departments and put the needs of our clients first.

As a media expert and strategic thinker, you go beyond the brief to get to the heart of our client’s challenges. You will have experience of planning and buying campaigns across a range of media channels, either directly or alongside channel experts. Experience with offline channels, in particular TV, is especially desirable. You understand the importance of creating robust business cases and proposals to get campaigns approved by key stakeholders, as well as the need to showcase effectiveness through measurement and post-campaign analysis.

This role works across a mix of charity and commercial clients, but with a focus on charities. This includes one of the biggest agency clients, Crisis. As such, the successful candidate will likely have a proven record of working successfully on big budget, cross-media campaigns.

Your role

This role is maternity cover.

This role manages a team of three Client Service specialists, but sees you work alongside all departments in the agency to deliver best in class planning and media buying for our clients. This will mean working closely with an allocated Digital team, and a variety of experts from our AV, Strategy and Data teams, depending on the client. The Business Director reports into and is supported by the Head of Client Services.

The Business Director is responsible for senior day to day relationships with clients and ensuring that we are delivering for them as an agency – we may require specialists for certain tasks, but the buck stops with us for client satisfaction, results and growth.

In this role, you will also need to keep an eye on the commercial aspects of client management. This involves weekly forecasting, identifying growth opportunities, ensuring that contracts are suitable (and adhered to) and that we work with clients in both an efficient and effective manner. On these aspects you will report into and be supported by the Head of Client Services.

Skills and experience

• Experience planning and executing media campaigns as part of a media agency Client Services team, from brief and strategic development to deployment and reporting.
• Experience working with charity clients is high priority for this role
• Working knowledge of all media channels, suitable for senior level client discussion, planning and briefing to specialists. Preference for a detailed knowledge of offline media channels.
• Ability to operate through the funnel, from brand through to conversion and everything in between – i.e. an understanding of the right approach to respond to the brief or a client’s challenges
• Ability to use data to make compelling business cases for media plans and approaches, in particular with reference to forecasting and impact modelling
• Experience supporting and developing a team of direct reports, focusing on learning & development, task management, and effective utilisation
• Proven experience of senior stakeholder management both internally and externally, as well as the ability to work collaboratively across departments and with outside agencies, media owners, etc.
• In depth knowledge of appropriate planning and management tools – for example. TGI Brand Index, Touchpoints, YouGov, Media Explorer, ALF, etc.
• Problem solving ability, with the desire and ability to look at processes or relationships to identify issues and successfully make improvements
• Experience pitching for and winning new business, and/or retaining incumbent clients through a pitch process is highly desirable

Our Culture

We’re immensely proud of the vibrant culture at The Kite Factory. Our commitment to continuous improvement is reflected in our quarterly pulse surveys, which create a valuable feedback loop, allowing us to evolve and refine our agency's operations. Here, every voice is heard and valued. We've diligently built and embodied our core values: Think Freely, Aim Higher, Stay Smart, Get Involved, and Win Together.

Our people are our greatest asset, and the connections they forge with one another are the foundation of our success. To strengthen these relationships and foster a supportive and inclusive environment, we offer several committees that everyone is encouraged to join, including Social, Diversity & Inclusion, and Environmental Impact. These groups play a crucial role in shaping our culture and ensuring that we not only work together but thrive together.

What’s in it for you?

As well as working with some of the best people in the industry, we offer a competitive salary, a range of benefits, a huge focus on training and development with dedicated training time, partnerships with industry specialists, and the opportunity to progress and develop your career with the support of a fantastic team.

Inclusivity and belonging

At The Kite Factory, we welcome applications from all walks of life including those who are under-represented in our industry. We’re committed to creating a diverse and inclusive place to work where everyone feels they can belong and celebrate each other's differences. It’s so important to us that all voices are heard and listened to so that we can truly create an inclusive place to work where our teams can thrive.