Associate Vice President, Client Engagement

The Shipyard; Columbus (OH); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Open PTO

Flexible hours/remote work

Paid holidays + holiday closure

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Life insurance and disability benefits

401k with employer matching

Parental leave

Referral bonuses

Snacks and beverages

Job summary

The Shipyard in Columbus, OH is seeking an experienced Associate Vice President to lead client relationships and drive marketing programs with measurable impact.

You will serve as strategic and operational lead across a curated portfolio, focusing on economic development and public interest, partnering with cross-functional teams to deliver work and build trusted client relationships. This hybrid role requires onsite attendance in Columbus, OH on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Qualifications

• Experience leading integrated marketing engagements with rising strategic responsibility.
• Experience in economic development or public interest sectors, particularly within Ohio.
• Excellent listening, written and spoken communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to simplify complex ideas into compelling narratives for diverse audiences.
• Experience managing budgets, forecasting, scopes of work, and profitability.
• Comfortable working across multiple industries and quickly becoming fluent in complex subject matter.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day strategic and operational work for a portfolio of integrated client accounts.
• Build trusted relationships with client stakeholders.
• Lead client meetings, presentations, and planning sessions.
• Identify opportunities to create additional value for clients.
• Oversee cross-functional teams spanning strategy, creative, paid media, PR, analytics, digital, and program delivery.
• Translate complex business objectives into integrated marketing strategies and actionable plans.
• Ensure campaigns are cohesive and aligned to business goals.
• Explain sophisticated marketing recommendations clearly to diverse audiences.
• Manage account budgets, forecasting, scopes of work, and invoicing.

Skills

Integrated marketing

Economic development

Public sector experience

Stakeholder communication

Financial management

Cross-functional leadership

Strategic planning

Job description

The Shipyard is a leading, independentmarketing and communicationagency headquartered in Columbus, OH and San Diego, CA that brings together talented individuals across the creative, communications,mediaand digital landscape.

Uniquely designed to Engineer Brand Love through a unifying approach of paid, owned and earned channels, The Shipyard's family of brands works together to grow brands that audiencescan'thelp but love.

Fahlgren Mortine is one of those brands, an award-winning integrated communications agency built to Engineer Brand Love: creatingunshakable, emotionally resonant brands that consistently outperform expectations. We unify strategy, analytics,creative,mediaand communications to bridge the gap between brands and the people they serve.

Momentum is nothing without the people driving it. See who we are at https://theshipyard.com/culture before you hit apply!

SUMMARY

We're looking for an experienced Associate Vice President with economic development and/or public interest experience to lead client relationships and drive marketing programs that create measurable business impact.

This is an ideal role for an integrated marketer who thrives in complexity. You'll serve as the strategic and operational lead across a curated portfolio of client accounts with a specific emphasis on economic development and public interest, partnering with cross-functional teams to deliver exceptional work while building trusted client relationships.

Many of our clients operate in highly nuanced industries, including economic development, public sector, tourism, and public interest initiatives. Success in this role requires someone who can quickly understand complex subject matter, distill it into clear strategic recommendations, and help clients navigate challenging business opportunities.

This is a hybrid work from home/office position (in-office attendance isrequiredon Tuesdays & Thursdays) and the candidate must live nearColumbus, OH.

At The Shipyard, we know that it's your unique talents, backgrounds, and perspectives that make you who you are, just like our team, who come from various career paths and experiences. We believe we can't be truly diverse without bringing your most authentic self to the agency.

Studies show that people from marginalized communities may not always apply for positions if they don't meet every single requirement in a job posting. At The Shipyard, we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet all the requirements. We believe that your passion for what we stand for — our values and purpose — is just as important as meeting every checkbox.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Client Leadership
  • Serve as the day-to-day strategic and operational lead for a portfolio of integrated client accounts
  • Build trusted relationships with client stakeholders
  • Lead client meetings, presentations, and planning sessions
  • Anticipate client needs and identify opportunities to create additional value
• Integrated Marketing Leadership
  • Lead cross-functional teams spanning strategy, creative, paid media, PR and communications, social media, analytics, digital, and program delivery
  • Translate complex business objectives into integrated marketing strategies and actionable plans
  • Connect workstreams across disciplines to ensure campaigns are cohesive, effective, and aligned to business goals
  • Help clients understand sophisticated marketing recommendations through clear, concise communication
  • Bring clarity to ambiguity by simplifying complex topics into compelling recommendations and plans
• Business Management
  • Own account financial performance, including budgets management – tracking and reporting, forecasting and hours projections, scopes of work and invoicing
  • Partner closely with program delivery team to ensure work is delivered on time, on budget, and at a high standard
  • Balance multiple priorities while maintaining exceptional attention to detail
  • Identify opportunities for account growth and contribute to long‑term client success

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

• Demonstrated success leading integrated marketing engagements with increasing levels of strategic responsibility
• Experience in economic development or other public interest sectors, particularly within the state of Ohio
• Outstanding listening skills, written and spoken communication skills and presentation abilities
• Proven ability to simplify complex ideas into compelling, digestible narratives for diverse audiences
• Experience managing account financials, including budgets, forecasting, scopes of work, and profitability
• Comfortable working across multiple industries and quickly becoming fluent in complex subject matter

WHAT YOU’LL GET

• The overall target range of base compensation for this role is $100,000 - $115,000. Compensation offered will be determined by additional factors such as location and experience.
• Open PTO
• Flexible work hours and remote work
• Paid holidays + holiday closure between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day
• Company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Life insurance and disability benefits
• 401k program with employer matching
• 6 weeks paid parental leave
• Employee bonus referrals
• Company-provided snacks and beverages (yes, beer/wine included)
• … and lots more!

• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for visa sponsorship