Senior Client Manager (Maternity Leave Contract)

JDO Global; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fri-yays — studio closure

Birthday day off

End-of-year studio closure

Employee Assistance Programme

Nursery scheme

Job summary

JDO UK is seeking a Senior Client Manager to lead client partnerships from our London studio, balancing strategic thinking with delivery excellence. You’ll guide multi-workstream projects, build trust with clients and shape brand work that is both creatively outstanding and commercially sharp.

This role offers hybrid working, 40 hours a week, and responsibilities spanning growth, mentoring and financial governance.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in client services within a creative agency environment.
• Experience leading project delivery from brief to execution.
• Strong relationship-building with senior clients.
• Experience in forecasting, scoping and budget management.
• Previous line management or mentoring is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex client projects with strategic clarity and creative care.
• Identify growth opportunities and support pitches and proposals.
• Build trusted relationships with mid- to senior-level clients.
• Manage resourcing, workflows and internal reviews for quality and pace.
• Monitor profitability and scope across projects; forecast budgets.
• Mentor juniors and model effective leadership.

Skills

Client management

Project coordination

Budget forecasting

Team leadership

Mentoring

Job description

Job Description

Based out of our London studio, you’ll be at the heart of our client partnerships, driving projects with clarity and ambition while inspiring teams to deliver their best work. You’ll balance strategic thinking with seamless execution, building trust with clients and shaping brand design that’s both creatively outstanding and commercially sharp.

Who You Are

You’re a calm and capable force within the team, leading with clarity, care and a strong sense of ownership. You manage multiple workstreams with precision, and you’re trusted to make sound decisions that balance client ambition with JDO’s creative and commercial needs. You’re becoming known as someone who brings others with them through your communication, consistency and deep commitment to doing things well. Everything you do reflects our Promise & Belief – not just in the quality of your work, but in the energy and intention behind it.

Responsibilities

• Client partnership Lead complex projects and multi-workstream accounts with strategic clarity and creative care. You’re across the detail but not stuck in it; guiding the team and client toward great work by creating structure, spotting risks and holding the bigger picture.
• Business growth Identify organic growth opportunities within your accounts by listening deeply, connecting needs to capability and proposing value with confidence. You support the creation of pitch responses, scopes and proposals that are sharp, commercial and inspiring.
• Client relationship management Build trusted relationships with mid- to senior-level client contacts. You’re a confident communicator who listens well, adapts quickly and helps turn challenge into progress. Clients see you as a safe pair of hands and a thoughtful partner.
• Project management & operational excellence You bring sharp operational control to your accounts, running resourcing, workflows and internal reviews in ways that enable quality and pace. You’re trusted to run the engine smoothly and you make the process feel seamless to those inside and outside the studio.
• Commercial acumen Monitor profitability and scope across multiple projects. You understand how to forecast, manage budgets and avoid scope creep, and you help others do the same. You use commercial tools not just to protect the work, but to empower it.
• Team leadership & mentoring You mentor juniors through your feedback, your clarity and your consistency. You know when to support, when to stretch and how to model great leadership behaviours. You create space for others to grow while staying accountable for the outcomes.

What This Role Looks Like In Practice

• This is a fixed-term contract from 4th January 2027- 24th December 2027 with potential to become a permanent role dependent on business needs.
• The right candidate must be prepared to work across tobacco, oil, and alcohol categories.

Experience

• 5+ years in client services within a creative agency environment, with solid exposure to brand design, campaigns or packaging.
• Proven ability to manage mid-to-large client accounts with confidence, clarity and commercial awareness.
• Experience leading project delivery from brief to execution, ensuring work is on time, on scope and on budget.
• Strong relationship-building skills, with a track record of being a trusted partner to senior clients.
• Familiarity with financial processes including forecasting, scoping and budget management.
• Previous line management or mentoring experience is a plus, showing ability to support and develop junior team members.

LOCATION AND FLEXIBILITY

Full-time (40 hours per week), with 3 days per week in the London office.

WHY WORK WITH US?

Alongside a competitive salary, we offer benefits designed to support rest, wellbeing, creativity and life outside work.

• Fri-yays, where our studios close on the last Friday of the month.
• A day off on your birthday.
• Our end-of-year studio closure.
• An Employee Assistance Programme.
• A workplace nursery scheme to help with the cost of childcare.

We’re looking for a confident, collaborative and commercially aware Senior Client Manager. If you’re someone who builds strong relationships, brings clarity to delivery and inspires belief in the work, we’d love to hear from you.

JDO UK

JDO UK is home to two creative hubs: our headquarters in the historic heart of Royal Tunbridge Wells and our central London studio. Each of us is based at one location, but we work as one team; sharing ideas, collaborating across disciplines and supporting each other to deliver our strongest work. Moving between the two studios gives us fresh perspectives and new energy, while helping ideas cross-pollinate. We’re part of JDO’s international network of designers, brand strategists and client partnership experts, partnering with some of the world’s most loved and influential brands. Our work spans brand and creative strategy, packaging and product design, innovation and sustainability, and experiential and campaign activation. Whatever the brief, we create brand worlds that connect, inspire and stay relevant in an ever-changing landscape.

About Us

Independent. International. Indispensable.

JDO is an award-winning design agency, expertly helping brands deliver on their promises by creating experiences people can see, feel, and believe.

With boundless creativity and craftsmanship, we craft identities and brand worlds that drive success. Partnering with visionaries and disruptors alike, we turn brand promises into powerful belief.

Our promise to every member of our team is a career that matters. One where your talent is recognised, your growth is supported, and your individuality is celebrated.

Be part of a team that brings energy, generosity and craft into every room – and shows up for each other, every single day. Together, we design for distinction, push boundaries and stay curious, always seeking a better way.

We believe creativity thrives on diversity – of background, identity, experience and thought. We’re committed to building a workplace where everyone feels safe, seen and supported to grow.