Executive Director, Client Partner

Summary

Join DEPT® as an Executive Director, Client Partner and lead long-term relationships with C-level stakeholders for key clients, driving growth across client portfolios and overseeing complex projects. You will manage teams, shape client strategies, and ensure client success. This role requires experience in managing complex clients in an integrated agency, leading teams of 20+, and delivering commercial success. You will also be responsible for new business development, contract negotiations, and revenue forecasting. The position offers a competitive salary, benefits, and a collaborative work environment.

Requirements

• 12+ years experience in roles servicing clients in an agency environment
• Experience working in a cross-functional management team
• Experience leading new business efforts and authoring new business proposals
• Experience forecasting and reconciling revenue across the business
• Experience managing complex campaigns across creative, media and consultancy
• Experience leading, motivating and coaching teams of 20+ people
• A solid understanding of the industry and changing client needs
• Confident working on large global client and agency teams
• Confident working on a high-volume, multi service retainer(s) for brands/clients
• Confident working on paid and organic marketing efforts for brands/clients
• Confident with content production
• Confident working on creator/influencer-led projects
• Exceptional client relationship management skills, ability to foster strong relationships with VP and C-level clients
• Excellent project management skills, able to identify and recommend efficient ways of working
• Excellent organizational skills and high attention to detail
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills; excellent presentation skills
• Exceptional problem-solving skills
• Excellent time management skills
• Ability to react quickly within a fast-paced environment
• Ability to remain focused under pressure and work under tight deadlines
• Ability to exercise critical thinking, identifying, evaluating, and solving problems related to your clients and workstreams

Responsibilities

• Lead long-term relationships with C-Level stakeholders for key clients
• Understand their personal and professional drivers and thus help position DEPT® as a key partner to help meet those goals
• Support VP, Client Services with driving growth across a group of client portfolios, uncovering upsell and cross sell of services within the clients
• Work in partnership with Growth, Senior Leadership and GAD’s to manage New Business requests, proposals and onboarding process
• Keep track of overall client health within allocated client portfolios and help shape and implement strategies that ensure relationships are functioning at an optimum level
• Take ownership for the overall success of clients within portfolios and wider business where necessary
• Act as a client champion across the agreed set of pods
• Spot excellent client work and ensure case studies are shared across the agency and added to our creds deck
• Deliver agreed strategic initiatives based on overall business objectives for the year
• In some instances this will be a lead role with the task of driving the initiative forward
• In some cases this will be more of a supporting role and will input in some of those initiatives at differing levels
• Ensure overall business strategy and objectives are continued to be communicated and prioritised across the teams and agency as a whole
• Proactively identify and communicate other new initiatives, managing those upwards effectively where appropriate
• Drive the business health of the portfolio of clients
• Empower and support client leads in maximising revenue opportunities, maintaining profitability and ensuring accurate forecasting
• Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of wider commercial context beyond profitability on projects (e.g wider business overheads, investment, 3rd party costs and client commercial issues that may affect DEPT® relationship.)
• Support VP, Client Services and Senior Leadership team on improving processes and systems with Finance and Operations to maintain client profitability at all times
• Working closely with Senior Leadership and Craft leads to develop proactive new business strategies
• Play a key role in identifying and initiating conversations, creating appropriate materials, case studies to help sell in DEPT®’s offering
• Oversee key contract and cost negotiations across clients, support group heads in client commercial affairs
• Oversee all revenue forecasting and ensure appropriate trackers are up to date across the teams, reflecting the current status of projects as accurately as possible
• Direct line management of senior members of the account team within client portfolios
• Mentor the team and act as a final escalation point on a set of specific clients
• Actively initiate programmes to train, upskill, and develop the talent on the team
• Oversee the recruitment process of the account and project management team within direct portfolios and support the VP, Client Services with broader recruitment needs across the Account discipline
• Work closely with VP, Client Services to develop clear objectives and development roadmaps for team members
• Support VP, Client Services with demand and capacity management, help predict skill-set capacity or shortages and implement strategies to mitigate foreseen risks amongst client portfolios
• Foster a strong team culture and environment of excellence, professionalism, and positive energy
• Oversee and input on development of annual strategies with account leads, alongside VP, Client Services to set up and maintain rigorous processes and evaluation of progress against plans on a quarterly basis, helping client leads / GAD’s to re-evaluate and develop strategies to stay on track and in line with revenue forecasts where possible

Preferred Qualifications

Experience working with data

Benefits

• Healthcare, Dental, and Vision coverage
• 401k plan, plus matching
• PTO
• Paid Company Holidays
• Parental Leave