Senior Director Client Services, Brand Commerce

Propelis; Cincinnati (OH); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Propelis in a hybrid model across major markets seeks a Senior Director Client Services to own growth strategies for a global client group. You will manage executive relationships and drive portfolio performance by coordinating across AI-enabled production, retail media networks, and commerce technology. This role requires leading multi-level teams and shaping long-term client opportunities. The position blends strategic leadership with hands-on client stewardship and cross-functional alignment.

Qualifications

• Education: bachelor’s degree and 10+ years of experience in related roles.
• 5+ years leading commerce/eCommerce/shopper or retail media accounts at senior level.
• P&L ownership of $10M+ client scope including retainers and outcome-based models.
• Fluency in the digital shelf: PDP optimization, taxonomy and data quality.
• Direct experience with retail media networks and budget defense in client orgs.

Responsibilities

• Own executive-level client relationships and advise on growth strategies.
• Develop long-term growth plans to drive retention, expansion and portfolio performance.
• Translate client priorities into actionable growth opportunities across capabilities.
• Lead growth strategy, account planning, forecasting, contracts and renewals.
• Lead strategic reviews and major opportunities across assigned accounts.
• Anticipate trends, bring ideas, and create value for clients.
• Drive organic growth through Marks, SGK and partner capabilities.
• Act as client ambassador aligning stakeholders around priorities.
• Shape integrated client plans with Strategy, Creative and Digital teams.
• Champion creative excellence, strategic thinking and innovation.
• Mentor emerging client leaders and guide teams to targets.
• Maintain industry expertise to strengthen partnerships and growth.
• Own commerce growth agenda connecting brand, content, and activation.
• Define scopes with content production, asset syndication and optimised retainers.
• Translate retailer and platform changes into client roadmaps.
• Partner on measurement/attribution turning deliverables into outcomes.
• Present AI-enabled production and agentic workflows with governance.
• Maintain partnerships with retailers and commerce technology for joint value.

Skills

Executive presence

Strategic client leadership

P&L management

Retail media networks

AI governance & enabled production

Team leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

PIM

DAM

Content syndication

Retail media reporting tools

Job description

The Senior Director Client Services, Brand Commerce owns and manages a client group across the connected commerce landscape, in partnership with the Global Programme Lead/Senior Director Project Management (and alongside Creative, Strategy and Commerce Leaders) in order to drive revenue and margin growth. Building deep and broad relationships across brand, eCommerce, shopper and media stakeholders in the client organization while mapping a future for the business in 1-3 year time-frames. Growing the portfolio of clients and diversifying work across Marks capabilities, with specific accountability for extending client relationships into digital shelf, retail media, marketplace and agentic commerce work. Through strategic client leadership, commercial stewardship and deep collaboration across programme, creative, strategy and commerce teams, the Senior Director Client Services shapes long-term client growth, strengthens executive relationships and drives sustainable portfolio performance in a market where brand equity and transactional performance are now measured in the same conversation.

This is a hybrid position location in Chicago, New York City, or Toronto.

1. Role Scope

Geographic Scope: Global

Revenue / P&L Responsibility : Accountable for the strategic growth, commercial health and long-term development of an assigned client group, including organic growth, EBITDA, client retention and expansion of Marks capabilities.

Number of Clients / Sites / Units Managed: Assigned Group of Clients. This can change with need

2. Key Accountabilities

• Own executive-level client relationships and serve as a trusted strategic advisor to key stakeholders.
• Develop and execute long-term client growth strategies that drive retention, expansion and portfolio performance.
• Translate client priorities into actionable growth opportunities that expand Marks' capabilities and share of spend.
• Lead client growth strategy and commercial planning, including account planning, forecasting, contracts (MSA) and renewals
• Lead strategic business reviews, growth planning and major pitch opportunities across assigned accounts.
• Anticipate emerging client, market and industry trends, proactively bringing ideas and solutions that create value.
• Drive organic growth and new business opportunities through the full breadth of Marks, SGK and partner capabilities.
• Act as the client ambassador within the business, aligning stakeholders around client priorities and strategic objectives
• Partner with Programme, Creative and Strategy leaders to shape integrated client growth plans and business opportunities.
• Champion creative excellence, strategic thinking and innovation across the portfolio.
• Mentor and elevate emerging client leaders through knowledge sharing, coaching and commercial guidance. Motivate, inspire and teach down.
• Maintain industry expertise and competitive awareness to strengthen client partnerships and business growth.
• Own the commerce growth agenda for the assigned client group, connecting brand creative, packaging, digital shelf content, retail media and in-store activation into a single client plan.
• Build and defend commerce scopes tied to outcomes, including SKU and variant level content production, retailer specific asset syndication and always-on optimisation retainers.
• Translate retailer and platform change into client roadmaps and new scope, including retail media network requirements, marketplace policy shifts and machine-readable product data standards for AI driven discovery and agentic commerce.
• Partner with Strategy, Data and Technology leaders to bring measurement and attribution into the client conversation, moving commercial discussions from deliverable counts to business outcomes.
• Represent AI enabled production and agentic workflow capability to clients credibly, setting expectations on quality, governance, brand safety, data handling and the commercial model that sits behind them.
• Steward retailer, retail media network and commerce technology partnerships that create joint value for the client and for Marks.

3. Key Relationships

Internal : SLT, Portfolio Leadership, PMO, SME Leaders, Finance, Account and Project Management, LOB counterparts, Commerce / Digital Commerce Practice, Data, Analytics, and Measurement, Innovation and Technology (agentic platform and content supply chain)

External : Clients, Retailer and retail media network partners, Commerce technology and platform partners

4. Qualifications & Experience

Minimum Required Experience

• Education: A bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year university, and more than 10 years of experience or equivalent work experience.
• At least 5 of those years leading commerce, eCommerce, shopper or retail media accounts at a senior level, in an agency, brand, retailer or commerce services environment.
• Ownership of a commerce P&L or client scope of $10M+, including retainer, output based and outcome based commercial models.
• Working fluency in the digital shelf: product content, PDP optimisation, syndication, taxonomy and product data quality across retailer.com and marketplace environments.
• Direct experience with retail media networks on the brand, retailer or agency side, including an understanding of how retail media budgets are set and defended inside a client organization.
• Strong "client-hands": executive presence with senior client stakeholders, and experience leading multi-level, client-facing teams.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, develop talent and work through others to consistently deliver budgeted annual, quarterly and monthly financial and operational results.
• Build here. Developed in the first six months with practice, data and innovation support. Assess for aptitude, not track record.
• Commerce measurement depth: incrementality testing, clean room based analysis, media mix modelling outputs and closed loop retailer data.
• AI enabled production and agentic workflow governance, including quality control, brand safety, data handling and the commercial model that sits behind them.
• In-store retail media and physical activation.
• Platform specific tooling across PIM, DAM, syndication and retail media reporting environments.
• Marks, SGK and partner capability breadth, and operating across global and local market structures including hub and spoke or centre of excellence models.

Preferred Experience, Not Required.

• CPG, retail or QSR category depth.
• Design or advertising agency background. Candidates from retailer media businesses, commerce specialists, commerce technology and brand side eCommerce teams should not be screened out for lacking it.
• Experience as a teammate on a portfolio leadership team and alongside senior shared services leaders.

Licenses / Certifications: None required

Technical Skills

• Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
• This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.
• For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.