CLIENT LEAD JOB DESCRIPTION

Every campaign dollar allocated to the wrong channel, or every brief that lands without context, translates into wasted client spend and eroded trust, outcomes that fall squarely on the Client Lead to prevent. In a media agency environment, this role owns the relationship from communications planning through to execution, governing budgets that routinely span Tier 1 and Tier 2 campaign thresholds. It demands someone equally comfortable in a board-level status presentation and a granular review of channel mix and phasing. Sharp.

Client Leads in Marketing and Media Agencies are accountable for the full commercial health of their accounts, translating client business objectives into executable media and creative strategies while keeping internal teams aligned and on schedule. Working across creative, strategy, and planning functions, the Client Lead reports through account leadership and carries direct responsibility for the relationships, deliverables, and financial performance of their portfolio.

Career Impact: Owning Tier 1 and Tier 2 media briefs at the senior account level builds the kind of cross-channel fluency, spanning print, outdoor, digital, and social, that distinguishes strategic account leaders in a competitive agency market.

Business Impact: The Client Lead is the person whose judgment determines whether a client's campaign budget is deployed against the right channels at the right weight, directly affecting campaign ROI and the agency's retention of major accounts.

Growth Opportunity: Managing integrated, multi-channel campaigns across brand and performance objectives positions a Client Lead to step into Head of Planning or Group Account Director roles, expanding both scope and market value.

Company Value: The role offers exposure to a diverse portfolio of clients and category challenges within an agency environment structured around collaborative planning and trading teams.

• Lead client and internal stakeholder communication to align expectations, flag risks, and ensure timely delivery of all campaign milestones.
• Own media plan development from communications planning through channel execution, including budget allocation, phasing, and title and channel mix.
• Drive campaign reporting cadences by preparing concise, accurate, and insight-rich performance summaries for client review.
• Review all Tier 1 and Tier 2 media briefs before handoff, ensuring implementation teams are thoroughly informed and aligned on strategic intent.
• Monitor campaign status across the full portfolio at all times, escalating financial or operational risks to senior planning and trading leadership.
• Partner with creative and strategy leads on integrated presentations, proposals, and senior stakeholder briefings.
• Mentor and develop direct reports by delegating purposefully, providing coaching, and creating clear growth pathways within the team.

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, business, or equivalent work experience.
• 8 or more years of account management or channel planning experience, with demonstrated ownership of client relationships in an agency environment.
• Advanced knowledge of media channels including print, outdoor, radio, and digital, with the ability to assess each channel's contribution to client objectives.
• Proven ability to manage campaign budgets and translate strategic briefs into actionable media recommendations across multiple simultaneous workstreams.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex media rationale to Director and VP-level clients.
• Demonstrated experience managing and developing direct reports, with a clear approach to delegation, performance feedback, and team growth.
• Analytical aptitude sufficient to interrogate audience research and marketplace data to identify trends that inform strategic planning decisions.

• Experience leading global or multi-market accounts, including coordination with regional agency teams and external media or creative partners.
• Familiarity with e-commerce or consumer goods category clients, including performance-driven media briefs alongside brand-building objectives.
• Exposure to 360-degree integrated campaign production, including video, social, and interactive multimedia across brand and performance channels.
• MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification demonstrating advanced business and analytical capability.

• Campaign delivery rate against agreed timelines, measuring the Client Lead's ability to keep concurrent workstreams on schedule.
• Budget variance per account, tracking alignment between planned and actual channel spend across Tier 1 and Tier 2 campaigns.
• Client reporting accuracy and timeliness, reflecting how consistently deliverables meet agreed cadences without revision requests.
• Account retention rate within the managed portfolio, indicating the strength of sustained client relationships under this individual's ownership.
• Escalation frequency to Head of Planning and Trading, used inversely to gauge proactive risk management and issue resolution.
• Typical tools: Media planning and audience research platforms (commonly Nielsen, Roy Morgan); campaign management and reporting systems (commonly Google Sheets, Excel).

• Base Salary Range: $95,000 to $135,000 annually, depending on seniority and market
• Bonus: Discretionary annual performance bonus, typically 10% to 15% of base salary
• Equity: Not typical at this level in agency settings; may apply at senior or group levels
• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision coverage; employer contributes to premiums
• PTO: 15 to 20 days per year, plus public holidays and agency-specific closure days
• Common Perks: Professional development budget, remote or hybrid flexibility, new business pitch exposure

Figures are estimates based on general US market benchmarks and may be outdated. Adjust based on location, company size, and seniority level.

