Client Engagement Lead - US

Very LLC; New York (NY); Remote; USD 145,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Base salary $145k–$175k

Performance bonus up to 20%

401(k) match

Cell phone & internet stipend

Home office stipend

Annual team retreat

Paid parental leave

MacBook Pro loaned

Job summary

Very is a fully distributed technology firm delivering client engagements with measurable business value. As Engagement Lead you will own 1–3 client relationships, ensuring profitable outcomes and growth, while collaborating with delivery teams.

You’ll balance client trust, technical delivery, and business development, travel within the US when needed, and write Statements of Work. This remote-first role rewards strong communication and a track record in client services.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (or equivalent hands-on experience)
• Strong technical fluency to translate client needs into actionable scope
• 5+ years in client services, technical program management, or delivery-facing role in tech
• Demonstrated experience owning client relationships
• Ability to write and negotiate Statements of Work independently
• Experience managing project budgets and financial indicators
• Excellent written and verbal communication, able to present to executives

Responsibilities

• Own 1–3 client engagements at a time ensuring profitable outcomes
• Maintain client trust and understand stakeholders' business
• Drive alignment between client expectations and delivery
• Escalate issues early with recommendations
• Own profitability, monitor burn, flag risks
• Write and negotiate Statements of Work for new phases
• Identify expansion opportunities within accounts
• Participate in the sales process for new opportunities
• Ensure delivery health across engagements
• Coach team members on client services best practices

Skills

Client relationships

Negotiation

Communication

Pre-sales experience

IoT awareness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or equivalent

Job description

About Very

Very is a fully distributed technology firm led by expert problem-solvers who create efficient, scalable solutions that move commercial, industrial, and consumer products from pilot to production in record time.We believe that real innovation happens in the grind , working shoulder to shoulder with clients who are building the future. Our team thrives on that energy. When we’re not helping clients deliver business-critical outcomes, we’re refining our craft and celebrating what it means to do hard things well.We’ve built a collaborative, tight-knit culture that thrives in both remote and in-person settings. We’ve won numerous workplace awards over the years, including Great Place to Work certification and recognition from Parity.org as a Best Company for Women to Advance.Our clients include well-known brands like Vizio, Peloton, Clear, iHeart Radio, and Fellowes — all determined to leverage connected devices and AI to drive meaningful impact. Our job is simple: help them win.

About this role

The Engagement Lead is a distinct career track at Very — separate from engineering and program management — built around a single accountability: the outcome of the client engagement. PMs run the machine. Engagement Leads own the outcome. This is a client-facing, commercially-minded role. You will personally own 1–3 active client relationships at a time, ensuring that Very is delivering real business value, that engagements are healthy and profitable, and that clients are growing with us. You will operate at high billability (60–80%), meaning you are not overhead — you are contributing directly to the work while simultaneously holding the altitude of the overall engagement. You will sit at the intersection of client trust, technical delivery, and business development. The best Engagement Leads are builders who have learned to sell, or sellers who have learned to build — people who are as comfortable writing a Statement of Work as they are reviewing a sprint report. We're remote-first, but travel within the US is part of the job — show up in person when it strengthens client relationships & deliverables.

What you’ll own

• Client Relationship & Outcomes
• Serve as the primary relationship owner for 1–3 client engagements simultaneously
• Maintain client trust at the working level — know your stakeholders, understand their business, and be the person they call when something feels off
• Drive alignment between client expectations and what Very can actually deliver
• Escalate early and with a recommendation — never let a problem become a surprise
• Commercial Ownership
• Own the profitability of your engagements — understand margin, monitor burn, and proactively flag risk
• Write and negotiate Statements of Work for new phases and follow-on engagements
• Identify expansion opportunities within existing accounts and close them
• Participate in the sales process for new opportunities — Very's best Engagement Leads are part of the commercial motion
• Delivery Health
• Accountable for the health of delivery on your engagements — scope, schedule, and quality
• Make tradeoff calls with confidence; bring options, not just problems
• On smaller engagements (≤ $250–400K, single workstream, small team): run the cadence yourself — standups, sprint planning, milestone reviews
• On larger engagements: partner with a PM who runs execution; you shift altitude to steering, scope management, and client strategy
• Team & Culture
• Coach team members on what it means to work in a client services organization — communication, expectation management, escalation
• Model the standard for how Very engages with clients

What success looks like

• In the first 90 days: Named as engagement owner on at least one active client; client and internal team know you own it
• Strong working relationships established with key client stakeholders
• Reporting consistently in Program Tactical; no surprises to leadership
• In year one: 80%+ of clients renew or expand under your ownership
• At least one new SOW written and closed without direct leadership involvement
• Engagements you own are consistently at or below budget with healthy margins
• Your clients would call you first — not Very leadership — when they have a concern or an idea

Qualifications

• Required
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (or equivalent hands‑on experience) and time spent working as a practicing engineer earlier in your career
• Technical fluency sufficient to earn the respect of engineering teams and translate client needs into actionable scope
• 5+ years of experience in client services, technical program management, or a delivery-facing role at a technology consulting or product company
• Demonstrated experience owning client relationships — not just supporting them
• Ability to write and negotiate Statements of Work independently
• Experience managing project budgets and financial indicators
• Excellent communication skills — written, verbal, and in the room; able to present to executives and lead difficult conversations
• Experience with IoT, connected hardware, or complex technical product development strongly preferred
• Strongly Preferred
• Background in electronics hardware, firmware, or embedded systems product development
• History of working directly with contract manufacturers
• Experience in a pre-sales or solutions engineering capacity
• 3+ years in a consultancy or client services environment

Skills We Look For in Every Lead-Level Role

Communicates Effectively: Expert-level communication across audiences. Can negotiate for positive outcomes on projects of any complexity. Leans into hard conversations.

Owns the Room: Independently resets tone when engagements drift. Decisive, direct, and respectful when recommending a different path.

Builds Others Up: Teaches best practices; grows the capabilities of the team around them.

Estimates Well: Produces accurate scoping and SOW estimates. Uses experience to pressure-test team estimates.

Runs Agile Cleanly: Knows how to break work into tickets, sprints, and epics. Holds teams to rhythm without being bureaucratic.

Compensation & Benefits

Base Compensation: $145,000 – $175,000 commensurate with experience. Variable Compensation: Up to 20% performance bonus in year one. Perks & Benefits: 401(k) match $200-$250/month cell phone + internet stipend (monthly amount based on level) $600/year home office stipend Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance Paid parental leave (95th percentile in the U.S.) Professional development stipend Loaned MacBook Pro Annual team retreat

Why Work for Very

We do not promise an easy ride — we promise meaningful work. We work hard because our clients’ success depends on it, and we take pride in delivering when others can’t. We collaborate closely, move fast, and stay grounded in results. We take joy in the process — in the problem-solving, the iteration, and the shared wins that come from doing the hard things well. If you’re looking for a place where every project matters, where the standards are high, and where you’ll grow by pushing yourself and others — welcome to Very.

Interviewing for a new company is a serious time commitment for all parties involved. Please take the time to read this and thoughtfully consider if we would be a good fit for one another.

No contractors or agencies. Seriously.

Note: To qualify for this role, you must reside within the region posted.

Note: This role requires the ability to travel within the US as needed for client engagements.

We do not provide visa sponsorship.