Account Manager Job Description Template

An account manager at an agency or studio owns the client relationship: they keep clients happy, keep work moving, and grow the account. Copy the job description below, fill in the brackets for your team, and post it.

The account manager job description template

Every section has a one-line hint under it. Delete the hints before you post.

ACCOUNT MANAGER

About us
  Two or three sentences: what you make, for whom, and how big the team is.

The role
  One paragraph: which clients they'll own and what success looks like
  after six months.

What you'll do
  - Be the main contact for [number] client accounts
  - Turn client requests into clear briefs the team can start on
  - Keep every project on time, and tell clients early when it isn't
  - Run weekly updates and monthly reviews with each client
  - Get work signed off, and keep a record of what was delivered
  - Spot extra work early and price it before it starts
  - Find ways to grow each account: new projects, longer retainers
  - Be the client's voice inside the team, and the team's outside it

What you'll own
  Client retention, renewals, account growth, on-time delivery and
  client satisfaction for your accounts.

What you'll bring
  - [2+] years managing client accounts at an agency, studio or
    consultancy
  - Calm, clear writing, especially when the news isn't good
  - Comfort saying no, or "yes, and here's what it costs"
  - Enough craft knowledge to brief [designers / developers / writers]
    well

Nice to have
  Experience in [your industry or service], or with retainer clients.

How we work
  Where the team is, how you work together, and the tools you use.

Salary and benefits
  [Range], plus [benefits]. Posting a range gets better applicants.

How to apply
  What to send and to whom. Ask for one short example of a difficult
  client situation they handled.

What each section is for

• The role is the part candidates read twice. Saying how many accounts they'll own, and what good looks like after six months, filters out people who want a different job.
• What you'll do should read like a real week. If most of it is chasing, briefing and status updates, say so honestly, or fix that before you hire (more on that below).
• What you'll own turns duties into outcomes. Account managers who own retention and growth behave differently from ones who own "communication".
• What you'll bring should be short. Long lists of requirements put off good candidates, especially people who'd be great but don't tick every box.
• Salary belongs in the post. It saves both sides time, and in some places it's required by law.

Versions for different teams

Senior account manager or account director: add ownership of the biggest accounts, pricing and proposals for new work, and coaching junior account managers. Raise the experience line to [5+] years.

Small studio, first account manager: say they'll set up how client work runs, not just follow a process. In a team under ten people, this person often owns intake, scheduling and sign-off too.

Freelance or part-time account manager: list the number of accounts and hours per week, and which tools they'll get access to.

A filled-in example

Here's the core of the template filled in for a 12-person design studio hiring its first account manager.

• The role: You'll own 8 retainer clients, mostly brand and web work for growing consumer brands. After six months, every client has a weekly update, a monthly review, and nothing waits on us.
• What you'll do: Be the main contact for 8 accounts. Turn requests into briefs. Run Monday updates. Get work signed off and price extra work before it starts. Grow two accounts into larger retainers.
• What you'll own: Retention and renewals for your 8 accounts, plus one new project a quarter from existing clients.
• What you'll bring: 2+ years managing retainer clients at a studio or agency. Clear writing. Enough design sense to brief our designers without a meeting.
• Salary and benefits: [Range], 25 days off, a learning budget.

How to use it

1. Write the role paragraph first. If you can't say what success looks like after six months, the role isn't ready to post.
2. Fill in the brackets, then cut. Every line the candidate can't picture doing in week one is a candidate for deletion.
3. Post the range. It's the single change that most improves who applies.
4. Use the "difficult client" example in the interview. Ask what they wrote to the client, word for word. You learn more from that than from any question about strengths.

Common mistakes

• Hiring an account manager to do admin. If the week is mostly chasing files and writing status updates, a good account manager leaves. Take the admin off the role first.
• No number of accounts. "Manage client relationships" could mean 3 accounts or 30. Say which.
• Owning "communication" instead of results. Give them retention and growth to own, and the communication follows.
• A wish list of tools. Teach tools in a week. Hire for judgement and writing.

How Dora does this for you

Before you hire, look at where an account manager's week would actually go. In most small agencies, a big share of it is the same admin: turning vague emails into briefs, chasing missing files, writing status updates, and nudging clients to approve.

Dora is an AI account manager that takes that part. She writes the brief from a client's first message and asks only for what's missing. She follows up with quiet clients on the request, twice at most, then tells your team. Every Monday, each client gets a summary of what was delivered and what's waiting on them, without anyone writing it.

That leaves the human work, the relationship, the hard conversations and growing the account, to the account manager you hire. For a closer look at the role, see what an account manager does at an agency.

Your first client is free, then it's $10 per client per month with unlimited team seats. See pricing.

Frequently asked questions

What does an account manager do at an agency?

An agency account manager is the client's main contact. They turn requests into briefs, keep projects on time, run regular updates, get work signed off, price extra work, and look for ways to grow the account. They own the relationship, while the team owns the work.

What skills should an account manager have?

Clear writing, calm judgement with difficult clients, the confidence to say no or price extra work, organisation across several accounts at once, and enough knowledge of the craft to brief the team well.

How many accounts should one account manager handle?

It depends on the size of the accounts. A common range is five to fifteen retainer clients per account manager. Fewer for large, complex accounts, more when much of the admin is automated.

What's the difference between an account manager and a project manager?

The account manager owns the client relationship and the commercial side: scope, renewals and growth. The project manager owns delivery inside the team: schedules, resources and deadlines. In small agencies, one person often does both.

Should I include a salary range in the job description?

Yes. A posted range saves both sides time, tends to bring in more suitable applicants, and is required by law in some places.