For creative agencies, few team structure debates spark as much confusion (and strong opinions) as the roles of Account Manager (AM) and Project Manager (PM). Are they both essential? Can one person do both jobs? And most importantly, who owns the client relationship?
In a recent episode of the Creative Outcomes podcast, we dug into this topic.
Here’s the big takeaway: while AMs and PMs play distinct roles, your agency’s success depends on clearly defining who does what, and building your structure around that.
Let’s break it down.
At their core, AMs are relationship owners, while PMs are delivery owners. That means:
Account Managers focus on client communication, trust-building, strategic upselling, and keeping the client happy long-term. They’re the client’s go-to.
Project Managers focus on scoping, timelines, deliverables, and budgets. They’re the internal glue keeping your team on track.
The key distinction: AMs own outcomes, PMs own execution.
Short answer: yes—but it depends on your size and service model.
In smaller agencies or with smaller clients, one person often plays both roles out of necessity. But that model breaks down at scale. Trying to combine both roles in larger engagements can stretch one person too thin and ultimately erode profitability or client experience (or both).
As your agency grows, you may need to unbundle these responsibilities, clearly separating ownership of client relationships from ownership of delivery.
This is the big question. And here's the reality:
“You need one person ultimately responsible for the success of the client engagement. And we believe that should be the Account Manager.” — Craig Baldwin
Why? Because clients don’t want to manage how the work gets done, they want to know it will get done, and that it’s driving value.
The AM should be the one making that promise and ensuring it’s delivered, without micromanaging the day-to-day. That’s the PM’s job.
If your agency is large enough to afford both roles, here’s a common and effective model:
The AM owns the client relationship, including communication, upselling, renewals, and success metrics.
The PM owns internal execution, managing the team’s delivery, timelines, scope, and budget.
In this structure, the AM can advocate for the client while the PM protects the agency’s time and margin. It's a healthy push-pull.
When the AM doesn’t own the client relationship, or the PM gets stuck doing both jobs, you end up with:
Scope creep
Frustrated team members
Confused clients
Eroded project margin
Talent churn
In other words: no one wins.
Your agency doesn’t need more titles. It needs clarity.
Make sure your team knows who’s responsible for the client relationship, who’s responsible for delivery, and how they work together. Whether you're building a team from scratch or restructuring for growth, that clarity is what drives both client satisfaction and profitability.
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