Senior Client Partner
Location: NYC
Client Services at DE-YAN owns the full arc of the client relationship—its growth, sustainability, and success. Quality of work, quality of relationships, and quality of outcomes are non-negotiable.
The Senior Client Partner is a senior leadership role accountable for the studio's largest anchor accounts or a strategic multi-account portfolio, often spanning multiple regions or business units. As the most senior client-facing relationship lead outside of the VP, you set the standard for what great looks like across every touchpoint — and you're looked to by other Client Partners as a model for how the role should be done.
Day-to-day, the Senior Client Partner leads a team of Client Partners, Client Managers, Client Directors, and Client Coordinators, while working in close partnership with producers and project managers to keep work moving at the highest level. Reporting to the VP of Client Services, you carry direct responsibility for the studio's largest net revenue targets, profitability, and the kind of client satisfaction that turns engagements into long-term, multi-year partnerships. You also play a key role in shaping Client Services strategy and mentoring the next generation of account leadership.
What you’ll do
- Own strategic account growth across the studio's largest and most complex accounts, driving cross-functional alignment around ideas and experiences that consistently exceed client expectations and business objectives
- Set overall relationship strategy and lead account planning in partnership with VP Client Services, Executive Leadership Team (ELT), and project teams to achieve and exceed annual net revenue targets
- Own portfolio revenue pipeline across multiple accounts or Client Partners, with full accountability for accuracy, forecasting, and currency at a studio-wide level
- Partner with the CFO on financial discipline — rigorous forecasting, accurate accounting, and clean revenue recognition across a larger, more complex portfolio
- Set the tone for DE-YAN's hands-on culture of making; lead by example and from the front
- Cultivate and expand executive-level relationships within client organizations, building trust that compounds over time and anchors the studio's most strategic partnerships
- Lead the structuring, negotiation, and closing of the studio's most significant client agreements in partnership with VP Client Services, CFO, and ELT — protecting both net revenue and work quality
- Identify and propose needs clients may not yet recognize, ensuring approaches and solutions align with their objectives and strategic goals
- Manage client expectations at the executive level, ensure delivery of highest-quality work, and remain receptive to client feedback
- Partner with production and resource management to ensure all work across the portfolio is planned, staffed, and executed with precision
- Lead the studio's highest-stakes pitch development end-to-end — from RFP through win, including MSA and contract negotiations
- Craft and present well-positioned, strategic proposals and solutions with excellent presentation, verbal, and written communication skills
- Mentor and develop Client Partners and other account leadership, helping build bench strength across Client Services
- Partner with VP Client Services and ELT to help shape Client Services strategy, structure, and best practices studio-wide
- Serve as an escalation point for the most complex or high-stakes client situations across the portfolio
What you’ll bring
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience
- 15+ years of combined experience across agencies, brands, or creative studios, with deep expertise in client services, account leadership, or business development
- 8+ years leading senior client-facing teams with direct P&L accountability, including experience managing other account leaders
- Demonstrated track record managing $10MM+ in annual client revenue across one or more accounts, and consistently delivering against or exceeding net revenue targets
- Executive-level relationship skills — fluent in the language of C-suite stakeholders and capable of driving alignment across complex organizations
- Deep understanding of current brand, marketing, and creative industry trends
- Established, extensive network of industry contacts across client organizations and the broader creative ecosystem
- Proven experience mentoring and developing senior client-facing talent
- A genuine passion for building teams, culture, and community
- Exceptional judgment, strategic thinking, and stakeholder management capabilities
Apply for this role
One form, one resume, optional cover letter. We will respond as soon as possible.
