Full-time, permanent, office based, Lincoln, UK.
Salary £33k - £39k dependent on experience + performance-related bonus (OTE £37k - £43k)
Minimum 3 years’ experience
JOIN OPTIMA’S ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT TEAM
We’re looking for an Account Manager to join our growing team.
If you enjoy building relationships, solving problems, keeping projects moving and working with talented creative people, we’d love to hear from you.
This is an exciting opportunity to work with an incredibly varied client portfolio spanning branding, design, websites, digital marketing and print. One day you could be helping launch a new brand, the next delivering an exhibition, website or marketing campaign. No two days are the same.
For over 30 years, Optima has helped organisations communicate more effectively through strategic thinking, creativity and technology. From global organisations and charities to manufacturers, food producers and local businesses, we work with clients who trust us to deliver work that makes a genuine difference.
You’ll be joining an experienced, supportive team that believes the best work happens when everyone collaborates, shares ideas and enjoys what they do.
HOW WE WORK
We don’t believe account management is about passing messages between clients and internal teams. It’s about gaining a deep understanding of our clients’ businesses, asking better questions, bringing the right people together and helping clients make confident decisions. You’ll be curious, proactive and always looking for ways to add value beyond the brief.
THE ROLE
As an Account Manager, you’ll become the trusted day-to-day contact for a portfolio of clients, helping them turn ideas into successful projects while building long-term relationships based on excellent service.
Working across branding, websites, marketing campaigns, exhibitions and print, you’ll guide projects from initial conversations through to final delivery. You’ll spend time understanding each client’s objectives, translating their requirements into clear creative briefs and coordinating our designers, developers and project support team to deliver exceptional work.
This role is about bringing people together, solving problems, keeping projects moving and helping clients achieve their goals. Along the way, you’ll develop your commercial understanding, strategic thinking and client management skills with the support of our Account Director and wider team.
WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING
Building trusted client relationships
You’ll become the day-to-day partner for your clients, taking time to understand their businesses and organisations, ambitions and challenges. Through regular communication, proactive advice and excellent service, you’ll build lasting relationships where clients see you as someone they can rely on, not simply someone who manages projects.
Leading projects
You’ll coordinate a variety of branding, design, digital and marketing projects from briefing through to delivery. That means keeping clients informed, arranging meetings, managing approvals, monitoring budgets and timescales, anticipating challenges and ensuring everyone involved has what they need to deliver great work. With multiple projects often running simultaneously, you’ll naturally stay organised and one step ahead.
Running meetings and presentations
You’ll confidently lead client meetings, capture actions, manage expectations and ensure everyone leaves with clarity on next steps. You’ll support presentations, participate in workshops and help present creative work, recommendations and proposals alongside the wider team.
Writing clear creative briefs
One of your most important responsibilities will be helping our creative team understand exactly what the client needs. You’ll translate conversations into clear, commercially focused briefs that explain objectives, audiences, budgets, timescales and measures of success, giving our designers, developers and marketers everything they need to produce their best work.
Adding strategic value
As you develop within the role, you’ll build a deeper understanding of each client’s business and begin identifying opportunities where branding, websites or marketing could help them achieve wider objectives. Rather than simply responding to requests, you’ll proactively look for ways Optima can add value and strengthen long-term partnerships.
Thinking commercially
You’ll become increasingly involved in preparing quotations, discussing budgets and understanding the commercial performance of projects. You’ll help manage project profitability, monitor scope and ensure clients receive the right level of service while supporting the continued growth of their accounts.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
You’ll be responsible for:
- Managing a portfolio of client accounts and building long-term relationships
- Acting as the main point of contact for day-to-day client communication.
- Leading client meetings, setting agendas, capturing actions and following them through to completion
- Briefing projects confidently to our creative, digital and marketing teams.
- Coordinating branding, design, website and marketing projects from concept through to delivery.
- Monitoring project budgets, timescales, scope and profitability.
- Managing client expectations around budgets, deadlines and deliverables.
- Preparing quotations, proposals and statements of work with support where required.
- Reviewing work before presentation to ensure it answers the brief and reflects Optima’s quality standards.
- Staying informed about your clients’ business or organisation, the sector they operate in, and their competitors, helping identify opportunities and bring relevant ideas to conversations.
- Working closely with the project support team to prioritise workloads and maintain realistic schedules.
- Maintaining accurate project information within our CRM and internal systems.
- Identifying opportunities to develop existing client accounts through additional services where appropriate.
- Supporting pitches, presentations, workshops and new business opportunities.
- Contributing ideas that improve client experience, internal processes and the way we work as an agency.
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR:
- You genuinely enjoy working with people and building relationships
- You’re organised and naturally keep on top of multiple tasks
- You communicate confidently, both in writing and in person
- You enjoy solving problems and finding practical solutions
- You pay attention to detail and take pride in delivering high-quality work
- You’re commercially aware and interested in understanding how projects are costed and delivered
- You’re curious about branding, design, marketing and digital communications
- You hold a full UK driving licence
- You have a valid passport and are happy to travel occasionally.
WHY OPTIMA?
We’re proud of the work we do, but we’re equally proud of the people we work with. You’ll join a friendly, supportive team where your ideas are welcomed, your development is encouraged and you’ll have the opportunity to work on genuinely varied and interesting projects across multiple sectors.
Our studio is based right in the heart of Lincoln city centre, making cafés, shops, restaurants and everything the city has to offer just a short walk away. Better still, you’ll have the convenience of free on-site parking, so you get the best of a city centre location without the daily parking hassle.
We’re also rather proud of our workspace. Housed in one of Lincoln’s most distinctive buildings, an old converted Public House, it’s bright, spacious and designed to encourage collaboration, creativity and great ideas. We might be biased, but we’ve been told that it’s the best office in Lincoln.
We don’t expect regular overtime. Our standard working hours are 8:30am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday. We plan projects carefully, work efficiently and believe that good work shouldn’t rely on late nights. We want people to enjoy their evenings, weekends and holidays.
OUR PACKAGE:
We believe that doing great work starts with creating a workplace where people feel supported, trusted and able to enjoy a healthy balance between work and life. Alongside a competitive salary and bonus scheme, here’s what you can expect when you join Optima.
- Competitive salary based on experience and comparable roles within our region and sector
- 23 days’ annual leave, plus all UK bank holidays. Three days of your annual leave are taken over Christmas when the office closes, giving everyone a proper break
- An extra days holiday after every five years of service, up to a maximum of five additional days
- Performance-related bonus scheme
- End-of-year bonus linked to both individual contribution and company performance.*
- Discretionary company sick pay of up to five additional days.*
- Flexible start and finish times can be agreed where personal circumstances require it, such as childcare or caring responsibilities.
- Annual training budget to support your professional development*
- Regular one-to-one meetings and structured performance reviews to help you develop your career
- Opportunities to learn from experienced colleagues and work across a wide range of sectors, clients and project types
- A genuinely varied client portfolio, meaning no two weeks are ever the same
- Smart casual dress code
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Company Christmas party and regular team social events
- A collaborative team that enjoys sharing ideas, solving problems and celebrating success together
- A culture that encourages innovation, continuous improvement and personal growth
- Bereavement support*
- A friendly, approachable management team that understands life doesn’t always go to plan.
*Subject to company policy.
CLOSING DEADLINE:
Friday 17th July 2026
Apply online: https://www.optimadesign.co.uk/careers/account-manager
Pay: £33,000.00-£39,000.00 per year
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
