Client Success Manager

Link Creative; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Link Creative in Chicago, IL is seeking a proactive Client Success Manager to lead the Account Management team and oversee client delivery at scale. You will guide strategic client conversations, mentor Account Managers, and ensure workflows align with client objectives.

The role focuses on growth, retention, and delivering best-in-class service across our key accounts. This leadership position requires exceptional communication, meticulous attention to detail, and the ability to balance

Qualifications

• 5–8+ years in account management, client services, marketing, or PR within an agency.
• Experience leading and mentoring an Account Management team.
• Proven ability to manage high-value client relationships.
• Strong understanding of digital marketing channels and outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor Account Managers across client portfolios.
• Oversee client strategy, communications, and delivery quality.
• Maintain high delivery standards and fulfillment across accounts.
• Identify opportunities for growth, retention, and upsell.
• Coordinate with creative, production, paid media, and web teams.

Skills

Account leadership

Client relationship management

Strategic thinking

Digital marketing knowledge

Team mentorship

Job description

Client Success Manager – Client Strategy & Operations

Location: Chicago, IL

Type: Full-Time

Work Hours: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM CST

About Link Creative

At Link Creative, we’re committed to empowering businesses to reach their full potential through innovative digital marketing strategies. We see ourselves as more than just a service provider; we are a growth partner, constantly innovating and collaborating to help our clients achieve their business goals. We're dedicated to crafting solutions that not only meet immediate needs but also anticipate future challenges.

We blend the comprehensive expertise of an in-house marketing team with the dynamic adaptability of an external agency. This approach allows us to offer personalized services that are both effective and flexible, adapting to the ever-changing digital landscape. Our focus is on enhancing the online presence and building credibility for our clients, fostering long-term success. We utilize the latest tools and techniques to ensure our clients' brands stand out in a crowded marketplace.

At Link Creative we are dedicated to connecting our clients with their target audiences in innovative ways, enhancing their market presence, and achieving tangible results. Our clients' success is our priority, and we thrive on seeing them thrive. We embark on this journey of growth together, leveraging digital marketing to unlock new opportunities for our clients.

About the Role

We’re looking for an experienced, strategic, and highly organized Client Success Manager to serve as a leader within our Account Management team.

This role goes beyond traditional account management. The Client Success Manager will be responsible for overseeing the agency’s client delivery and fulfillment standards, leading and developing Account Managers, managing team workflows, guiding client strategy, and maintaining relationships with some of Link Creative’s most important and high-value clients.

The ideal candidate has 5–8+ years of experience in marketing, advertising, public relations, or a related agency environment and understands what it takes to deliver exceptional client service at scale. You should be equally comfortable leading a strategic client conversation, identifying gaps in internal workflows, coaching an Account Manager, reviewing deliverables for quality, and ensuring the agency is delivering against expectations.

This is a highly visible leadership role for someone who is naturally proactive, exceptionally communicative, detail-oriented, and capable of balancing the big picture with the smallest details.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead, mentor, and support Account Managers across their assigned client portfolios.
• Provide oversight and direction to Account Managers on client strategy, communication, workflows, and execution.
• Establish and maintain high standards for account management, client communication, and overall service delivery.
• Review account workflows and proactively identify opportunities to improve efficiency, communication, and client experience.
• Serve as a senior escalation point for complex client issues, challenges, and relationship management.
• Help Account Managers navigate client concerns, scope challenges, strategic decisions, and internal roadblocks.
• Foster accountability across the Account Management team and ensure ownership is clearly defined.

Client Strategy & Relationships

• Own and manage relationships with Link Creative’s most important and strategic clients.
• Lead high-level client strategy conversations, business reviews, ideation sessions, and key meetings.
• Develop a deep understanding of client businesses, goals, challenges, audiences, and competitive landscapes.
• Ensure agency strategies align with client objectives and translate into clear, actionable plans for internal teams.
• Proactively identify opportunities for client growth, retention, upselling, and expanded agency services.
• Build trusted, long-term relationships with key client stakeholders and decision-makers.
• Maintain a high level of professionalism, responsiveness, and strategic value across all client interactions.

