Senior Director Client Services, Brand Commerce

1.  Role Purpose 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 5. Skills & Competencies Technical Skills Screened as working familiarity and the ability to speak credibly to a client. Mastery at hire is not required for the platform specific items below. High degree of proficiency in MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Outlook, and internet applications Financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting tools Business/pipeline reporting and analytics Digital shelf and product data platforms (PIM, DAM, syndication and content health tooling such as Salsify, Syndigo, Akeneo or equivalent) Retail media platforms and reporting environments (Amazon Ads, Walmart Connect, Instacart, Criteo powered networks, in-store retail media networks or equivalent) Commerce analytics and measurement (retailer data platforms, clean rooms, incrementality testing, MMM outputs, server side tracking and attribution) Content supply chain and workflow platforms (DAM, work management, versioning, localisation and asset syndication) AI and agentic workflow literacy, including generative asset production, template and prompt governance, and human in the loop quality control Machine readable product data and answer engine readiness (structured attributes, feeds, agentic commerce protocols and AI assistant discovery surfaces) Core Competencies Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills. Superior quantitative and analytical skills. Exceptional empathy, compassion, and ability to connect with all regardless of station, title, position, or background. Proven ability to exercise personal discipline, discretion, and appropriate emotional management. Sales planning, administration, and management Business planning and front-end problem solving Client interaction and presentations Margin/profit planning and procurement strategy Staffing, morale, and internal communications Commercial modelling for commerce scopes, where volume moves with SKU count, retailer proliferation and variant demand rather than campaign count Ability to speak credibly to brand equity outcomes and sales performance outcomes in the same conversation, and to hold both in one client plan Comfort with data, dashboards and test design; can challenge a measurement claim without a data team in the room Change leadership: bringing client organizations through new operating models and AI enabled ways of working Partner and ecosystem management across retailers, platforms and technology vendors Leadership Competencies Sets vision, strategy, and clear performance standards for the function. Holds accountability and able to dive into the work Builds, mentors, coaches, and develops high-performing teams Leads through influence across functions and with executive peers Sets smart objectives aligned to company and regional goals 6. Decision-Making Authority Owns client group growth strategy, commercial performance and executive client relationships for assigned accounts; makes decisions regarding account planning, growth opportunities, commerce scope design and commercial engagement, including the pricing and governance model applied to AI assisted production. Escalates significant business risks, data and brand safety matters and contractual matters as appropriate. 7. Key Performance Indicators Commercial Organic revenue growth of the assigned client group, with commerce scope growth reported separately from base scope Share of client revenue delivered through commerce capabilities (digital shelf content, retail media assets, marketplace, in-store), with year-on-year growth target Gross margin and EBITDA performance, including margin retention as AI assisted production changes the cost base Win rate and conversion on commerce briefs, pitches and organic scope expansions Contract health: MSA renewal, scope coverage, rate card integrity and days sales outstanding Client and market Client satisfaction and relationship strength, measured by formal client survey and executive relationship mapping Breadth of senior stakeholder coverage: number of client stakeholder groups actively engaged beyond the original entry point (brand, eCommerce, shopper, media, retail sales, procurement) Client retention and estimated share of the client commerce budget Delivery and client outcomes Brief to live cycle time, including time to retailer specific variant delivery Content health and compliance scores across the client digital shelf estate where Marks owns the content Client business outcomes attributable to delivered work, such as conversion rate, share of search, retail media return on ad spend or incremental return on ad spend, and product visibility in AI assistant and answer surfaces Automation and reuse rate: share of assets produced through automated or AI assisted workflows while meeting agreed quality standards Team and capability Team performance, staffing, retention and morale Commerce capability build: share of the account team trained and assessed against commerce and AI enabled workflow standards 8. Work Conditions Travel Required: Periodic travel locally, nationally, and/or internationally as required Work Arrangement: Hybrid (3 days a week on site) EEO Statement: We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need. We offer equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetic information, age, disability or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled. We strive to make our employment website and application process accessible to all users and applicants. In doing so, we provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you have a disability and require a reasonable accommodation or assistance completing the application process, please contact a member of our Human Resource Team. The Ontario pay range for this position is $135,000 CAD to $165,000 CAD annually. Ultimately, in determining pay, we will consider the successful candidate's experience, skills, knowledge, and other job-related factors. We remain committed to ensuring equal opportunity in all aspects of employment, including recruitment. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals, particularly those who may contribute to the further diversification of our organization. If you require any form of accommodation during the recruitment process, please do not hesitate to let us know. Together, we strive to foster an environment where everyone can thrive and be their authentic selves.