About the position
Our client is a global education group driven by a mission to develop conscious leaders. The group is seeking an experienced Director of Client Services to lead and strengthen the strategic relationships across its diverse portfolio of business units.
This is a senior leadership opportunity to take ownership of the group's internal, digitally led marketing agency's client relationships, partnering with heads of schools and business unit leaders to shape marketing strategies, drive business growth and ensure alignment between marketing initiatives and commercial objectives.
The role will oversee marketing plans and budgets across the portfolio, acting as a trusted strategic partner to business leadership while deputising for the VP Growth on all client-facing matters.
This is an exciting opportunity for a commercially minded, strategic marketing leader who can navigate a complex, multi-brand environment, build influential stakeholder relationships and translate business priorities into impactful marketing strategies.
Key responsibilities
- Build and lead senior relationships with heads of schools, business unit CEOs and their leadership teams.
- Lead annual and campaign planning with each business unit: objectives, audiences, budgets and targets, aligned to intake cycles.
- Own the allocation and tracking of marketing budget across the portfolio, tiered by each unit's earning potential.
- Work with sales on programme positioning and value propositions, so the business sells on value rather than price.
- Lead and develop the account team, allocate portfolios and set standards for briefing, reporting and client communication.
- Make sure every business unit has a named owner, individual KPIs and OKRs, and regular performance reviews.
- Work with the Agency Managing Director to turn plans into briefs, priorities and delivered work.
- Oversee project management so that timelines, process and status are visible across all accounts.
- Stand in for the VP Growth on client-side matters.
- As accounts grow, guide business units in appointing senior marketing managers as their day-to-day contacts with the agency.
Requirements
- A degree in marketing, business or a related field. A postgraduate qualification is an advantage.
- 12 years or more in marketing, including at least 5 years in client service or account leadership at director level, ideally in an agency.
- Experience managing multiple accounts and senior, C-suite stakeholders at the same time.
- Strong strategic planning and budgeting skills.
- Performance literacy: comfortable with funnels, acquisition costs and conversion data.
- Experience aligning marketing with sales teams.
Ideal candidate
- A best-in-class expert who leads by example and knows the roles they manage in depth.
- Agency experience and comfort wearing multiple hats are essential.
- Experience in higher education or ed-tech is an advantage.
Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Desired Skills:
- account management
- stakeholder management
- performance management