Agency Delivery & Fulfillment

• Oversee agency-wide delivery standards across assigned accounts and Account Management teams.
• Ensure client scopes, deliverables, timelines, and expectations are being properly managed and fulfilled.
• Monitor account health and proactively address risks related to deadlines, quality, communication, scope, or client satisfaction.
• Work closely with Creative, Production, Paid Media, Web, and other internal teams to ensure successful execution.
• Quality-check strategic direction and client-facing deliverables to ensure they meet Link Creative’s standards.
• Ensure internal teams have the information, direction, timelines, and resources needed to execute successfully.
• Identify recurring fulfillment issues and develop solutions to improve agency-wide processes and standards.

Workflow & Operational Oversight

• Oversee workflows and project management systems across the Account Management teams.
• Ensure internal processes are being followed consistently and efficiently.
• Monitor client calendars, campaign schedules, deliverable timelines, and key dates.
• Help establish and refine systems, SOPs, and processes that improve team performance and client experience.
• Identify operational bottlenecks and work cross-functionally to resolve them.
• Maintain visibility into account workloads, priorities, deadlines, and team capacity.
• Ensure communication between Account Management and fulfillment teams remains clear, timely, and organized.

Reporting & Performance

• Oversee client reporting processes and ensure performance insights are communicated effectively.
• Review analytical and performance reports to ensure they provide meaningful insights and strategic value.
• Use performance data to inform client strategy and identify areas for improvement or growth.
• Ensure Account Managers are prepared to communicate results, recommendations, and next steps confidently to clients.

Qualifications

• 5–8+ years of experience in account management, client services, marketing, advertising, public relations, or a related agency environment.
• Previous experience leading, mentoring, or managing account management teams is strongly preferred.
• Proven experience managing high-value or strategic client relationships.
• Strong understanding of digital marketing, including social media, content marketing, paid media, websites, SEO, and/or creative production.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Highly organized with an exceptional attention to detail.
• Strong strategic thinking and business acumen.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, accounts, teams, and deadlines simultaneously.
• Confident leading executive-level client conversations and strategic meetings.
• Strong problem-solving skills with a proactive, solutions-oriented mindset.
• Ability to identify potential issues before they become client-facing problems.
• Experience with project management and workflow platforms such as Monday.com, Asana, Trello, or similar systems.
• Comfortable reviewing performance data, reporting, campaign strategy, and client deliverables.
• Ability to effectively collaborate across creative, production, paid media, web, and other agency functions.
• Ability to operate with a high level of accountability, ownership, and independence.

What We’re Looking For

A Leader. Someone who can lead Account Managers, establish expectations, create accountability, and elevate the quality of the entire client services function.

A Strategic Thinker. Someone who understands that great account management goes beyond completing tasks — it means understanding the client’s business and knowing how marketing can help them grow.

An Exceptional Communicator. Someone who can communicate clearly and confidently with clients, executives, and internal teams while ensuring everyone remains aligned.

A Detail-Oriented Operator. Someone who naturally catches what others miss, stays ahead of deadlines, and understands that strong systems and processes are critical to successful client delivery.

A Relationship Builder. Someone who can develop genuine, long-term relationships with clients and become a trusted strategic partner rather than simply another agency contact.

A Problem Solver. Someone who takes ownership, anticipates challenges, and finds solutions before problems escalator.

A High-Standard Operator. Someone who holds themselves, their team, and the agency accountable to a high standard of quality, communication, and client service.

Link Creative is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion or belief, sex, age, national origin, marital status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws.

Link Creative is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion, respect and integrity, customer focus, and innovation for individual and team success.

• For more information, please visit Link Creative: https://linkcreativeco.com/