CX Lead (CX Account Manager) - Commerce in London

VML, part of WPP, is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and human-first, award-winning work for blue-chip client partners including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendy's.

We’re looking for an intelligent, results-driven individual with strong client handling and CX project management experience to develop client eCom strategies, grow new business from, and strategically lead, client projects. You will be given the opportunity to lead CX projects for a wide range of clients, working with our cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality outcomes that deliver business value and meet client needs.

What you’ll be doing:

• Devise, present and execute customer experience strategies for multiple clients.
• Work with the senior members across our 30-strong CX team, and the wider business which includes Experience Design (UX/UI), Content, Analytics, Developers, Solutions Architects and Consultancy/Trading to deliver successful, multi-discipline projects on time and on budget.
• Work with the Experience Partner in creating long-term strategies for our biggest clients.
• Establish deep relationships across all of our clients, as well as within VML’s wider business and our WPP partners to embed our delivery, globally.
• Responsible for contract negotiations and the smooth transition of the client relationship into delivery.
• Strategic Lead for CX projects.
• Understand our clients’ industry, business and personal objectives in order to offer strategic CX solutions.
• Manage resourcing and timelines, ensuring delivery of key milestones against schedule and budget.
• Commercially minded, able to create and manage budgets and monitor costs and ROI.
• Manage client expectations, escalations and build strong client relationships.
• Responsible for quality and client satisfaction.
• Major player in building a pipeline for the Experience team.
• Spot opportunities to grow CX/EX within existing accounts for the agency; work with senior members of the wider team to create pitch-winning responses and lead pipeline account plans.
• Deliver winning pitches & proposals.
• Liaise with global and local clients, Account Leads, and Experience team members (CX, UX, UI and Content) to scope projects, create responses and present compelling solutions.
• Create process efficiency and automation where possible.
• Look for efficiencies across the team and breadth of work, so that we can continue to accelerate our offering.
• Line management responsibility of juniors.
• Responsible for leading, mentoring, coaching and inspiring your team through day-to-day management as well as appraisals and objective setting.

What we want from you:

• Experience growing clients from one-off projects into long-term clients.
• Experience hunting down opportunities and creating pitch/proposals that answer client needs (RFIs, RFPs as well as proactive approaches).
• Experience managing CX projects and collaborating with UX/UI and content/Data teams.
• Ideally you will have experience working within an agency or consultancy and have prior eCommerce experience.
• Strong project management skills.
• Proven experience developing and delivering against client account plans and associated strategies.
• Experience building, growing and managing a team.
• You must be commercially focused and understand the value as well as the price of a project.
• Strong communication skills, track record of communicating with multiple stakeholders both internally and with the client, at all levels.
• Strong writing skills – you have the ability to write proposals/presentations, tell a story and distil complex presentations, or in-depth research into bite-sized actionable recommendations.
• Extremely organised, efficient and calm, able to get up to speed quickly.

What we can offer you:

Alongside the opportunity to work with some of the most exciting brands around the world, we’ll also prioritise your career development and help you grow your skills. We’ll empower you to make a difference, allow you to be yourself, and respect who you are. Permanent only: We offer a great benefits package including a discretionary bonus scheme, training opportunities, competitive pension, medical insurance, life assurance, social events, opportunities to buy and sell holidays, family-friendly policies, discounts with hundreds of retailers and much more.

Our culture thrives on our core values, designed for impact-driven individuals: Heart, Brains and Courage. We lead with Heart, fostering empathy and trust where genuine connections and human-centric work flourish. We empower your Brains for innovation, valuing relentless curiosity and collaborative intelligence to solve complex challenges. And we champion Courage, inspiring you to speak up, embrace experimentation, and advocate for bold solutions that push our thinking to be better than yesterday.

VML is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.