Client Partner

We are small and mighty.
We are creative, curious and thirsty.
We are thinkers, doers, problem-solvers, and dreamers.
We believe in humanity.
We value company culture.
We are an equal opportunity employer.
We wear jeans on Mondays.
We drink beer on Fridays.
We write on the walls.
We bring our dogs to work.
We have a good sense of humour.
We work hard. We play hard.
And we have a good time doing both.

We are a design and communications agency with a passion for helping brands and organizations tell their story, and build relationships with their most important audiences. 

We create national engagement programs, corporate communications, strategies, identities, websites, apps, advertising campaigns, annual reports, magazines, posters, product packaging, motion graphics, videos, exhibitions, displays, and this one time we hand-crafted a miniature recreation of Michael Jackson’s Thriller.

And right now, we’re seeking an experienced, self-driven Client Partner to join our team. 

As a Client Partner at Strut, you are an energetic, charismatic and intellectually curious person with a passion for advertising, marketing and communications. You are well versed in client relations, communications and all things digital, including understanding and assessing a client’s business and communication needs and meeting those needs through the successful leading of projects and programs. 

This role will involve working with clients at senior management levels, keeping an eye on the quality of our deliverables, planning, budgeting and making sure our clients’ expectations are met with the highest level of service.

You will be responsible for serving as a trusted advisor and day-to-day client partner spanning a diverse range of clients and projects from basic design requests all the way through to multi-channel campaigns, experiential activations, digital projects, visual identity projects and strategy work. 

You will work closely with members of our project management, creative and technology teams and lead all aspects of projects from assessing clients needs and contributing to winning new business, to delivering an end product that is on brief, on time and on budget.

Act as the day-to-day liaison between Strut and our clients:

• Establish relationships and develop deep rapport with clients at all levels of seniority within their organizations; owning the client relationship and acting as a trusted client advisor 
• Act as the main point of contact for clients; responsible for managing all client communication
• Deepen client relationship to ensure retention and growth; proactively meet with clients to uncover growth opportunities and provide business solutions
• Effectively communicate and market Strut’s offerings
• Assess and identify clients’ communications, design and marketing needs
• Be immersed in clients’ business: understands their challenges, objectives, economical environment, the markets/industries they operate within, competitive threats, business model, understands client products/services inside and out, know what success looks like for both client and key stakeholders and use this information to inform business plans, strategies and briefs
• Manage client expectations

Develop plans, strategies, proposals and presentations:

• Deliver innovative and creative solutions to clients and client briefs
• Develop strategies, plans and briefs
• Write proposals, statements of work (SOWs) and develop presentation decks
• Use knowledge of product and services to drive business growth and add value to client plans
• Lead and facilitate meetings with clients including discovery sessions, project kick-offs, and stakeholder meetings
• Identify business development opportunities

Manage revenue, forecasting and growth:

• Oversee budgets and manages invoicing with assistance of PM as needed
• Review estimates to drive greater margin, in partnership with Director of Client Services
• Manage forecasting and spend
• Accountable for client profitability, revenue planning and responsible for hitting revenue and growth targets

Manage projects and work with Project Management/Creative/Technology departments and clients:

• Actively direct projects
• Work with clients to ensure Strut has all necessary background, context, specifications, content, etc as it relates to projects
• Brief the project management, creative and technology teams on project requirements
• Keep up to date on the status of projects and anticipate potential issues
• Work in partnership with Project Manager to deliver a successful end product
• Consolidate, question, validate and disseminate client feedback
• Set up client meetings 
• Act as a ‘gatekeeper’ for quality control – the final checkpoint before deliverables go to client
• Manage client status to keep agency, client and team informed
• Act as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) to both the client and the agency
• Present regularly, both internally and to clients
• Assist with RFPs and proposals
• Establish trusted relationships with our internal team
• Other duties as assigned

The ultimate responsibility for the quality and timeliness of our service rests on the shoulders of this position. The role requires strategic planning, budgeting, and strong interpersonal skills. Attention to detail is crucial to this position, as you will be responsible for managing deadlines, budgets and ensuring the accuracy of our work.

• A Bachelor degree in marketing, communications, or related discipline from an accredited college or university
• Minimum of 7-10 years communications experience and minimum 5 years working in an agency environment serving external clients or equivalent
• Digital Marketing experience required
• Familiarity and experience in one or more of the following integrated marketing mediums: digital/web, broadcast (video, radio, online), social media and print production
• In-depth knowledge of communications, marketing, and brand strategy
• Experience coordinating with creative and technology teams
• Strong relationship building skills with a talent for bringing teams together and motivating team members and collaborating with clients 
• High attention to detail and strong organizational skills
• Strong communication; effective writing and presentation skills are essential
• Proven ability to work in a highly collaborative, fast-paced team environment
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills

We don’t want cookie-cutter Strutters

At Strut, we value diverse ideas and opinions to push ourselves and do our best work. We know the best way to achieve this is through developing an inclusive team with diverse life perspectives. Our bio page may not always reflect it, but we openly welcome anyone no matter their race, colour, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or physical ability. 

If you love what you see and think you could strut with us, drop us a line. If we love what we see, we’ll make room.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however only those candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.