Account Director

About Fuel Cycle: Fuel Cycle empowers leading organizations with agile research solutions that deliver decision-ready insights — fast, flexible, and fully integrated. As a market research disruptor, our AI-powered Insights Platform is built for speed, precision, and scale. With cutting-edge tools and seamless audience connectivity, we help brands ditch the guesswork and make smarter, customer-led decisions at lightning speed. Why work at Fuel Cycle? Join a high-growth team where curiosity is valued, ownership is encouraged, and your work drives real-world impact. Whether you’re based at our Los Angeles HQ, New York City hub, working remotely across the U.S., or part of our global team in India, you’ll help shape the future of decision intelligence for some of the world’s most iconic brands. Overview: Fuel Cycle is seeking a dynamic Account Director to join our team and drive strategic growth with our existing market research clients. In this role, you will be responsible for cultivating strong, long-term relationships with key accounts, ensuring client satisfaction while identifying new opportunities for expansion. As a trusted advisor, the Account Director will lead efforts to retain and grow an established book of business, consistently meeting revenue and profitability targets. Leveraging your expertise in Market Research and SaaS solutions, you will consult with clients on research methodologies, product roadmaps, and project execution strategies. You’ll develop tailored proposals, oversee contract negotiations, and ensure the delivery of high-quality insights. Your ability to align Fuel Cycle’s capabilities with client goals will be critical to success. This high-visibility role reports directly to the Director, Customer Experience. The Account Director manages an assigned book of business within a vertical pod team, focused on driving customer retention and growth. You will work cross-functionally with senior stakeholders across Research Excellence, Customer Solutions, Product, Marketing, and the Executive Leadership Team, ensuring seamless client experiences and strategic alignment across all touchpoints. Location: New York, NY Work Arrangement: This is an onsite role requiring five days per week in the office. Key Responsibilities: Revenue Growth & Account Expansion - Achieve assigned revenue targets through retention and expansion of the existing book of business. - Deepen client relationships to uncover incremental revenue opportunities, including upsell and cross-sell. - Set the pace and lead the Account Team in managing your book of business, ensuring efficient account management and maximum client satisfaction. - Foster strategic customer relationships and drive awareness and support for Fuel Cycle’s solutions throughout the customer organization. - Expert use the tech stack supporting the customer organization (e.g., Salesforce, ChurnZero, Gong) to track client relationships, renewal, and upsell progress, and report activity. Client Consultation & Strategic Partnership - Act as the strategic point of contact, providing guidance on research design and business issues. - Develop insightful proposals and deliver strategic presentations that align with client goals. - Act as a Strategic Trusted Advisor to accounts in your book of business, offering guidance to ensure optimal outcomes for both clients and Fuel Cycle. - Lead/co-lead final report writing, strategic client guidance, and presentation of findings. - Strive for operational excellence and customer intimacy across your book of business, ensuring exceptional service. Project Management & Delivery Excellence - Partner with Research Managers to ensure project specifications are met and deliverables are of high quality. - Oversee and review research strategy, design, and deliverables, ensuring client expectations are consistently exceeded. - Lead the resolution of product, solution, and delivery challenges to ensure smooth project execution. - Ensure ongoing execution of the Account Director Playbook to maintain consistency and high performance in account management. Relationship Building & Strategic Leadership - Build and nurture relationships across multiple departments within client organizations (Insights, Marketing, UX, CX, R&D, etc.). - Lead and inspire internal Fuel Cycle teams, introduce subject matter experts (SMEs), and service lines to maximize opportunities. - Act as the strategic leader for the customer account team, identifying opportunities, managing risks, and optimizing outcomes for both the client and Fuel Cycle. Travel Requirement: Up to 25% travel expected for client meetings, team collaboration, and industry events. Your Success Metrics: - Achievement of annual renewal and upsell/expansion revenue targets - Meet established metrics relating to - Revenue Growth and Financial Performance (margin) - Client retention and satisfaction - Operational Efficiency and Account Planning - Collaboration and Internal Engagement - Customer success and engagement Who you’ll work with? - Research Excellence, Customer Solutions, Product, Marketing, and the Executive Leadership Team Core Skills, Competencies & Attributes: - Client Relationship Management: Ability to build and maintain strong, long-term relationships with clients, becoming a trusted advisor to ensure satisfaction and retention. Skilled in managing multiple stakeholders and navigating complex client organizations to develop key relationships across various departments. - Strategic Thinking: Ability to understand client business objectives and challenges, providing strategic solutions and insights that align with business goals and drive growth. - Problem Solving: Capable of anticipating risks, identifying opportunities, and developing strategies to maximize account growth and retention. Develop effective solutions to identify issue and ensure client satisfaction. - Sales Acumen: Strong selling skills combined with commercial acumen to identify, capitalize on, and drive revenue growth through upsell, cross-sell, and new business opportunities. - Analytical Skills: Proficiency in analyzing data to make informed decision and optimize account performance. - Communication & Presentation Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to articulate value propositions, present findings, convey ideas, resolve conflicts and negotiate contracts with senior stakeholders. Ability to deliver engaging and impactful presentations that drive business decisions. - Project Management & Execution: Strong project management capabilities to oversee multiple, complex client projects and ensure high-quality deliverables within tight timelines. Ability to manage the end-to-end process, from proposal development to final report delivery, while maintaining attention to detail. - Negotiation & Contract Management: Skilled in negotiating terms, managing contracts, and ensuring mutually beneficial agreements with clients. Experience handling challenging conversations with clients regarding project scope, pricing, and delivery issues. - Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration: Experience in leading cross-functional account teams to ensure seamless execution and value delivery fostering collaborative and productive work environment. Ability to coach, guide and support account team members while collaboratively with internal teams (research, product, marketing, operations) and align efforts to meet client needs. - Adaptability & Resilience: Flexibility to adapt to changing client needs, market dynamics, and project challenges, ensuring continuous improvement and innovation. Resilience in managing client expectations and resolving issues under pressure. - Technical Proficiency: Familiarity of SaaS Platforms and digital marketing technologies, and market research tools to effectively position Fuel Cycle’s offerings to clients. Ability to stay updated on industry trends and emerging technologies - Market Research: Deep knowledge of market