Career guide
Account Executive Job Description: Agency Template and Duties
At a marketing or advertising agency, an account executive is an early-career client service role. The AE keeps client work moving: status reports, call recaps, timelines, first drafts of briefs and coordination with creative and media teams, under an account manager or supervisor. At software and B2B companies the same title means a salesperson who closes new deals, which is a different job.
Key takeaways
- At a marketing or advertising agency, an account executive is an early-career client service role that keeps client work organized and moving.
- Agency account executives write call recaps, status reports and first drafts of briefs, and coordinate the creative, media and production teams.
- At B2B and software companies, an account executive is a salesperson who wins new customers against a quota, which is a different job with the same title.
- Agency account executives usually report to an account manager or supervisor and are promoted toward account manager after showing they can run projects on their own.
- Reading whether a posting mentions clients and campaigns or quotas and pipeline tells you which kind of account executive job it is.
Before you read a posting, check which world it comes from. If it mentions clients, campaigns and creative teams, it’s the agency role this page covers. If it mentions quota, pipeline and closing deals, it’s a sales role, and our account manager vs account executive guide explains how the two compare.
What does an agency account executive do?
An agency account executive keeps client work organized so nothing slips between the client and the people making the work. It’s usually the second rung of the client service ladder, after account coordinator, and it’s where you start owning small pieces of client contact yourself.
Most of the job is in these areas:
- Recaps and status reports. Sending clear notes after every call: what was decided, who does what, by when.
- Timelines and trackers. Keeping the schedule current and chasing approvals, assets and feedback.
- First drafts. Writing early versions of briefs, decks and reports for the account manager to shape.
- Coordinating the team. Getting creative, media, social and production the information they need, and catching problems early.
- Client contact. Handling routine questions, sending files, and sometimes leading part of a meeting.
- Numbers. Pulling campaign results into reports and tracking hours or costs against the estimate.
Account executive job description template
Copy this and replace the [brackets]. Cut anything that doesn’t match the real job.
Job title: Account Executive, [Agency type: e.g. Integrated / Social / PR / Media] About [Agency] [Two sentences: what the agency does, the kinds of clients it serves, and what it's known for.] About the role We're hiring an Account Executive to support [number] client accounts in [category]. You'll report to [Account Manager / Account Supervisor] and work every day with our [creative / media / social / production] teams. What you'll do - Write call recaps and weekly status reports for clients. - Keep project timelines and trackers current, and chase approvals, assets and feedback. - Draft briefs, presentations and reports for review. - Coordinate with internal teams and partners so work stays on schedule. - Handle day-to-day client requests and keep the account team informed. - Pull performance data into monthly reports. - Track hours and costs against project estimates. What you'll bring - [1–3] years in an agency, marketing or client-facing role, or a relevant internship. - Excellent organization and attention to detail. - Clear, quick writing. - Comfort talking to clients and asking questions. - Experience with [tools: e.g. Google Workspace, Asana, Smartsheet, PowerPoint]. Nice to have - Interest in [category or channel: e.g. social, beauty, sports, B2B]. Pay and benefits [Salary range], [benefits], [location / hybrid / remote].
If you’re hiring, include the pay range; some US states and cities require it in postings (Cooley’s summary of state pay transparency laws).
How is an agency account executive different from a sales account executive?
The agency AE serves existing clients and helps deliver marketing work; the sales AE finds and closes new customers. They share a title and almost nothing else.
| Agency account executive | Sales account executive (B2B, SaaS) | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Keep client projects organized and moving | Win new customers |
| Measured on | Accuracy, responsiveness, on-time delivery | Revenue closed against a quota |
| Pay | Usually salary | Usually base salary plus commission |
| Day to day | Recaps, timelines, briefs, team coordination | Discovery calls, demos, proposals, negotiation |
| Next step | Account manager or supervisor | Senior AE, enterprise AE or sales manager |
What does an account executive do day to day?
Day to day, an agency AE spends most of the time making sure the right people have the right information. A typical day might include:
- A morning check of every live project: what’s due, what’s waiting on the client, what’s at risk.
- An internal check-in with creative or media about this week’s deliverables.
- A client call, with the recap in their inbox within the hour.
- Updating the tracker and the status report.
- Drafting a slide or two for next week’s presentation.
- Pulling last month’s social or media results into the report template.
The rhythm differs by agency type. At a PR agency you’ll also track coverage and draft pitches; at a media agency you’ll work closely with planners and buyers on flighting and delivery; at a social agency, content calendars and approvals take a large share of the week.
What skills does an agency account executive need?
An agency AE needs to be reliable first and strategic second. The skills that show up in almost every posting:
- Organization. Many small deadlines, tracked in one place.
- Writing. Recaps and emails that leave nobody guessing.
- Follow-through. Chasing the approval nobody else wants to chase, politely.
- Curiosity about the client’s business. Knowing their category, competitors and what their boss cares about.
- Composure. Staying calm when a client changes a deadline, and telling your manager early when something’s off.
The posting will rarely say it, but agencies notice AEs who start thinking a step ahead: suggesting the fix along with the problem, or spotting an idea the client might like.
How do you become an agency account executive?
Most agency AEs start as account coordinators or interns and are promoted within a year or two. Others come from client-facing roles in retail, hospitality or events, where juggling people and deadlines is the whole job.
To get there:
- Learn how the agency makes money. Retainers, project fees and scopes of work (the 4A’s tracks the common models) shape every decision you’ll see.
- Study the agency’s clients and work before you apply, and have an opinion on one campaign.
- Show organization on your resume. Events you ran, projects you coordinated, deadlines you kept, with numbers.
- Prepare for scenario questions. Most agency interviews ask what you’d do when a client wants something outside scope. Our account manager interview questions cover the common ones.
When you practice your answers, keep them in your own words. Agencies are hiring someone clients will enjoy talking to, so let a bit of your personality come through.
FAQ
Is an account executive an entry-level job?
At most agencies it’s an entry or early-career role, often the first job after an internship or a coordinator role. Some agencies hire AEs straight out of college, while others expect a year or two of experience. In B2B sales, AE roles usually require prior sales experience.
Is account executive higher than account manager?
At an agency, no: the account executive usually reports to an account manager or supervisor. In B2B sales the two roles sit side by side, with AEs winning new customers and account managers looking after existing ones.
What does “AE” mean in advertising?
In advertising, AE stands for account executive, a client service role that supports the account manager and keeps campaign work on track. It’s one of the most common first jobs on the account side of an agency.
How do you go from account executive to account manager?
Take ownership of a small account or project from start to finish, write the brief yourself, and handle client conversations without needing a script. When you can run a project on your own, ask your manager what else they need to see before a promotion. Our guide on how to ask for a promotion has wording for that conversation.