Associate VP

Associate Vice President - Client Partner DEPT® is a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, our 4,000+ specialists deliver growth invention services across Brand & Media, Experience, Commerce, CRM, and Technology & Data. We’re 50|50 tech and marketing, partner-led, and first to move. Clients include Google, Lufthansa, Meta, eBay, and OpenAI. We have been certified B Corp and Climate Neutral since 2021. JOB PURPOSE: This role is part of our Global Studios team. We create emotive yet conversion-focused ideas, products and campaigns at scale and speed. Our specialty is hyper-personalised, digital communications that change perceptions, shape new behaviours, and shift market share for our clients. Client Partners lead our largest client relationships on behalf of DEPT. They are responsible for curating talent, capability, and services that represent the best of our company. They serve as a client’s main access into solutions that will help elevate their brand and business in the face of ever evolving consumer, category, technology, and marketing dynamics. CPs drive organic growth through exceptional client experience, helping unlock value, and bringing future-forward expertise in a unique and differentiated way. They are experienced business leaders with a proven track record of delivering new and organic growth opportunities, overseeing client services and strategic operations, and demonstrating acumen operating in highly complex and multidisciplinary environments. The Associate Vice President, Client Partner is responsible for helping to develop new opportunities in the North American market and delivering excellence across new contracts, as well as maintaining stability and strong partnerships with existing clients (ie. Opendoor, Walmart, OpenAI, etc.). Primary focus is on building client relationships and establishing new accounts; maintenance of existing accounts eventually delegated to team members. WHAT YOU’LL DO Business Leader-External • Partner and trusted advisor to senior clients. Client relies on the AVP, Client Partner to know all elements of their business, competition, and category to represent the client’s opinions and objectives within DEPT and to deliver innovative and creative solutions for the business. AVP, Client Partner builds and maintains strong relationships with C-suite executives from Top25 clients and beyond. • Sets a strategic vision for the business to deliver growth for Client and DEPT. Delivers an annual business plan for the account. Amplifies DEPT and DEPT Studios offerings to existing and new clients, positioning DEPT as a solution for their issues. • Constantly learning and understanding changes happening in culture, in technology, in commerce, and in content and how those changes are impacting the client’s business. Applies that knowledge to drive innovation with teams and partners, bringing fresh thinking and new solutions to the client’s business. Consistently delivers value add and thought-leadership to the client in these areas. • Engages a multi-disciplinary team across multiple solution areas to ensure work and processes are meeting/exceeding client expectations. • Understands end-to-end customer journey and proactively optimises the marketing ecosystem. Includes areas like data, tech, media content, and operations. • Acts as an escalation point for client issues and a key point of contact to the people and resources of DEPT for client opportunities. • Has strategic relationships at all levels within the client company. Is seen as a leader and trusted advisor, balancing company and client needs. • Creates best-in-class on-boarding for both agency team and clients; establishes clear ways of working and governance models for the business; monitors, maintains and reports on client satisfaction through formal review process. • Shares POVs and thought leadership, sees what’s next for the business and brings that perspective and plan to clients (future business review) • Understands key clients’ personal and career objectives and seeks out opportunities for elevating client within the industry and company. Business Leader—Internal • Influences the work internally and client perspective externally. Delivers creatively brilliant, innovative work that drives positive outcomes for the client’s business. • Keeps DEPT’s executive stakeholders aware of activity on the account. Regularly shares updates and status with DEPT Studio VPs, CEOs, and key senior executives. Reports on and drives success for Top25 clients. • Develops and maintains C-suite level relationships internally; confidently presents strategic plans and multi-year forecasts to them regularly. • In-depth knowledge of DEPT, Tools, and Tech and how they can be used to facilitate client outcomes. • Knows all scopes, commercial engagement models, and key players within DEPT and Client; fully understands DEPT Studios commercials and how individual clients fit within them. • Has an OneDEPT view as well as. single location/team perspective. Brings the best DEPT solutions to solve business challenges. • Upholds all global policies as they relate to the operations of the business; maintains the global brand, culture, and ethos • Communicates with DEPT Studio VPs, CEOs, and key senior executives on any escalation or financial issue; attends weekly finance and ops meeting with central Studios, Americas, or EMEA teams as necessary • Attends industry events and helps establish credibility and expertise with clients, prospects, potential candidates, and other agencies. Revenue and Growth • Protects and grows revenue. Works toward DEPT revenue goals, forecasting, and maintenance of organic growth pipeline for near- and long-term success. • Increases practice area penetration by introducing appropriate DEPT capabilities to solve client business challenges. • Leads proposals for new solutions, bringing appropriate talent and resources together from across the company appropriate to solving a particular business problem or challenge. Acts in a leadership capacity within the team and plays a key role in closing incremental business. Team Champion • Establishes and owns a clear system of governance and ways of working for client/DEPT • Knows and supports clients’ DEI goals. Establishes DEI metrics for account and implements strategies to meet KPIs. • Fosters a respectful team environment; champions and supports team members in their personal and career growth ambitions. • Demonstrates good judgement and emotional intelligence with their teams and encourages self-development by modeling the behaviour. WHAT YOU BRING • Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills. • Extensive account management and client partnership experience in a digital design environment. • Extensive experience managing large and complex projects and clients. • Excellent problem solving, organization, time management, and risk management skills. • Expert conflict resolution skills. • Enterprise experience partnering with clients at Fortune 500 companies • The ability to be self-directed and work in an ambiguous and dynamic environment. • Willingness to travel to client sites regularly • Experience working within and selling the following services: user-centric digital and integrated marketing; business transformation; digital products and services; design systems and branding at the intersection of content, content strategy and commerce solutions work. • Experience across strategic, omnichannel and production-based projects. • Experience managing $10 - $15M+ Portfolio and/or driving clients to enterprise relationships at $10 - $15M+ • Experience managing vendors/partners, partner agencies and entities to drive revenue success with Fortune 500 accounts. • Knowledge of current issues, trends and tools within ecommerce a