Client Partner

WHY DEPT®?

We are pioneers at heart. What this means, is that we are always leaning forward, thinking of what we can create tomorrow that does not exist today. We were born digital and we are a new model of agency, with a deep skillset in tech and marketing. That’s why we hire curious, self-driven, talented people who never stop innovating.

Our culture is big enough to cope and small enough to care. Meaning, that with people across 20+ countries, we’re big enough to provide you with the best tools, global opportunities, and benefits that help you thrive. While acting small by investing in you, your growth, your team, and giving you the autonomy to solve our clients problems, no matter where you are in the world. 

Position Summary: You will be responsible for the overall strategy, sales, relationship management, and delivery oversight activities related to their assigned accounts.  This position reports directly to the Head of Client Services, Americas. To achieve your goals, you will manage cross-craft teams and develop and grow senior-level agency relationships. You  will advise and consult on client business and marketing challenges and influence the overall vision for DEPT’s work and outcomes. . You will nurture and build senior-level relationships, developing deep insight into our client’s culture and how they make decisions.. You will use your knowledge of technology and marketing to consult clients  towards different capabilities in DEPT®’s Engineering and Experiences Portfolio. You’ll build a deep understanding of DEPT’s value proposition, and collaborate with DEPT® partners across all facets of DEPT®’s portfolio. 

This is a hybrid role with the expectation that you will need to go into the office 3 days week. You must be located within 50 miles of our Chicago, IL office located at: One South Wacker, 1 S Wacker Dr #2250, Chicago, IL 60606

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following.  Other duties may be assigned. 

• Define, manage and execute a portfolio of projects for clients to maximize client business objectives, manage client expectations, and maintain profitability. 
• Define, develop and manage client account plans and strategies to include competitive analyses, relationship maps and call plans, business analyses (revenue, margin, etc.) and capability development and delivery.
• Develop a deep understanding of your client’s business goals, pressures, and requirements; convey client’s needs to the internal team.
• Foster collaboration among a cross-disciplinary team to deliver exceptional business results. 
• Maintain a big-picture strategic and operational perspective for your accounts balanced by strong attention to detail. 
• Partner with delivery and resourcing leaders at DEPT to  advise on recommendations and continuously monitor the effectiveness and bandwidth of the DEPT team.  
• Plan and facilitate meetings with existing clients and internal teams to identify new opportunities to meet clients’ evolving needs as required; serve as the subject matter expert on how DEPT delivers value across processes, resource capacity, and timelines. 
• Lead pitches, proposals, and contract negotiations for organic growth opportunities. 
• Communicate role expectations to team leads and direct reports, if applicable. 

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Demonstrated analytical and consulting skills in a range of business environments and sectors
• Genuine love and curiosity for technology and emerging trends in the marketing technology space. 
• Extraordinary interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills and an ability to tell succinct, engaging stories around DEPT work
• Excellent executive function:  team organization, time management, and risk management skills. 
• Expert conflict resolution skills – creating calm out of chaos.
• Enterprise experience with Fortune 500 companies
• The ability to be self-directed and work in an ambiguous and dynamic environment. 
• 3 days on site in Chicago; willingness to travel to client sites regularly
• Experience with selling the following services; system integration work (Commerce, CPG), custom application development work, managed services/ongoing support work, intersection of content, content strategy and commerce solutions work.
• Experience across a mix of strategic, omnichannel and production-based projects. Comfortable with various delivery models and types.
• Experience managing $10M+ Portfolio and/or driving clients to enterprise relationships at $10M+
• Bonus metrics in 2025 will be tied to the following:
  • Client Retention: Ability to retain majority share of work and revenue from  tier-one DEPT client accounts
  • Client Growth: Ability to drive realized revenue beyond initial forecasts and capturing additional opportunity from legacy client-relationships
  • Client Success and Satisfaction: Improvement in CSAT or related metrics
  • Craft contribution: Creation and contribution to intellectual capital (IC) within the DEPT technology market (e.g. new insights and methods, presentations/talks, etc.)

Skills:

• Experience managing vendors/partners, partner agencies and entities to drive revenue success with Fortune 500 accounts.
• Familiarity with custom commerce development; data/AI/Machine Learning, systems such as Salesforce, Magento, and Shopify and the content and content strategy associated. 
• Extensive experience with custom application and customer experience consulting 
• Having knowledge of the latest trends and tools in the industry.

Education/Experience: 

10+ years of account management and client partnership experience in a digital design environment. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree of education relevant to the industry. MBA or advanced degree in marketing or technology/information systems preferred

Language Ability: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.  Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.  Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public. 

Certificates and Licenses: No certifications are needed.

Supervisory Responsibilities:  In the event the team grows, the Account Director may directly supervise employees on the account team. Carries out supervisory responsibilities by following the organization’s policies and applicable laws.  Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

Work Environment: Chicago office - 1 S. Lasalle St. Frequent client travel is encouraged and required.

WHAT DO WE OFFER?

• We are a collaborative, open-door, best-idea-wins environment that fosters personal and company growth and has fun doing it. Here is a snapshot of our benefits package:
• Healthcare, Dental, and Vision coverage
• 401k plan, plus matching
• PTO
• Paid Company Holidays
• Parental Leave

The anticipated salary range for this position is $137,000 - $198,000. Salary is based on a range of factors that include relevant experience, expertise, and organizational impact. This is based on a 40-hour workweek and leveling. Keep in mind, we’re flexible.

WE SUPPORT YOU BEING YOU: 

DEPT® is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). We believe our work is its best when our people feel safe and free to be themselves. We’re committed to an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment and selection process and workplace, regardless of anyone’s identity, background, beliefs, lifestyle or disabilities. So tell us about any accommodations you need. It’s totally confidential and only used to make sure you feel fully supported at every step. 

DEPT® participates in E-Verify, meaning your Form I-9 information will be sent to the federal government to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S. 

We are a B Corp-certified company passionate about purpose-driven work.  Our hope is that you can feel good about the contributions DEPT® is making to the world and we always have an open door for your ideas in making the world a better place. 

DEPT® is a pioneering technology and marketing services company that creates integrated end-to-end digital experiences for brands such as Google, KFC, Philips, Audi, Twitch, Patagonia, eBay and more. Its team of 2,500+ digital specialists across 30+ locations on 5 continents delivers pioneering work on a global scale with a boutique culture. 

Learn more about DEPT®

Learn more about DEPT® diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts

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