Senior Strategy Client Lead, Food Portfolio

As the Senior Strategy Client Lead, whilst managing one direct report, you will be responsible and accountable for driving advertising revenue across our market leading titles Good Food and Olive from sectors including food, drink, wellness and travel. You will work to a set target and be focused on driving digital and print growth across your patch, selling cross-platform solutions to your clients including digital display, awards, native, email, video, audio and print.

You will focus on new business, uncovering and converting leads into repeat customers through a consultative approach and best-in-class account management. You will target SME clients and PR agencies and occasionally media agencies, usually smaller independents, where relevant. As the Senior Strategy Client Lead you will focus on deeply understanding the businesses and challenges of the clients within your patch, both core and non-core, identifying and pitching relevant, winning solutions.

You will work hand in hand with the Client lead within your portfolio and continue to grow your sector expertise, and take on larger scale SME clients, identifying the innovators and disrupters within the fast-changing landscape of food, drink & wellness. Additionally, you will work with our delivery teams to ensure campaigns are fully optimised and deliver the best results, with the aim of securing high renewal rates.

As a manager, you will lead by example, be a supportive mentor and bring a sharp focus on new business development and pro-active sales techniques to build a resilient, knowledgeable and accountable team within IMDirect. Due to the strategic importance of this revenue stream and its growth potential the role will sit on the IMDirect Leadership Team and report into the Advertising Director, IMDirect.

You’ll love this role if you are a pro-active self-starter with experience working across brand-side clients, PR agencies, international brands and/or trade organisations, ideally within Food, Drink, Health or Travel sectors.

As a Senior Strategy Client Lead you will:

• Own and deliver the commercial strategy for Travel and the IMDirect Food Group, driving revenue across Good Food, Olive and wider Immediate brands.
• Develop and implement client and sector plans, identifying growth opportunities across Food, Drink, Health, Travel, PR agencies, international brands entering the UK, and global food & drink trade boards.
• Ensure all renewals are effectively managed, working closely with our delivery teams.
• Ensure you and your team work to a minimum agreed level of meetings, calls and activities each week and attend relevant industry events, conferences and social events.
• Ensure that all bookings, proposals and contact reports are entered on Connect with accurate IOs and all invoice queries are dealt with in a timely manner and ensure all other admin systems are always fully updated.
• Maintain a transparent and healthy pipeline, sharing all information with key stakeholders and produce accurate weekly forecasts.
• Take full ownership of revenue performance, delivering and exceeding monthly and quarterly targets across print, digital and awards channels.
• Actively identify and convert new business opportunities, particularly across SME, mid-market and international advertisers.
• Maintain a deep understanding of competitor sets, ad activity, client base and category performance, sharing insights across the business.
• Ensure all activity, proposals and bookings for you and your team are accurately managed in Salesforce, maintaining high standards of pipeline discipline and reporting.
• Work with the Sales Enablement team to develop, maintain and update sales collateral, ensuring materials remain relevant, compelling and commercially effective.
• Lead client presentations and external meetings, representing Immediate and building strong category credibility at senior level.
• Support and manage one direct report, coaching performance, supporting development and driving high standards of performance.

Requirements:

• Proven experience in senior client management and revenue generation, ideally within media, publishing or digital advertising. A bonus would be if this is across food, wellness or travel.
• Strong track record of selling integrated, cross-platform advertising solutions.
• Experience working across brand-side clients, PR agencies, international brands and/or trade organisations, ideally within Food, Drink, Health or Travel sectors.
• Confident using data and insight (audience analytics, GA, performance data) to shape commercial strategy and client proposals.
• Strong commercial instinct with ability to identify and convert high-value opportunities.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with confidence in senior stakeholder environments.
• Highly organised with strong pipeline management discipline (Salesforce experience beneficial).
• Collaborative mindset with ability to work across multiple internal teams and disciplines.
• Previous people management experience is highly valued but not essential.

A relaxed working environment with regular socials including a summer festival. Supportive well-being initiatives and benefits, talks & workshops, and Mental Health First aiders & Champions. 25 days holiday plus a day for your birthday. Our offices will be closed between Christmas and New Year’s which are in addition to your annual entitlement. Tailored training and development through both our in-house learning platform and LinkedIn Learning. A progressive and transparent culture focused on your development. Flexible / hybrid working plus early finish Fridays. Cycle to work scheme. Enhanced Family Policies including paternity, adoption and surrogacy leave. We also provide a pregnancy loss, fertility, and carers policy. Competitive pension plans and Life Assurance. A newly renovated modern office with lots of collaborative spaces.

People are at the heart of our business and creating a diverse and inclusive working environment is important to us. Immediate is an equal opportunities employer. We’ll never treat anyone less favourably because of their sex, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, marital/civil partnerships, sexual orientation, race, nationality, ethnic origin, age, religion or belief or disability. We’re also committed to supporting applications from those who are returning to work following a career break, maternity leave or caring responsibilities.