Client Engagement Manager

Thorndale Partners; Cleveland (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Thorndale Partners is looking for an Engagement Manager in Cleveland to lead product strategy and client engagements. You'll be responsible for maintaining the client relationship, overseeing product direction, and ensuring project deliverables meet high standards.

The ideal candidate will have strong communication skills and proficiency in AI tools, along with experience in product management or client consulting. The role emphasizes autonomy and accountability, enabling you to ensure successful outcomes for clients.

Qualifications

• Proven experience owning client engagements or products end to end.
• Strong communication skills for strategic and technical discussions.
• Proficient in utilizing AI tools for knowledge work.

Responsibilities

• Lead product discovery and define scope for development.
• Act as a co-creator and maintain the product backlog.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for clients.

Skills

Client engagement management

Product management

Strong communication

AI tools proficiency

Team collaboration

Job description

OVERVIEW: ENGAGEMENT MANAGER- AGENTIC AI

Thorndale Partners is seeking an Engagement Manager to act as the primary client-facing lead and product thinking authority on assigned engagements. You will own the client relationship from discovery through delivery, serving as additional product resource to define, shape, and steward the product vision. This role spans two equally important domains: product strategy and engagement operations. You will operate with the autonomy and accountability of a business owner, ensuring engagements remain healthy, deliverables meet high standards, and development teams have clear direction.

RESPONSIBILITIES: ENGAGEMENT MANAGER- AGENTIC AI

• Lead product discovery, including stakeholder interviews, user journey mapping, requirements gathering, and assumption testing.
• Act as a co-creator alongside clients by running ideation sessions, challenging initial assumptions, and translating business goals into actionable product direction.
• Define scope, document feature priorities, and establish measurable success criteria prior to development.
• Maintain the product backlog, making prioritization decisions based on user value, technical constraints, and business objectives.
• Ensure every decision made during development aligns with the established product vision.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for clients, communicating trade-offs honestly and setting clear expectations.
• Plan work and needed resources, facilitate client demos and retrospectives, and monitor budget health in real time.
• Work closely with the technical lead to ensure the development team has clear, prioritized work at all times.
• Perform quality reviews against the defined product vision to serve as a final check before deliverables reach the client.
• Contribute to internal delivery practices by identifying process gaps, suggesting improvements, and maintaining consistency.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: ENGAGEMENT MANAGER- AGENTIC AI

• Proven experience owning client engagements or products end to end, with direct accountability for the client relationship, product direction, and delivery outcomes.
• Backgrounds in product management, product ownership, or client-facing consulting are ideal.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to navigate strategic conversations with executive stakeholders and detailed technical discussions with technical leads.
• Proficiency in utilizing AI tools to accelerate and deepen knowledge work. This includes conducting competitive research, synthesizing interview notes, drafting user stories, and streamlining routine client communications.
• Comfort working closely with software development teams, reading technical conversations, and recognizing when technical decisions impact product outcomes.
• A proactive, ownership-oriented mindset.