Client Director

DE-YAN; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

DE-YAN is seeking a Client Director to bridge our client partners and the creative and production teams. You will build deep understanding of client business, ambitions, and challenges, translating them into opportunities and guiding projects from concept to delivery.

You will lead relationships, define strategy, surface growth opportunities, manage revenue and profitability, and mentor account teams to deliver best-in-class outcomes.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in client services, account leadership, or strategic partnership roles within an agency, studio, or creative production environment.
• Proven track record managing multi-million dollar client revenue and complex engagements.
• Strong ability to translate client needs into strategic, creative, and operational actions.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior day-to-day relationship lead on assigned key accounts, acting as a trusted partner to client stakeholders
• Help own the account plan and long-term vision for each client relationship, defining strategy, goals, and growth opportunities
• Identify and surface emerging client needs and translate them into solutions aligned with business objectives
• Build and deepen relationship networks within client organizations across teams and units
• Lead commercial conversations on SOWs and scope discussions with cross-functional partners
• Drive achievement of account-level revenue, margin, and profitability targets
• Lead and mentor Client Managers and supporting account team members
• Foster a culture of excellence, accountability, and collaboration across cross-functional project teams
• Represent DE-YAN externally with clients and industry peers

Skills

Client leadership

Strategic partnership

Account management

Financial acumen

Stakeholder management

Creative briefs

SOWs

Job description

The Client Director is the connective thread between our clients and the teams at DE-YAN. They build a deep understanding of the client’s business, ambitions, and challenges, and use that perspective to help shape where the partnership can go next. They lead the relationship from the big picture to the day-to-day — bringing the right teams together, creating alignment, navigating challenges, and making sure great ideas have what they need to become great work.

Above all, they build trust. They are someone clients turn to for perspective and teams rely on for clarity — always looking ahead to what’s next and how we can continue to create meaningful work together.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Client Leadership & Strategy

• Serve as the senior day-to-day relationship lead on assigned key accounts, acting as a trusted partner to client stakeholders
• Help own the account plan and long-term vision for each client relationship, partnering with Client Services leadership to define strategy, goals, and growth opportunities
• Identify and surface emerging client needs — including those clients may not yet recognize — and translate them into solutions aligned with their business objectives
• Build and deepen relationship networks within client organizations, expanding our presence across teams and business units
• Anticipate risks before they surface and resolve issues with clarity and diplomacy

Revenue & Business Operations

• Help own the revenue pipeline for assigned accounts, ensuring accuracy and pipeline health at all times
• Lead commercial conversations on SOWs and scope discussions, partnering with VP Client Services, finance, and legal on more complex agreements
• Drive achievement of annual account-level net revenue, margin, and profitability targets
• Identify and lead organic growth opportunities, supporting sustainable, multi-year relationship expansion
• Partner with finance and operations on account profitability, scope-to-budget alignment, and resource forecasting
• Champion the work — protecting the creative ambition of every project while ensuring it lands strategically and commercially
• Partner closely with ECDs, CDs, and Strategy leads to ensure the creative output is best-in-class and aligned with client objectives
• Work alongside production and resource management teams to ensure projects are staffed appropriately, scoped accurately, and delivered to the highest standard
• Bring strategic clarity to creative reviews, helping shape direction and elevate the work
• Lead and mentor Client Managers and supporting account team members
• Foster a culture of excellence, accountability, and collaboration across cross-functional project teams
• Help recruit and develop strong client services talent
• Set the tone for how the studio shows up with clients — confident, prepared, generous, and unmistakably DE-YAN

New Business & Studio Contribution

• Lead and support new business pitches for assigned clients and broader studio opportunities
• Craft and present strategically positioned proposals with excellent verbal and written communication
• Contribute to studio-wide capabilities development and positioning
• Represent DE-YAN externally with clients, industry peers, and at relevant events

REQUIREMENTS

• 8+ years of experience in client services, account leadership, or strategic partnership roles within an agency, studio, or creative production environment
• Proven track record managing $2-5MM in net client revenue, with strong financial and commercial acumen
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary creative engagements from strategy through to delivery
• Demonstrated ability to grow client relationships from project-based engagements into longer-term partnerships
• Strong creative instincts — you don't make the work, but you know what good looks like, and you protect it
• Comfortable navigating SOWs, scope conversations, and commercial frameworks
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills — able to articulate vision, strategy, and creative ideas with clarity and conviction
• Experience leading and mentoring account team members, with a reputation for developing talent
• Calm under pressure, with sharp judgment and the ability to navigate complex stakeholder dynamics
• Collaborative leader who understands that great ideas come from anywhere — and creates the conditions for them to surface
• Experience working across experiential, brand, content, or integrated campaigns preferred