Client Director

Collingwood; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Collingwood in London is seeking a Client Director to own commercial and operational success across the firm's most demanding client engagements. You will design delivery architectures, set milestones and resource mix, and stay accountable for it end-to-end.

You will lead senior relationships with founders, CEOs and boards, manage P&L, budget burn, and ensure scope discipline while translating strategic thinking into tangible value for ambitious B2B media businesses.

Qualifications

• Director level or above experience at a top-tier strategy or media consultancy or equivalent.
• Proven ability to lead complex client engagements: scoping, resourcing, governance, margin management.
• Experience managing CEO and board-level relationships.
• Deep knowledge of B2B media business models including subscriptions, memberships, digital media, events or marketing services.

Responsibilities

• Own the P&L for key engagements and protect scope, budget, and commercial discipline.
• Design delivery architecture at proposal stage with workstreams, milestones and resource mix.
• Stay accountable for end-to-end delivery and client outcomes.
• Lead senior client relationships with founders, CEOs and boards, translating strategy into value.

Skills

Director level experience

Client engagement leadership

CEO/board relationships

Media/B2B knowledge

Strategic planning

Job description

Summary

The Client Director works at the heart of our most complex client programmes - owning the commercial and operational success of each engagement while our Strategic Advisers focus on client strategy and value creation. This person owns complex, multi-workstream programmes end to end, protecting scope, budget, and commercial discipline, while making sure clients get the outcomes the engagements were designed to deliver.

The Client Director works at the heart of our most complex client programmes - owning the commercial and operational success of each engagement while our Strategic Advisers focus on client strategy and value creation. This person owns complex, multi-workstream programmes end to end, protecting scope, budget, and commercial discipline, while making sure clients get the outcomes the engagements were designed to deliver.

The opportunity

This is your opportunity to use your strategy consultancy background - likely at Director, Managing Director, or Partner level (or firm equivalent) from a top-tier strategy or media consultancy - in a model that goes further than traditional consulting. If you’ve found pure strategy work too detached from implementation and want to see your thinking translate into real outcomes for ambitious B2B media businesses, we’d love to hear from you.

What is the role?

You will take overall commercial responsibility for Collingwood’s most demanding client engagements. You’ll design the delivery architecture at proposal stage - defining workstreams, milestones, and the right resource mix - and stay accountable for it throughout. You’ll own the P&L, manage budget burn, and lead the scope change process when client needs evolve.

Senior client relationships come with the territory. You’ll be the primary commercial point of contact with founders, CEOs, and boards, bringing the structured thinking and rigour your background has built - applied to businesses where the work actually gets done.

Essential

About you

• Director level or above (or firm equivalent, e.g. Partner, Principal, Managing Director) experience at a top-tier strategy or media consultancy (e.g., McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Big 4, OC&C, FT Strategies, or similar), with a media or information sector focus
• Proven ability to lead complex client engagements: scoping, resourcing, delivery governance, and margin management
• Experienced in managing CEO and board-level relationships
• Deep knowledge of B2B media business models - with particular exposure to subscription or membership models alongside digital media, events, or marketing services
• Intellectually strong and structured; able to translate strategic thinking into granular workplans and commercial frameworks
• Drawn to an embedded, hands-on advisory model rather than arms-length strategy delivery

Attributes

• Proactive communicator; humility, empathy, and strong listening skills
• Persuasive and supportive; able to get clients to change their approach through collegiate and respectful negotiation
• A team worker who shares potential challenges with colleagues to find better solutions

Key Information

• Reports to: Chief Operating Officer
• Working location: London - hybrid (UK)
• Department: Advisory
• Hours: Full-time (part-time possible)