This job listing expired on Sep 19, 2024
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Role: Client Services Director (fixed-term contract - maternity cover)

Location: London office & Remote working

Start date: 4th November 2024 - 4th August 2025

What we’re looking for:

In charge of the Client Services/Account Management team.

Reporting into the Head of Client Services and Operations, this leadership role ensures the highest level of service and satisfaction across all Waste clients, as well as converting qualified leads into long-term clients.

The CSD will pursue new ways to contribute to overall agency and client profitability via client servicing.

This role sits at the intersection of client services and growth (both business development and new business) while also working with finance and delivery heads.

This role has a seat on the Waste Council, made up of Waste Head of Departments and Directors.

As this is a maternity cover role, the start date will be 4th November 2024 and the end date of the fixed-term contract will be 4th August 2025.

The successful applicant will have:

  • Minimum 2 year experience in a CSD or Senior Leadership role, with a strong track record of building senior relationships and growing a portfolio of client accounts

  • Minimum 8 years proven creative agency experience, working with big brands and managing multiple clients or key stakeholders

  • Experience line-managing and leading a team of different experience levels and skill sets

  • Experience with entertainment clients, preferably gaming

  • Ability to plan, strategise and problem solve at a senior level

  • Passion for client satisfaction, building relationships that will weather any storms, and making decisions that are client-first

  • Excellent industry knowledge and a thirst for keeping that knowledge ahead of the curve

  • Ability to lead proposals and presentations articulately, with incredible brand knowledge, amiability and leadership

  • Awareness and love for the financials and an understanding of how to positively present project scopes and proposals to the client

  • As well as the knowledge and experience to interrogate budgets, you’ll have a strong grasp on budget tracking, forecasting and how that fits into the overall picture.

  • Enough confidence in your experience, knowledge and client relationships to overcome unforeseen challenges

  • Excellent communication skills with the ability to bring all teams together to get the job done and keep the client informed

  • Experience working with your clients to come up with new ideas and ways to develop their digital marketing

  • UK based

  • Excellent decision-maker that’s able to identify and prioritise what’s right for the agency

  • Highly proactive in finding opportunities for portfolio growth

  • Ability to proactively identify future challenges and risks in the portfolio and address them head-on

  • Confidence to resolve difficult client or team issues

  • Being kind, supportive and constructive to your team, helping them coach and develop along their career paths

  • Complete ownership over the portfolio of clients and the team

  • Strong team player who’s able to bring teams together, motivating and exciting them to work on the portfolio of clients

  • Leading discussions internally & contributing your views

Your duties will be to:

Client Services Team Management

  • Direct line management of Account Directors.

  • Develop the hiring strategy for client services alongside relevant heads

  • Oversee and assist with employee recruitment, training, performance evaluation, promotion, retention and termination activities

  • Ensure Account Director and other CS roles are defined and executed as such.

  • Supervise Client Service team to achieve the revenue goals

  • Oversee project and account level profitability reporting

  • Oversee capacity within the team

Client Relationship Development

  • Maintain positive, long-term and productive relationships with key clients.

  • Escalation point for all accounts

  • Oversee critical client negotiations for service contracts and costs

  • Develop and deliver client presentations and business proposals as needed alongside the relevant people/teams

  • Responsible for overall profitability of Strategy and Creative projects

  • Oversee and develop client documentations such as Master Service Agreements (MSAs) Service Level Agreements (SLAs), Statements of Work (SOWs) and Letters of Intent (LOIs).

Transformation and Change

  • Establish and maintain the Client Services standard of excellence

  • Develop process improvements to ensure client satisfaction, confidence, and lead generation

  • Conduct surveys, obtain direct client feedback, and recommend service improvements including structural changes if required

  • Working closely with the Head of Client Services and Operations in knowledge, best practice, and other intelligence sharing to improve our client service level, service offering and client onboarding.

New Business

  • Onboard new clients into the Client Services team

  • Onboard new business into the studio working closely with the relevant heads and ADs

  • Assist with the growth strategy for new business

  • Lead and oversee new business proposals

Business Development

  • Identify and develop new opportunities within existing clients to maximise account growth, alongside Account Directors

  • Determine the strategic direction and tone for all client accounts via Client Playbook sessions

  • Lead/oversee business development for current roster via Playbook sessions

  • Set revenue goals for current roster alongside the relevant people / teams

Management expectation

We put a lot of emphasis on the behaviour of all Wasters because of the impact it can have on the overall morale and culture of the company. It’s important to stress this is especially for people in positions with influence, like the senior management team. These are expectations that we believe to be fair and crucial in creating the best environment possible for our teams which in return will ensure the continued success of the business. We expect everyone but especially our leadership team to imbue the following qualities:

  • Be respectful

  • Inspire the team at any opportunity

  • Be positive and open minded

  • Be collaborative - reach out to fellow directors / confidants when dealing with difficult situations - we should share the good and the tough times

  • Have your team’s back - if a decision is made at an SMT level don’t discredit it outside

In return, you’ll get:

  • Waste shuts during the Christmas period ranging between 1 and 2 weeks with that time not being taken out of your regular holiday entitlement

  • Early-finish/late start Fridays in August & February

  • Christmas and summer parties you'll want to post about

  • Regular team outings and social events

  • Workplace pension

  • Cycle to work scheme

  • Birthdays off

  • Volunteer days

  • Access to Employee Assistant Programme (EAP)

  • Flexible start times

  • Group Life Assurance

  • Group Income Protection

  • Private Medical Insurance

  • A shiny new office, with a gaming area, plus regular events

About Waste

Waste is a fan-first creative agency, specialising in the gaming industry. We put fans & communities at the heart of everything we do. Our clients range from mobile gaming giants like Supercell to companies like EA, Nintendo, Riot Games, Ubisoft, Sega, and Zynga. We excel in player acquisition and retention, community-focused content creation, and marketing campaigns across different mediums. Our global team of 85+ specialists covers a broad spectrum of services, from strategy & creative to production, with physical offices in London and Tokyo.

Our company is guided by 'The Waste Way'—our core values—and an entrepreneurial spirit. Our innovative approach has earned us over 100 awards and recognitions, like Art Director’s Club, Clio, D&AD, and The Webby Awards. In addition to our work, we produce our own craft beer, Waste Pale Ale, run an animation production company, This Thing of Ours, and support UK-based gaming charity, SpecialEffect.

The Waste Way

Our culture is built on four pillars:

  1. Be Brave: We seek innovative solutions and embrace diverse thinking.

  2. Own Your Shit: We value action and empower our team to make things happen.

  3. Make it Better: We continuously strive for improvement in our work, agency, and ourselves.

  4. Be Kind: We believe in teamwork—we win, lose, and learn together.

How Wasters embrace Diversity & Equal Opportunity

Us Wasters are committed to diversity, equality and inclusion. For us diversity and inclusion are not just a tick-boxing activity, but a chance for us to make long-term meaningful change. A diverse workforce means that we’re able to unlock our ability to innovate, be creative, be better problem solvers and provide an inclusive environment for everyone and we encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.