Business Director
About Bicycle: Bicycle was founded by four people in 2021 because they believed that a better type of agency wasn’t just possible, but needed.
We are 100% independent, with no external investment whatsoever and proudly offer a full-service med and creative solution with fully global capabilities. We’re built on the power of ‘And’: creative & media, brand & performance, art & science, data & creativity, man & machine.
We are now 39 strong and one of the fastest growing agencies in the world. We already count Livescore, Carwow, Virgin Bet, OFX, Sarson’s, Zenb, CVH Spirits, Penfolds, Tate & Lyle, Royal British Legion, Branston Pickle, Movember, Moju and Estrid amongst our clients.
We won The Drum’s Global Start-up of the Year Award in 2022 and were recently shortlisted for Campaign’s Start-up of the Year Award.
Personal & professional development is core to our growth and is evidenced by us being accredited with IPA CPD Gold status in 2022 & 2023 (2024 pending). We are home to smart people who want to create incredible work on interesting brands.
In 2023, we were awarded B-Corp status and shortlisted for The Drum’s Best Places To Work.
In 2024, we were accredited the People First Promise badge by the IPA in recognition of our commitment to our people and their mental wellbeing.
Our mission:
To leave the industry better than we found it. To create famous and impactful work that you want to tell your mum about. To make a living and have fun doing it.
About the role:
Our client services team is the team that brings Bicycle’s full suite of services together. We are searching for a Business Director who will work in an integrated, fast-pace, high-growth team reporting to the Chief Client Officer.
You will be responsible for leading a team that devises and delivers best in class media experiences on a fast-growing list of clients, easily switching from traditional paid media and all paid digital channels, to owned or earned media.
Alongside this we are also actively generating new creative platforms and creative work for a number of our clients. As our services grow in this area, our vision is to help our client leads to become full service operators - we want to be a new breed and skill set that simply doesn’t exist in any other agency environment.
Opportunities to learn and grow your skill set, to evolve our culture and business are ripe.
We’re looking for an optimistic, versatile, flexible and creative thinker with a keen sense of curiosity. You should have excellent multitasking skills, and an impeccable understanding of all elements of paid media and how brands operate. You’ll be in constant contact with your clients – be that by email, phone, or in regular face-to-face meetings – meaning that you’re always drawing on your excellent written and spoken communication skills, as well as your innate ability to forge strong relationships on behalf of Bicycle.
Playing a senior role within our fast growth environment means we will look for your view on how best to run our business, and we pride ourselves on properly rewarding our riders for their contribution to our growth.
Key tasks will include:
● Being a credible and trusted advisor to our clients at all levels across paid media and beyond
● Supporting the agency in maintaining a thorough understanding of your clients’ sectors and market trends, thus positioning Bicycle as experts in the area
● Providing our clients with your expert knowledge and educating them on changes in the industry and of new solutions and services
● Understanding of how to leverage client’s 1PD, CRM and leveraging 2PD from data partners - good understanding of the data landscape
● Coordinating the preparation of client-facing presentations, and delivering them clearly and compellingly
● Adapting fluidly to or learning to manage new types of briefs
● Leading the team in creating campaigns, plans and delivery forecasts across all channels
● Leading and supporting the channel specialists in translating the communication strategy into plan and execution
● Identifying opportunities for, and playing an active role in agency & business development e.g. involvement in new business, improving agency processes, raising the agency profile/reputation.
● Keeping a keen eye on our clients’ commercial value to the agency, forecasting revenue on a monthly and yearly basis and up or cross-selling relevant services and channels whenever the opportunity arises.
This role requires someone who is entrepreneurial and can lead, advise and influence clients at all level Good hands on knowledge of key digital channels, along with a proven track record of deploying a holistic communications strategy and planning projects from brief through execution is essential.
Keen cyclists are welcome.
Qualifications & Skills:
7+ years’ at agencies and/or client marketing departments in a fast paced, entrepreneurial environment with the following experience and skills
Client service:
● Confidently manages clients of various seniority levels
● Builds strong client relationships to understand the needs and requirements to initiate and sell-in support and services from Media to Customer briefs
● Displays critical thinking and challenges internal and external outputs
● Thinks creatively across paid, owned and earned, displaying curiosity for content
● Produces insightful, innovative, and clearly articulated presentations
● Identification of opportunities that will leverage both internal and external cross-function capabilities
Project management:
● Efficient time management and prioritisation of multiple projects
● Coordinates and inspires client and agency resources including strategy, planning, digital, trading, data and technology
● Sources and collaborates with content, media, data and technology partners
● Sense of initiative to propose, design and deliver digital solutions across the User Experience spectrum, and ensure smooth delivery of said projects.
Strategic planning:
● Shares knowledge on the latest trends including digital, data, insight and measurement
● Proactively identifies new solutions and work on making them commercially viable for all
● Working very closely with the CCO and CSO to ensure best practice in the planning, implementation, and measurement of campaigns (esp digital)
Team Management & ‘One Team’ Behaviours:
●Brings improved ways of working to the team and agency
● Fosters strong relationships within the agency, and encourages collaboration
● Guides and motivates others to achieve common goals while positively impacting on their attitudes and behaviours ● Demonstrates ‘one team’ behaviours, setting an example for those around them
● A drive to play an active role in developing junior members of the agency including your direct report(s) and beyond the client services team (e.g. Digital, AV)
● Help inputting into the wider Business strategy to drive sustainable growth over time
● You will also be collaborating closely with the CSO, strategy consultants and comms, TV and digital specialists
● We collaborate with everyone and you will always be expected to drive collaboration with external partners: creative agencies, consultancies, in-house specialists etc
Please note this role is based in our Farringdon office, minimum 4 days a week in the office
Remuneration:
Annual salary: £75k plus (pending level of experience) + discretionary performance related bonus
Benefits:
● Opt-In Private Healthcare
● Death in service
● Pension
● Employee Assistance Programme
● Annual performance-based bonus scheme
Time Off:
● 26 days holiday
● 3 extra days off between the Christmas period ( 27th December – 2nd January) however, you’re expected to be on standby in the unlikely event that your clients require assistance
● Annual 2-week overseas working allowance
● Additional 2 days off for volunteering at our chosen charity XO Bicycle
● To reward service, after two years’ you will accrue one extra day’s holiday, up to a maximum of 30 total holiday days
Culture
● Monthly Culture Days to learn about and celebrate our cultural differences
● Monthly socials organised by our Social Committee
● Dog friendly office
● Subsidised 5 a side football
Development
● Healthy training budget to support your personal development
● Free Audible membership
● Annual momentum fund to explore your passions and hobbies outside of work
● Weekly Lunch & Learns
Other:
● Financial incentive for successful new business leads
● Annual away day
● Cycle to Work scheme (of course)
● Brompton bikes available for getting to and from meetings around town
● £1k Introduce a Colleague bonus
● Access to Mental Health First Aider