Background check completion is a condition of employment for this role. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation to participate in the hiring process are encouraged to make that request at any stage. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.

The Client Lead owns the full requirements lifecycle for data, system, and interface specifications, identifying and documenting client needs for handoff to developers and testers. Working closely with carriers, managers, and shared service teams, this role integrates data and system requirements to deliver efficient solutions and ensures scope changes and risks are clearly communicated throughout the project.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify and define client data, system foundation, and interface requirements.
• Document requirements for handoff to developers and testers.
• Lead client and third-party requirement meetings related to files.
• Integrate data and system requirements to ensure efficient solutions.
• Predict, identify, and communicate internal and external risks related to system and data design.
• Consult client and third parties on best practices while meeting business needs.
• Determine if requirements can be accommodated within the system and articulate limitations to the client.
• Identify, document, and communicate scope changes during the requirements phase, specific to data files.
• Work with and respond to client or third party on new file requests and escalations.
• Manage tasks in JIRA and correspond with carriers, managers, and shared service teams on new file builds.
• Assist the team in work prioritization and technical coaching as needed.
• Act as Quality Assurance expert for complex files as necessary.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.
• Benefits administration knowledge preferred.
• Experience working with EDI files preferred.
• Intermediate to advanced skills in MS Excel or Google Sheets.
• Strong client consulting, cross-functional collaboration, and problem-solving abilities.
• Exemplary verbal and written communication with strong attention to detail.
• Occasional travel may be required.

Embedded within the client success organization, the Client Lead delivers accountable outcomes for clients conducting clinical research on a SaaS platform by managing team resource allocation and continuously improving the client lifecycle. Working closely with internal product and engineering teams, this role analyzes client health and risks and engages executive stakeholders to ensure solutions align with organizational goals.

Core Functions

• Be accountable for the success of clients conducting clinical research using the SaaS platform.
• Develop and manage a team responsible for client success, including resource allocation.
• Continuously improve the client lifecycle and develop risk management processes.
• Analyze and report on the health, opportunities, and risks to clients.
• Engage with executive stakeholders in large client accounts to ensure solution alignment.
• Partner with internal product and engineering teams as a passionate advocate for client needs.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree with at least 10 years of experience managing a high-performing client engagement or success team, or equivalent experience.
• Proven track record of motivating an operationally oriented team in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Experience working in a SaaS organization.
• Familiarity with healthcare, clinical research, or life sciences.
• Familiarity with the CTMS market is a plus.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to dig into complex operations.
• Significant travel required.

Reporting to the Global Category and Client team, the Client Lead shapes the global partnership strategy for a key Beauty client by developing Annual Account Plans, Joint Business Plans, and cross-functional alignment across Sales, Creative, Marketing, Measurement, and Product. Partnering with regional teams, media agencies, and creative agencies, this role identifies incremental revenue opportunities globally and enables the client to achieve their business objectives through the platform.

Primary Duties

• Earn a place as a trusted advisor to global clients by understanding their business objectives and defining where the platform can play a role.
• Provide global leadership within a matrix organization to enable the largest global brand marketers and agencies to connect with the people who matter.
• Identify incremental revenue opportunities globally and scale in partnership with regional teams and key markets.
• Set the partnership North Star by developing and being accountable for an Annual Account Plan and Joint Business Plan, including training, workshops, and measurement studies.
• Align with cross-functional teams across Sales, Creative, Marketing, Measurement, and Product to ensure global client expectations are managed and delivered upon.
• Partner with clients' global media and creative agencies to ensure synergies, collaboration, and trusting relationships toward achieving global business objectives.
• Monitor and provide timely and accurate forecasts of global sales opportunities and pipelines.

Skills & Qualifications

• 14+ years of experience in senior Marketing, Account Management, or Media Sales and Strategy roles, ideally across global Beauty category clients.
• Demonstrable experience influencing and empowering cross-functional colleagues to achieve objectives, including converting business from other media channels.
• An experienced leader who can immediately gain the credibility of executive clients and work with or in support of diverse communities.
• Marketing experience straddling both brand and performance objectives.

Sitting at the intersection of operational excellence and regulatory control, the Client Lead leads directional strategy for issue management and quality oversight across a regional client operations organization, providing sophisticated analysis and advice to influence functional decisions. Operating across multiple departments and country teams, this role tracks deliverables and milestones for compliance and automation initiatives and ensures conformance to policies and operating standards.

