Account Coordinator at HDMZ in Chicago, IL

Reports to: Account Executive or Client Services Supervisor (Account Lead)

Role Type: Hybrid Account Support & Job Trafficker

Time Allocation: 50% Job Workflow (Traffic) | 40% Client Admin | 10% Financial Support

Position Summary: 

The Account Coordinator serves as the operational hub for their assigned account team. In this integrated role, you are responsible for both the administrative health of the client relationship and the end-to-end job trafficking of non-digital solutions engagements. You act as the bridge between Client Services and other teams, ensuring that work is scoped, scheduled, routed, and delivered on time and error-free.

Account Coordinators love the details. They want to know how things work and want to make sure they always work the way they are supposed to. An Account Coordinator at HDMZ is an entry-level position but it's a role that has a big impact on our success everyday. Account Coordinators love to collaborate, learn about our clients’ businesses and customers, build relationships with clients, embrace processes, are always curious and feel a heightened sense to not let others down. Account Coordinators have a passion for life sciences, marketing and the creative process that only an Agency environment can bring. Must be intelligent. And fun. And effective. No divas or delicate egos, please.

Responsibilities:

• Work closely with internal and external partners to ensure all client requests are completed in a timely manner
• Manage the team status reports, meeting agendas and contact reports, and update them on a regular basis
• Create and build presentations for client meetings
• Responsible for daily traffic, job opening and management
• Implement and manage projects and related tasks
• Proofing and QA
• To be curious about how to solve problems in a way that respects the objective to be achieved as well as the client/agency relationship
• Be a champion for the agency and for the client by knowing how to navigate the messy human relationships that can cause conflict if not careful

Job Traffic & Workflow (The "Traffic" Role) 

• Schedule Ownership: Create and manage daily timelines for print, branding, and content projects. You are responsible for knowing exactly where every job is for the client team you support.
• Routing & Quality Control: Own the internal routing process. Ensure all creative work is reviewed by the appropriate leads (Strategy, Creative, Scientific) before it reaches the Client Supervisor or Account Lead.
• Asset Management: Act as the central librarian for project assets. proactively gather and organize high-res logos, images, and copy decks so the creative team has everything they need before they start working and ensure they’re archived and available via the approved agency platforms and drives.
• Vendor Coordination: Work with Account Leads and Dept Heads to manage specifications and deadlines for external vendors (printers, trade show partners), ensuring files are released correctly and on time.
• Client Administration & Support Meeting Management: Own the logistics for all internal and client meetings. Most importantly, capture and distribute Contact Reports (meeting minutes) within 24 hours, clearly identifying "next steps" and action items for the team.
• Client Correspondence: Draft routine client updates, timeline alerts, and file deliveries under the supervision of the Account Lead.
• Presentation Support: Assist in building and formatting slide decks for client presentations, ensuring they match agency brand standards.
• Financial Hygiene: Budget Tracking: Work hand in hand with the Account Lead to monitor and track billable activity to budget.

What you are not responsible for: 

• Technical PM: You do not manage complex digital builds (websites/apps). These are handled by the COO/Digital PM.
• Strategic Planning: You support the strategy, but you do not write the strategic briefs or annual plans.
• Staffing Allocation: You request resources, but you do not make the final decision on who works on the project (that sits with the Team Lead and Account Lead).

Qualifications and Experience: 

• Bachelor's degree (preferred in the sciences) 
• Agency internship experience is strongly preferred.
• Highly organized with excellent attention to detail
• Strong communication skills, able to speak and write clearly and persuasively. 
• Relationship builder
• Aptitude for learning new skills (both technical and organic) and procedures. 
• Self-motivated with strong follow-through
• Adaptable to change and able to multitask
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Google Workspace (Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms)