Senior Director, Client Strategy Lead

twentysix; Hilversum; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 164,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

PTO & holidays

401k

Parental leave

Work-life balance

Career growth

DEI initiatives

Job summary

Monks in Hilversum seeks a Sr Director, Client Strategy Lead to steer strategic vision for key clients and grow engagements across Social, Search, Programmatic/Digital, and more. This role requires leading client relationships, guiding cross‑functional teams, and driving data‑driven insights for senior‑level stakeholders.

You will champion AI‑enabled planning workflows, develop go‑to‑market strategies, and mentor a multi‑disciplinary team to deliver high‑impact results across campaigns and

Qualifications

• 12+ years of industry experience focused on client service, media strategy and digital media.
• Eager to forge long‑term client partnerships fueled by curiosity, data‑driven strategies and brand‑performance outcomes.
• A master of digital and social media planning, activation and measurement, with strong full‑funnel fluency.
• Fluent in data and AI‑enabled tools, with the analytical rigor to separate signal from noise.
• Organized, with the ability to manage up and swing down as needed, and to spearhead initiatives across departments.
• Experienced in leading and managing growing teams in a high‑pressure, high‑volume environment.
• Not afraid to defect from the status quo in order to make our clients and company more successful.
• BA or equivalent with emphasis on marketing, advertising, or business.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the lead media point of contact with senior media client stakeholders.
• Maintain in-depth knowledge of the client's business, including strategic priorities, historical performance, and competitive threats and opportunities, to provide thought leadership and strategic POVs on behalf of the team.
• In partnership with the Group Business Lead, oversee the client's business: drive innovative results and challenge the norm while maintaining business continuity.
• Identify and pursue organic growth opportunities across Monks' full capability set; contribute to scope development and commercial planning for the account.
• Ensure senior media and agency leadership is proactively engaged in emerging client needs with regular, accurate updates on relationship health.
• Lead the development of all go‑to‑market strategies and integrated, full‑funnel media plans, informed by rich consumer and industry insights and connected to measurable outcomes.
• Champion AI‑enabled workflows across planning, insight generation and reporting, coaching the team on where and how to apply them.
• Oversee the output of the day‑to‑day team to ensure executional and performance excellence, including strategic support for junior team members.
• Ensure consistency and quality of response across all lines of business; lead internal and external status calls.
• Directly manage direct reports with oversight of daily performance for the larger team.
• Develop process improvements and best practices to ensure consistency, flexibility and efficiency in all outputs.

Skills

Client leadership

Media strategy

AI-enabled workflows

Data-driven storytelling

Team leadership

Stakeholder relationships

BA in marketing/business

Education

BA or equivalent in marketing/advertising/business

Tools

AI planning tools

Data analytics tools

Job description

Please note that we will never request payment or bank account information at any stage of the recruitment process. As we continue to grow our teams, we urge you to be cautious of fraudulent job postings or recruitment activities that misuse our company name and information. Please protect your personal information during any recruitment process. While Monks may contact potential candidates via LinkedIn, all applications must be submitted through our official website (monks.com/careers).

About the Role

The Media Strategy department is the strategic heart of Monks' media offering: a unified team bringing together deep expertise in media strategy, media planning, and account management. We build integrated, full-funnel media strategies that connect brand storytelling to measurable business outcomes, powered by AI-enabled workflows and analytical rigor.

The Sr Director, Client Strategy Lead is the senior strategic and relationship lead for one or more of Monks' most valuable clients: accountable for the strategic vision of the account, the strength of the client partnership and the growth of the engagement. This requires:

• World‑class ability to build client and platform relationships

• An exceptional track record of managing and growing business

• Fearless ability to tell data‑driven stories and extract key insights for senior‑level clients

• Deep, full‑funnel understanding of the media landscape across Social, Search, Programmatic/Digital Investment, Holistic Video, OOH, and Direct Partnerships.

• Experience managing and stewarding career growth for a multi‑disciplinary team (Sr

Responsibilities:

Client Leadership

• Serve as the lead media point of contact with senior media client stakeholders.

• Maintain in-depth knowledge of the client's business, including strategic priorities, historical performance, and competitive threats and opportunities, to provide thought leadership and strategic POVs on behalf of the team.

• In partnership with the Group Business Lead, oversee the client's business: drive innovative results and challenge the norm while maintaining business continuity.

• Identify and pursue organic growth opportunities across Monks' full capability set; contribute to scope development and commercial planning for the account.

• Ensure senior media and agency leadership is proactively engaged in emerging client needs with regular, accurate updates on relationship health.

Strategic & Team Leadership

• Lead the development of all go‑to‑market strategies and integrated, full‑funnel media plans, informed by rich consumer and industry insights and connected to measurable outcomes.

