Freelance Program Manager Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Account Director - Freelance

*This is a freelance position, starting at 20 hours/wk and flexing up, from June - November

*Compensation range for this role is $110-135/hr, commensurate with experience

Who you are

As an Account Director, you are the connective tissue between strategic vision and flawless delivery. You lead accounts and programs with confidence, hold client relationships with care, and build the kind of internal team culture where people do their best work. You are ready to lead, not just manage, and you bring the commercial awareness, creative partnership, and operational discipline to back it up.

You will work across a portfolio of B2B clients that spans industries from large-scale conferences and trade show activations to executive events, content programs, and integrated experiences. On some accounts you will be the senior lead; on others you will work alongside a Senior Account Director, owning defined workstreams and client relationships with real autonomy. In both contexts, the expectation is the same: you elevate the work, develop the team, and grow the business.

You are someone who has outgrown the role of brilliant executor and is ready to be the person others look to for direction. You bring your own point of view to a client conversation. You notice when something is off before it becomes a problem. You invest in the people around you because you understand that the work only gets better when the team does.

You are commercially aware without being transactional, creatively fluent without overstepping, and operationally strong without letting process become the point. You understand that the AD level is where the work starts to feel like leadership and you are ready for what that means.

This is the role where you transition from excellent executor to genuine account leader. You are ready for that step, and you understand what it asks of you.

What You'll Be Doing

Great Work

• Lead day-to-day account management across a portfolio of B2B clients, owning the client relationship, program delivery, and agency output to a consistently high standard

• Translate client briefs and business objectives into executable plans working across creative, strategy, and production teams to ensure the work is both ambitious and achievable

• Build and maintain account operating rhythms: clear communication cadences, well-run status meetings, proactive risk management, and documentation that keeps every stakeholder aligned

• Serve as a credible, confident creative and strategic partner to your clients, not just managing expectations, but actively shaping them

• Oversee the full program lifecycle from brief to post-event, maintaining quality and momentum across every phase

• On accounts where a Senior Account Director leads, take genuine ownership of defined workstreams and junior client relationships operating with the autonomy and accountability of a lead, not a support

Growing the Business

• Identify and pursue organic growth opportunities within your accounts building the kind of trusted relationships where clients bring you their next challenge before they brief anyone else

• Manage account financials with rigour: budgets, scope, profitability, and the commercial conversations that keep projects healthy and margins protected

• Develop a working knowledge of each client's business landscape, competitive environment, and internal stakeholder dynamics and use that knowledge to add value beyond the brief

• Contribute to new business pitches as a senior voice, bringing account intelligence, presentation confidence, and a point of view on what great work looks like for this client type

• Support the development of case studies and award submissions that demonstrate the impact and quality of the work

Growing People

• Manage, coach, and develop SAMs and AMs on your accounts providing clear direction, honest feedback, and the kind of developmental investment that accelerates their growth

• Run efficient, purposeful team meetings where priorities are clear, actions are owned, and no one leaves uncertain about what happens next

• Model the standard of client service and creative partnership you expect from the team leading by example on every call, in every room, and on every deliverable

• Contribute to a West Coast team culture defined by high expectations, genuine collaboration, and pride in the quality of the work

• Foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive team environment where different perspectives strengthen the work and different working styles are supported

What You Bring

Non-Negotiables

• 7+ years of agency-side experience in experiential marketing, brand experience, or integrated event production

• Proven track record leading client accounts and delivering complex, multi-workstream programs end-to-end with full accountability for quality and financial performance

• Strong working knowledge of B2B conference, trade show, or corporate event environments. You understand the mechanics and the stakeholder dynamics of these programs

• Demonstrated ability to manage junior team members, with a genuine investment in their growth

• Commercial confidence: you can own a budget conversation, manage scope, and hold a client relationship through a difficult moment without losing trust

• Clear, polished written and verbal communication. You represent the agency with authority and warmth in equal measure

Strongly Preferred

• Experience working across a range of industries and sectors including complex corporate environments

• Familiarity with global or multi-market program delivery, including coordination across agency offices or international partners

• Experience supporting or contributing to new business pitches at an agency level

• Comfort operating in matrixed client environments where stakeholder management is as important as creative delivery

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