Client Services Director

Our client is an international medical communications agency. They are seeking a Client Services Director (CSD) to join their senior leadership team to direct accounts and provide strategic counsel to a number of biopharmaceutical clients. This position would be based in their Cheshire office.

The Company:

Our client has a reputation for creating innovative communications programmes over a diverse portfolio of accounts. The CSD will provide strategic direction over assigned accounts, ensuring an interesting mix of clients and programmes. Our client encourages an entrepreneurial approach to providing bespoke projects and creative ideas in a collaborative and nurturing environment.

Purpose:

Provide high-level strategic and marketing insight combined with commercial leadership of accounts teams, ensuring operational effectiveness
Provide broader input into company operation, business development and strategic business planning
Provide an innovative approach to account direction and development, taking advantage of all the agency''s resources
Lead / direct client relationships, ensuring business objectives are met and that existing business is protected and grown
Proactively identify and win new business to achieve financial objectives

Responsibilities:
Leadership:

• Provide motivational leadership to account team and line management teams.


• Working with senior colleagues, contribute to the development and implementation of the business plan.


• Work collaboratively with all senior colleagues to ensure operational effectiveness.


• Contribute to succession planning for both account teams and functional groups.


• Participate in staff recruitment by assessing the suitability of candidates.


• Actively participate in delivery of the company training and development programme, coaching individual team members and leading workshops, where required.


• Through effective line management, ensure high-quality training, development and performance management of all line reports.


• Oversee own company-wide responsibilities as appropriate.

Client Management:

• Provide strategic vision and direction to allow the team to achieve their account objectives.


• Proactively network and build relationships with clients to expand and maximise new business opportunities.


• Conduct regular client meetings to review account team performance, including coordination of annual client health-check meetings, with senior colleagues as appropriate.


• Ensure clients receive proactive ideas and creative input to assist and challenge their own thinking and planning.


• Keep abreast of developments and attitudes in the worldwide healthcare environment at industry, government and health service level. Develop sources of information, particularly through contacts with relevant people, and ensure that this information is disseminated to the account teams as appropriate.


• Business Development:


• Proactively identify, secure, lead and direct new business opportunities.


• Actively create and develop new ideas, ventures, offerings and capabilities to propose to both existing and new clients.


• Work across the company divisions to maximise all opportunities.

Financial:

• Achieving accurate forecasting, phasing and delivery of account plans


• maximising revenue, delivery of account targets, achieving 100% recovery and financial KPIs


• With account teams, conduct monthly financial reviews and provide guidance and advice on any issues


• Drive and maintain productivity levels within accounts and provide solutions to improve levels as appropriate


• Ensure effective use of CPR/tracking.


• Support Account Directors, Senior Account Managers, Account Managers and editorial colleagues to fully understand and implement company SOPs and provide effective coaching to the team as required.


• Work with senior colleagues to ensure client framework agreements are created, implemented and managed to the benefit of the business.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Life Science Degree


• A depth of knowledge and experience of directing global pharmaceutical marketing accounts preferably achieved within a medical communications agency/ pharmaceutical or equivalent environment


• An ability to see the big picture and provide advice and industry intelligence to clients, providing broader capabilities and solutions to issues over and above conventional account management.


• The ability to matrix and line manage team members providing inspirational leadership and professional development / coaching


• Excellent client relationship fostering skills


• Experience in budgeting and account reconciliation


• Excellent communication skills (presentation / oral / written)


• A desire to develop professionally and be a part of a growing and dynamic organisation.

Package:

Salary will be negotiable based upon experience and the package will included profit share, excellent contributory pension, healthcare, insurances and child care vouchers. This is a full time position and predominantly office based although there can be some flexibility with home working. For more information call Jon Gawley on 01932 797996.