Duties

• Use broad discretion to provide input on complex procedural documentation, guidelines, issue write-ups, and reports for multiple departments.
• Act as advisor or coach to the organization on quality and control items.
• Provide in-depth and sophisticated analysis with interpretive thinking to define problems and develop innovative solutions.
• Directly impact the business by influencing strategic functional decisions through advice and counsel.
• Centrally track requirements, deliverables, milestones, and critical path items, negotiating and agreeing on prioritization with stakeholders for CAP-related items in the region.
• Identify opportunities for process improvements and lead identification and execution of key compliance and controls automation opportunities.
• Support In Business Control, OTRC, or TTS Controls in the timely dissemination of policy and operating standard changes to countries, ensuring practical comprehension.
• Oversee all changes to country processes to ensure conformance to policies, operating standards, and transformation activities.

Experience & Qualifications

• 6-10 years of relevant experience.
• Advanced knowledge of MS Office applications with strong presentation skills.
• Demonstrated relationship management skills with the ability to influence key stakeholders.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish required; Portuguese preferred.
• Clear and concise written and verbal communication.

A key member of the creative operations leadership team, the Senior Client Lead builds department goals from strategic business objectives and guides hub teams to produce creative strategies that resonate with clients and deliver measurable results. Collaborating across internal teams and external agency partners, this role synthesizes industry trends, mentors the operations team, and ensures streamlined workstreams that scale with business growth.

Strategic Responsibilities

• Provide inspirational leadership, strategic vision, and mentorship to the operations team.
• Streamline and optimize workstreams with hubs to reduce friction and rework, with a singular focus on timely delivery.
• Understand the strategic objectives of the business and create technically sound, feasible, and timely department goals.
• Guide teams using digital media industry knowledge to create creative strategies that resonate with clients and deliver results.
• Serve as a thought leader across the company for creative insights, synthesizing trends and identifying opportunities.

Professional Experience

• 10+ years of experience in creative leadership within digital media.
• Experience leading brand, content, and communication design across a wide variety of disciplines and channels, including advertising, video, social, and interactive multimedia.
• Experience running a creative team with strong mentoring and team-building skills.
• Strong digital and social media campaign experience.
• Able to work well under pressure and deadlines, and comfortable with team-based, flexible work structures.

Delivering research excellence in life sciences depends on the Client Lead, who designs and manages study materials end-to-end, ensuring alignment with client expectations, budget, and strategic objectives while maintaining timely project delivery. Serving as the primary client contact across engagements, this role also leads functional management of junior team members across data processing, quality controls, fieldwork, and advanced analytics.

Accountabilities

• Design study materials according to client expectations, ensuring alignment with budget and strategic objectives and involving senior stakeholders as appropriate.
• Deliver studies on time by maintaining up-to-date timelines for internal teams and providers, proactively anticipating risks, and adapting to unplanned events.
• Manage financial follow-up of projects, ensuring supplier costs align with budget, flagging concerns to study oversight persons, and updating internal reporting.
• Serve as the main client contact throughout engagements, leading meetings, writing proposals, preparing study budgets, and presenting results strategically.
• Lead functional management of junior team members including project managers, analysts, and interns, delegating tasks and supervising execution across data processing, quality controls, fieldwork, reporting, and advanced analytics.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's or Master's degree preferred, with at least 6 years of combined related work experience and completed higher education.
• At least 1 year of experience in licensed health care practice, clinical research, epidemiology, or biostatistics.
• Proven experience delivering project management in Life Sciences, preferably focused on oncology or rare diseases.
• Proficient in MS Office Suite and data management software such as SPSS or Tableau is a plus.
• Written and verbal proficiency in one or more of the following is a plus: English, French, Spanish, German, Mandarin, or Japanese.

As the Advisory Client Lead, this role leads and supports the delivery of advisory engagements for a major technology account, conducting detailed analyses, facilitating workshops, and writing complete project proposals to secure and expand client work. The advisory practice relies on this work to grow enduring client relationships, monitor emerging technology trends, and translate complex business drivers into strategic and practical solutions across large-scale, important projects.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Work with senior client executives to identify business problems and develop the right analytical solutions and approaches.
• Support portfolio leadership for a major technology account in driving innovation through new technologies, business models, and ways of working.
• Conduct detailed analyses and interviews to understand client problems, facilitate workshops, and support clients in service delivery transformation.
• Lead and support the delivery of Advisory engagements, growing trust and enduring relationships within the account.
• Write complete project proposals, shape proposed solutions, and collaborate with colleagues to secure new client work.
• Serve as the overall client liaison and lead teams on large-scale, complex, and important projects.
• Monitor technology trends and raise awareness of capabilities and innovations in selected domains of expertise.

