Client Director in Leeds

We’re a Leeds-based agency specialising in consumer-facing, FCA-regulated financial services clients — banks, building societies, insurers, wealth managers and fintechs. We work across branding and digital projects, web development, campaigns and content marketing for organisations that operate under real regulatory scrutiny, with a phased delivery process from discovery through to launch. We’re moving from a project-heavy model towards longer-term retained relationships and productised services, and we’re investing heavily in AI across both how we work and what we offer clients. This role sits at the centre of that shift.

The role involves owning a portfolio of client relationships and helping grow them, while bringing sector credibility and pace to our new-business efforts. It’s a dual remit: lead and expand existing accounts, and be an active, visible part of how we win new ones. This isn’t a caretaker account-management job. We want someone who spots opportunities in a client’s business before the client does, who’s comfortable around technology and AI, and who can turn a good relationship into a bigger one. You’ll also lead and develop the client services team.

What you’ll be doing:

• Lead a portfolio of client accounts, owning the relationship, commercial health and growth of each.
• Identify and pursue opportunities to expand existing accounts — new work, retained arrangements, new services.
• Support new-business pitches, bringing client-side FS perspective and credibility to the table.
• Manage and develop the client services team, setting standards and helping people grow.
• Work closely with our strategy, technical and creative leads to shape what we propose and deliver.
• Stay close to developments in AI and digital that affect our clients’ sectors, and bring those ideas into conversations.
• Help shape our move towards retained and productised services.

What we’re looking for:

You’re coming from one of two places. Either you’ve spent your career agency-side and have done real, sustained work with financial services clients – not a project or two, but enough to understand how these organisations think, how decisions get made, and what it takes to get good work through. Or you’ve been inside an FCA-regulated business – in marketing, digital or a related function – and you’re ready to move into an environment where things move faster and you have more room to act. If you’re coming from an agency, sector depth matters. We’ll want to see that you understand the regulatory context, the stakeholder landscape, and the particular challenges of delivering brand and digital work for regulated businesses. Knowing FS clients is different from knowing FS, and we’ll be looking for evidence of the latter. If you’re coming from client-side, we’ll want to know you understand what agency delivery involves – how projects get scoped and resourced, how creative and technical teams work, and what it means to manage a client relationship rather than be one. Ideally, you’ve got both. Time in-house followed by agency experience, or vice versa, gives you a perspective that’s hard to replicate – and it shows in how you handle clients and how you lead a team.

Wherever you’re coming from, you’ll be commercially sharp, confident at senior level, and interested in where AI is taking this industry. You’ll want to lead, not just manage. You’ll recognise yourself in most of this:

• Commercially sharp — you see where the growth is and you go after it.
• Strategic — you can step back from the task in front of you and see the bigger opportunity.
• Fast — you work at pace and don’t wait to be asked.
• Creative and tech-curious — interested in creative applications of technology and AI, comfortable in digital conversations.
• A strong relationship-builder who clients trust and want more of.
• Confident in front of prospects and senior client stakeholders.
• A capable leader who can bring on a small team.

What you won’t be:

This role won’t suit someone who wants to keep their head down and deliver to brief. We need drive, initiative and an appetite for new business — not just safe pairs of hands.

What we offer:

• A central role in a growing, specialist agency at a point of real change.
• Genuine scope to shape how we use AI and how we sell.
• Hybrid working from our Leeds office.
• Performance bonus linked to the growth you help create.
• The chance to build a reputation in a sector you already know.

Vision, Mission, and Values:

Our Vision: To be the go-to partner for financial services brands that want to challenge the market and grow.

Our Mission: We help turn financial services brands that want to challenge the market into category leaders, through creative thinking, smart technology, and campaigns that deliver.

Our Values:

• Be Accountable: Take responsibility for outcomes, not just outputs. See the bigger picture – budget, timeline, goals. Communicate with honesty and transparency. When things go wrong, we fix them.
• Solve Problems: Clients need solutions, not just services. Use insight and experience to find opportunities. Bring answers, not just questions.
• Have Impact: Focus on work that moves the needle. Measure what matters. Build client success and agency reputation. Contribute to team and business growth.
• Grow Our People: Invest in learning, development, and clear career paths. Give feedback with honesty, kindness, and intent to improve. Create an inclusive, supportive, and high-performing environment. Champion diversity of thinking, backgrounds, and experience.
• Show Up for Each Other: Foster trust, psychological safety, and collaboration. Support wellbeing, balance, and long-term sustainability. Take care of each other, especially when things get tough.
• Give Back: We’re part of something bigger than ourselves. Support communities where we work and live. Use our skills to create a positive social impact. Champion causes and organisations that align with our values.

Living our values: Our values drive every client interaction – from taking ownership of project outcomes to solving complex challenges and ensuring every piece of work delivers measurable impact. These aren’t just words on a page. They define how we collaborate, communicate, and support each other. Every team member contributes to living these values daily. Our commitment to these values helps us grow as individuals and as an agency. They guide our decisions, shape our culture, and drive our success.

Why this role appeals to you specifically: An example of a time you proactively solved a client problem before it escalated. How you currently use (or would use) AI tools in this type of role.

We’ll be reviewing applications on a rolling basis, so apply early if you’re interested. Creode is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.