Business Director

Hello, we're Momentum.

Client growth is our business — and right now, ours is growing too. We're looking for a Business Director to own our most important client relationships and help lead our next phase.

REPORTS TO: Managing Director

DIRECT REPORTS: Client Service Team

LOCATION: Ponsonby, Auckland

EMPLOYMENT TYPE: Permanent, Full Time

Momentum Group is a full-service, 100% New Zealand-owned independent media agency in the heart of Ponsonby. Founded in 2016, we're a team of 12 strategists, technologists, planners and media innovators — united by one purpose: accelerating growth for the brands we work with.

We believe the brands winning today are those where strategy, media, technology, data and creativity operate as one connected system, and that's exactly how we're built.

ABOUT THE ROLE

This role plays a pivotal part in Momentum's next phase of growth — owning our most important client relationships and shaping the strategy that turns media investment into measurable commercial outcomes.

The Business Director is a senior client and commercial leadership position that reports directly to the Managing Director. For the right candidate, there's a clear pathway into broader agency leadership as Momentum scales.

You'll lead the client service team, set the strategic direction across the full media mix, and carry real accountability for the commercial health, retention, and growth of your portfolio.

It's a role for someone who can hold the big-picture commercial story and the campaign detail in view at the same time — and who wants to be close enough to the work to actually shape it.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership & Strategy

• Lead the strategic direction of your client portfolio, grounded in evidence and proven principles.
• Represent and advocate for the agency at industry events and within the sector.
• Set the standard for rigour, professionalism, and open, collaborative discussion across the client team.
• Champion full-funnel, measurement-led thinking, and be honest about what's working and what isn't, to drive the best possible results for clients.
• Bring strong attention to detail — especially around billings and clients' commercial arrangements — and make sure the team is across these too.

Client & Commercial Leadership

• Own the senior relationships across your portfolio — be the person clients call first, and the reason they stay.
• Lead and drive key client meetings (briefings, WIPs, quarterly check-ins, PCAs).
• Carry accountability for the commercial health of your accounts: profitability, retention, and organic growth.
• Lead annual planning and investment strategy, making sure every dollar of media is paced, optimised, and built to deliver.
• Keep the Managing Director across portfolio performance, client sentiment, commercial risks, and opportunities — proactively.
• Stay well-connected with our suppliers and partners, keeping the team and clients informed about market news, solutions, and commercial opportunities.

Media Strategy & Planning

• Set the direction across the full media mix — traditional and biddable — anchored in how brands and people actually behave.
• Translate complex data into clear, strategic recommendations and growth opportunities for clients.
• Use Accelerator, our proprietary marketing-intelligence platform, to sharpen recommendations and surface the audience and market insights that matter most to each client.

Collaboration & Team Development

• Lead, mentor, and grow the client service team, lifting the standard of both the work and the people.
• Work shoulder to shoulder with the Performance Director and other teams to deliver genuinely integrated work.
• Collaborate with the senior leadership team to find new ways to innovate, scale, and improve how we deliver.

Business Growth & Commercials

• Identify and pursue organic growth opportunities within existing client portfolios.
• Play a leading role in new business — pitches, proposals, and turning prospects into long-term partners.
• Lead and nurture the agency's supplier and partner relationships, staying across industry news, new opportunities, and solutions, and negotiating effectively on behalf of our clients.
• Support the Managing Director with client commercial matters, such as MSAs and contracts, and ensure the work aligns with these arrangements.
• Ensure billing accuracy across the team, and handle any errors or discrepancies swiftly and clearly.
• Provide the Managing Director with accurate, timely updates on agency revenue (including forecasts, client budgets, and briefings) and regularly support revenue growth opportunities.

KEY ATTRIBUTES

• Commercially Sharp: Holds the commercial picture and the campaign detail at once, and knows how each client's account contributes to agency revenue.
• Evidence-Led: Reaches for data and proven principles before opinion, and can tell the difference between a real insight and one that just sounds good.
• Trusted Partner: Builds the kind of relationships that make clients call first — and stay.
• Collaborative Leader: Inspires and aligns the team toward great work, lifting the people around them.
• Low-Ego & Straight: Warm, direct, and honest.
• Detail-Focused: Stays close enough to billings, budgets, and commercial arrangements to catch what others miss.
• Externally Credible: A confident, professional face for Momentum at industry events and with partners and suppliers.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• 12+ years in media, including senior agency experience and a track record of owning significant client relationships.
• Genuine fluency across the full media mix — traditional and biddable (Search, Programmatic, Paid Social, and beyond) — and an understanding of how it all works together.
• Strong commercial acumen — account profitability, budget pacing, retention, and growth.
• Comfort with data, technology, and AI as part of how modern media gets done, including proprietary platforms such as Accelerator.
• A natural relationship-builder and team leader.
• New Zealand market experience and existing industry relationships are an advantage.
• Award credentials (e.g. Effies, Beacons, or similar) are an advantage.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIS)

• Revenue growth and retention across the client portfolio.
• Account profitability and accurate, well-communicated budget pacing.
• Client satisfaction and relationship health.
• Quality, rigour, and commercial impact of strategic recommendations.
• Contribution to new business wins and organic growth.
• Capability, engagement, and retention within the client service team.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• Recognised by clients as a trusted senior partner on strategy, media, and commercial outcomes.
• A growing, profitable, and loyal client portfolio.
• Strategy that's grounded in evidence and consistently delivers measurable results.
• A motivated, high-performing client team that embodies Momentum's values and purpose.
• A visible contributor to new business and the agency's next phase of growth.

Interested? Please reach out to ***email_hidden***.