Client Development Lead in London

Company Description

As part of Publicis Groupe, CJ Affiliate is the leader in Global Affiliate Marketing. We take pride in our innovative technology, comprehensive data solutions and our people. We equip our teams with the tools, training and career development opportunities to provide cutting edge solutions, strategies and support that deliver high quality results for our clients. We work in an energetic, results-oriented, collaborative, team environment that recognises exceptional performance. As we evolve and grow as a business, so do you.

Job Description

The Global Client Development Lead is the single point of global accountability for the success of one of CJ’s most strategic enterprise clients. This role owns the end-to-end partnership, spanning commercial performance, product delivery, operational excellence, and long-term strategic growth across all regions. The Global CDL operates as a senior, trusted partner to the client and acts as the internal orchestrator across CJ’s global organisation. This role is best described as: setting direction, removing blockers, driving alignment, and ensuring that CJ consistently delivers value at scale.

Profile & Experience

• Proven experience leading complex, global enterprise client relationships in affiliate, performance marketing or platform-based environments.
• Strong commercial acumen combined with operational and product fluency.
• Demonstrated ability to operate at both strategic and executional levels.
• Comfortable leading through influence rather than direct line management.
• High credibility with senior client stakeholders and internal executives.

Core Responsibilities

• Global Client Ownership & Leadership – Accountability for the overall health, performance and growth of the client partnership across all regions. Own the strategic narrative of the partnership, ensuring a consistent and compelling story is communicated to senior client stakeholders and internal leadership, including progress, challenges, and future opportunity. Build and maintain trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders, up to C-level where appropriate. Represent the client internally, ensuring their priorities are clear and prioritised across CJ teams.
• Strategy & Commercial Direction – Own the global affiliate and partnership strategy in collaboration with the senior CJ regional stakeholders. Oversee performance against KPIs, including revenue growth, partner mix and incremental value. Ensure alignment between affiliate activity and broader partnership opportunities, including influencer and emerging models. Act as a decision-maker on prioritisation across regions and functions, balancing short-term delivery with long-term partnership value.
• Cross-Functional Orchestration – Coordinate and align global leads across Strategy, Product, Publisher Success and Operations. Ensure clarity of ownership and escalation paths across the account.
• Product, Technology & Innovation Oversight – Champion innovation by identifying opportunities where CJ’s technology can unlock incremental value. Work with Product Leads to ensure initiatives, data integrations and platform capabilities are implemented effectively and aligned to client needs. Ensure new initiatives are delivered through structured frameworks (e.g. migration frameworks, project leads, defined timelines). Lead change management for new operating models, ensuring both CJ and client teams are prepared, aligned and supported through transitions.
• Governance, SLA & Risk Management – Ensure the contractual Client SLA framework across all teams meets expectations. Creation of ways of working or best practice that adheres to response and resolution commitments across all regions and functions. Oversee escalation process and ensure issues at risk of breaching SLA are resolved quickly and transparently.
• Scalable Operating Model & Growth Enablement – Help shape and evolve the operating model as the client grows into new regions or partnership types. Sponsor the introduction of scalable frameworks such as ticketing systems, AI-enabled insights, and workflow automation where appropriate. Assess resourcing needs, identify inefficiencies and recommend structural improvements. Ensure the partnership remains resilient, scalable, and future-proof.