• Champion AI‑enabled workflows across planning, insight generation and reporting, coaching the team on where and how to apply them.

• Oversee the output of the day‑to‑day team to ensure executional and performance excellence, including strategic support for junior team members.

• Ensure consistency and quality of response across all lines of business; lead internal and external status calls.

• Directly manage direct reports with oversight of daily performance for the larger team.

• Develop process improvements and best practices to ensure consistency, flexibility and efficiency in all outputs.

Relationship Management

• Build relationships with top media platform partners and oversee client JBP activation.

• Ensure the team engages key media partners and delivers timely, thoughtful client recommendations grounded in strategy and data.

• Manage effective cross‑agency partnership relationships (creative and media).

About You

The essentials:

• 12+ years of industry experience focused on client service, media strategy and digital media.

• Eager to forge long‑term client partnerships fueled by curiosity, data‑driven strategies and brand‑performance outcomes.

• A master of digital and social media planning, activation and measurement, with strong full‑funnel fluency.

• Fluent in data and AI‑enabled tools, with the analytical rigor to separate signal from noise.

• Organized, with the ability to manage up and swing down as needed, and to spearhead initiatives across departments.

• Experienced in leading and managing growing teams in a high‑pressure, high‑volume environment.

• Not afraid to defect from the status quo in order to make our clients and company more successful.

• BA or equivalent with emphasis on marketing, advertising, or business.

At Monks, we believe in fostering an environment where a diversity of perspectives can thrive. We proactively work to design hiring processes that promote equity and inclusion while mitigating bias. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome and encourage qualified applicants, from all backgrounds, who are excited to contribute to our mission.

This role is subject to our Return to Office (RTO) policy. If you reside within a commutable distance of one of our office locations, you will be expected to work from the office a set number of days per week. The specific details, including the number of required office days, will be in accordance with the company’s then-current RTO policy, which is subject to change from time to time.

What We Offer

Benefits

• Excellent, full coverage medical, dental, and vision insurance - more about our coverage here!

• Generous PTO and 15 company‑wide holidays

• 401k with company contribution

• Paid parental leave

• Work‑life balance with an emphasis on personal well‑being

• Career growth in a disruptor space & entrepreneurial opportunities within the Monks network

• A globally diverse & inclusive culture with employee resource groups such as S4 Melanin, Pride.Monks, Cultura.Monks, and more!

• Authentic commitment to DEI efforts and sustainable growth. (Why Sir Martin Sorrell signed The Climate Pledge here!)

This role is subject to our Return to Office (RTO) policy. If you reside within a commutable distance of one of our office locations, you will be expected to work from the office a set number of days per week. The specific details, including the number of required office days, will be in accordance with the company’s then-current RTO policy, which is subject to change from time to time.

Monks has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what Monks may pay for the position at the time of posting. Monks may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on job‑related factors, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.

Salary Range: $139,000—$190,000 USD

Monks is the global, digital‑first, data‑driven, unitary operating brand of S4 Capital plc. With a legacy of innovation and specialized expertise, Monks combines an extraordinary range of global Marketing and Technology Services to redefine how brands interact with the world. Through Monks.Flow, its flagship AI ecosystem for marketing orchestration, Monks transforms marketing into a growth engine, collapsing timelines and connecting brands to culture in real time. By deploying bespoke intelligent agents across disciplines and delivering culturally relevant, high‑impact creative and digital solutions, Monks solves key critical business challenges across the entire brand enterprise to help brands sustain long‑term impact.

Monks was named a Contender in The Forrester Wave™: Global Marketing Services, ranks among Cannes Lions’ Top 10 Creative Companies (2022-25) and remains the only partner featured in AdExchanger’s Programmatic Power Players list every year (2020‑24). Named Adweek’s first AI Agency of the Year (2023) and The One Show’s inaugural AI Pioneer Organization, Monks was also awarded Business Intelligence Group’s 2025 Excellence in Artificial Intelligence Award in both the Organizational and AI Product categories. As a trusted partner to cutting‑edge innovators in tech, Monks earned titles such as Optimizely Experimentation Partner of the Year (2025), runner‑up for the Adobe Firefly Partner Award (2024), and Workato’s AI Visionary Customer Impact Award (2024). Additionally, Monks achieved a record‑breaking number of FWAs and continues to hold the most of any partner.

We are an equal‑opportunity employer committed to building a respectful and empowering work environment for all people to freely express themselves amongst colleagues who embrace diversity in all respects. Including fresh voices and unique points of view in all aspects of our business not only creates an environment where we can all grow and thrive but also increases our potential to produce work that better represents—and resonates with the world around us.