Strategic Client Engagement Leader

Very; United States; Remote; USD 145,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Home office stipend

Health insurance

Paid parental leave

Professional development stipend

Loaned MacBook Pro

Annual team retreat

Cell phone + internet stipend

Job summary

Very is a fully distributed technology firm led by expert problem-solvers. The Engagement Lead is a client-facing, commercially-minded role owning 1–3 active relationships to ensure engagements deliver real business value, remain healthy, and grow profitability.

You will operate at the intersection of client trust, technical delivery, and business development, writing Statements of Work and guiding delivery while traveling within the US as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or equivalent hands-on experience.
• 5+ years in client services, technical program management, or delivery-facing role at a technology consulting or product company.
• 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.

Responsibilities

• 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
• We're remote-first, but travel within the US is part of the job - show up in person when it strengthens client relationships & deliverables
• 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
• 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; shift altitude to steering, scope management, and client strategy
• 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
• 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

Skills

Client relationship management

Engineering background

Technical fluency

Budget & financial management

Negotiation & SOW writing

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Job description

Very is a fully distributed technology firm led by expert problem-solvers. The Engagement Lead is a client-facing, commercially-minded role owning 1–3 active relationships to ensure engagements deliver real business value, remain healthy, and grow profitability.

You will operate at the intersection of client trust, technical delivery, and business development, writing Statements of Work and guiding delivery while traveling within the US as needed.