Background & Experience

• 10+ years of consulting or industry-relevant experience, with significant IT and technology industry understanding.
• Understanding of major technology business drivers, industry trends, and transformation needs.
• Knowledge of one or more transformation design capabilities, including Operating Model Design, Emerging Technology Strategy, Data and Business Intelligence Strategy, and Best-of-Breed Working Methodologies such as Agile and DevOps.
• Demonstrable skills in growing client intimacy and becoming a trusted advisor.
• Demonstrated experience interfacing with executive-level clients and translating ideas into strategic solutions.
• Previous project and people management experience, including responsibility for deliverables, budgets, costs, and talent.
• Autonomous, positive, and highly flexible, with strong critical and analytical thinking and the capacity to work independently and in multidisciplinary teams.

Client Lead manages day-to-day and long-term account operations across schedule, budget, and SOW deliverables, building trusted advisor relationships with clients at Director, VP, and above levels while leading integrated production workstreams across simultaneous campaigns. The work directly supports agency growth by identifying organic growth opportunities, mentoring team members, and partnering with media agencies and internal teams on creative asset delivery.

Ownership Areas

• Proactively lead the business day-to-day and beyond with creative and strategy lead partners.
• Ensure schedule, budget, and SOW deliverables are met, raising operational and financial red flags when needed.
• Manage up to partners and heads of departments to flag concerns and opportunities.
• Build solid relationships and motivate internal and client teams, looking for ways to do things better and more efficiently.
• Write and present clearly and effectively, leading the development of presentations to senior stakeholders.
• Serve as a trusted advisor with clients and co-leadership, gracefully and fairly resolving conflicts.
• Manage finance- and operations-related portions of the business.

Position Requirements

• Undergraduate degree required; master's or MBA a plus.
• 6-10 years of account management experience within marketing, technology, or innovation industries, with bonus points for eCommerce or consumer goods experience.
• Experience managing clients at Director, VP, and above levels.
• Experience in launching brands or 360 campaigns, managing and mentoring team members, and working with simultaneous integrated production workstreams.
• Experience partnering with media agencies or internal media teams on creative asset delivery and demonstrating leadership in shaping output with design and strategy teams.
• Proven track record independently leading dynamic projects, client relationships, and cross-functional teams, with strong entrepreneurial and problem-solving abilities.
• Compelling written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.

The Client Lead refines and oversees the full media plan from communications planning through execution, managing budget allocation, channel mix, and phasing while ensuring implementation managers are thoroughly briefed across Tier 1 and Tier 2 campaigns. Working across internal planning teams and external client stakeholders, this role maintains high-quality, on-time delivery of all reporting and communications, using planning and buying tools including AQX, eTam, Roy Morgan, Nielsen Answers, Move, and Eram to drive strategic outcomes.

Key Deliverables

• Critically evaluate media strategy and plans for their ability to deliver on client objectives.
• Manage the media plan from communications planning through execution, including budget allocation, weights, phasing, and channel or title mix.
• Ensure the implementation manager is thoroughly briefed on all Tier 1 and Tier 2 plans before buying.
• Lead team and client WIPs, support workflow and resource allocation, manage issues, and report concerns to the Head of Planning and Trading.
• Ensure all client reporting is sent out in a timely manner, with issues flagged well in advance and clear communication when planned goals cannot be met.
• Keep the Head of Planning and Trading aware of all upcoming and current briefs and ensure all work produced is high quality, on time, and aligned with brand guidelines.
• Manage all communications with client stakeholders and internal teams to ensure alignment and expectation management.
• Use and understand all planning and buying tools, including AQX, eTam, Roy Morgan, Nielsen Answers, Move, and Eram.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Minimum 8-10 years of experience in channel planning and trading or client management within an agency environment.
• Strong understanding of all media channels, particularly print, outdoor, and radio, with digital knowledge an advantage.
• Advanced knowledge of media systems, planning tools, research tools, and the media marketplace, with the ability to analyze output and identify strategic insights.
• Advanced Google Sheets and Excel skills, Mac-literate.
• Strong financial and numerical acumen with excellent analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Senior-level management skills to develop, engage, and inspire direct reports and the wider team.
• Exemplary client management and relationship management communication skills, written and verbal, with excellent presentation skills.
• Strong ability to manage a broad scope of tasks, delegate effectively, meet deadlines, and maintain high levels of accuracy.