GAIN Customer Science - Client Strategy Director

Working within Client teams to ensure our clients receive the right level of strategic, analytical and operational support. The Client Strategy Director owns the client relationship to ensure we are delivering consistently high quality, valuable work, and a cohesive marketing strategy for our clients to help them grow their businesses. Success in the role therefore requires the client to be feeling the added value from GAIN (specifically delivering on the agreed deliverables) whilst GAIN benefits from achieving the client goals whilst effectively managing profitability. You’ll get satisfaction from creating & delivering actions from insight that transform retail businesses. You are responsible for balancing client satisfaction and ensuring GAIN’s profitability and it’s a highly varying hands‑on position, where you will be expected to act as a part of our client’s team, rather than a more traditional agency role.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Commercial: Manage all commercial aspects of the GAIN relationship with your nominated clients (monitoring client profitability, devising strategies and tactics to ensure we hit the targets set, achieving an agreed level of client retention, normally not lower than 85% [retained revenue retention] annualised). Support the Principal Client Leads and Client Strategy Director in all commercial activities for our clients and support the Growth team in new client leads and pitches as required.
• Fostering outstanding client relationships: Foster and maintain senior‑level contacts and cross‑departmental contacts within the client business, preferably at Board Level. Ensure the client goals and strategy are clearly identified and documented and identify opportunities to ensure our services and thinking and recommendations are aligned to their goals, changing scope as required. Ensure the client and GAIN have a joint, documented understanding of who within each party they should liaise with for the various aspects of the servicing of their account with clear roles and responsibilities communicated. Ensure we are "setting the agenda" and the client is focused and understands the aspects of their marketing which are the most likely to yield the highest results and has a clear understanding of the actions which should be taken. Pro‑actively devise, recommend and execute strategies which meet the clients objectives and lead the client ensuring they have the right objectives. Pro‑actively and assertively resolve client problems / issues and requirements to ensure the satisfaction of all parties. Lead all communications.
• Management: Line Management responsibility for Client Managers and Client Executives ensuring their work is delivered effectively, accurately and efficiently for all Client Strategy Directors they are working with. Working with direct reports on development objectives to support individual goals and ensure job satisfaction and clarity on progression opportunities. Regular 1‑2‑1’s with team to check‑in on progress, answer any personal or client queries and ensure junior team members have the support required.
• Operational duties: Managing the day‑to‑day delivery for your clients to ensure GAIN delivers high levels of service, great thinking and make a difference to our clients’ business. Responsible for the production of client insight and analysis presentations, creating arguments for why our clients should adopt a specific strategy. This will include checking stats, creating insight and ideas presentations, meeting preparation and presenting at client meetings. Responsible for the briefing of the internal teams within GAIN and coordinating our efforts to deliver a seamless service to our clients, addressing their needs. First point of contact for all client requests. Attend and present insight and recommendations at client meetings, almost always involving the owner or board directors of the client. Set up and manage regular client communications on progress at all levels within the client business. Ultimately responsible for the accuracy and alignment of the numerical, commercial analysis delivered to our clients.

QUALIFICATIONS

• No prior agency experience needed but over 10 years working in a client‑side business in a marketing, ecommerce or CRM role is preferable.
• An expert in delivering Marketing Strategy/CRM within a business where the role of the direct channel is key, preferably a multi‑channel retail business.
• Experienced in direct response campaign strategy, execution & measurement (preferably both on and offline).
• Confident presenting and building relationships at board level with key stakeholders in growing, challenging businesses.
• Detail driven and able to spot a wrong number from a mile away, and always striving to understand “why” – why decisions are being made, why performance is as it is, why we are presenting a number etc.
• Able to interpret data & analysis quickly and use it to make commercial decisions & financial evaluations.
• A multi‑tasker who can prioritise, organise and plan to ensure that you are able to profitably manage your clients’ satisfaction.
• Focussed on delivering what will make the biggest difference to our clients and takes ownership of responsibility.

HOW YOU'LL WORK

• Rebel Thinking: We don’t accept "good enough". Rebel Thinking is about curiosity with courage. We make it safe to question assumptions, challenge the obvious, and explore smarter, braver ways forward, even when it feels uncomfortable. This is how new ideas, better products, and real breakthroughs happen.
• Make It Happen: "We turn intent into momentum." Making it Happen is about turning ambition into action. We move fast, learn fast, and push through obstacles together. Progress beats perfection, and momentum creates impact.
• Swarming Our Expertise: "Individually smart. Collectively unstoppable." Swarming our Expertise means we win together. We commit to developing our expertise so that by combining diverse skills, perspectives, and experiences, we solve harder problems faster and deliver results no single expert could achieve together.

BENEFITS

• Private Medical Insurance
• Life Assurance
• Income protection
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to Work salary sacrifice scheme
• Tech & Wearables salary sacrifice scheme
• Octopus EV Scheme
• Discounts and deals on a range of items from hotels, holidays and hormone testing to cinema, gyms and will writing.

GAIN is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity.