Head of Client Service, Performance Marketing

1. About CMG

Connective Media Group (CMG) is a performance marketing agency that helps businesses grow through measurable, data-driven digital marketing, with a particular focus on healthcare. Our services cover paid media (PPC), SEO, content marketing, web development and CRM. We combine them to improve visibility, acquire customers, strengthen engagement and deliver measurable results.

We believe excellent client service means understanding our clients’ businesses, anticipating their needs, giving strategic guidance, being accountable and delivering real value in every engagement.

2. Role Purpose

The Head of Client Service – Performance Marketing will set and maintain a consistently high standard of client service across CMG’s portfolio. The role leads the client service function and is accountable for client satisfaction, retention, relationship development, account growth and the effectiveness of the account management team.

You will work closely with the Managing Director and the heads of performance delivery to connect client objectives with agency capabilities, so that strategy, execution, reporting and communication stay aligned. You will build a culture of ownership, professionalism, responsiveness and accountability, where issues are dealt with before they escalate.

The objective is to build a client service function that earns client trust, protects and grows revenue, and consistently delivers an exceptional agency experience.

3. Core Responsibilities

A. Client Relationship Management and Service Excellence

• Own the standard of client service across the portfolio, so that every client gets professional, proactive and commercially valuable support.
• Set clear expectations for communication, responsiveness, meeting preparation, follow-ups and issue resolution.
• Ensure the team understands each client’s business model, objectives, audience, competitive landscape and priorities.
• Build trusted stakeholder relationships that position CMG as a strategic partner rather than an executional supplier.
• Take ownership of escalations, making sure they are resolved promptly and corrective action follows.
• Spot early signs of dissatisfaction or a deteriorating relationship and put recovery plans in place.

B. Account Leadership and Strategic Client Management

• Ensure every account has a clear account plan with objectives, priorities and measurable success criteria.
• Ensure the team understands the strategic purpose behind each campaign and deliverable, rather than treating the work as a list of tasks.
• Challenge the team to think critically, spot opportunities and make informed recommendations.
• Ensure briefs are complete and turned into actionable delivery requirements, with prompt internal kick-offs that set objectives, timelines, owners and next steps.
• Manage client expectations realistically, raising risks, delays, scope changes and dependencies early.
• Lead or join senior client meetings, business reviews and strategic planning sessions.
• Ensure account managers can confidently explain results, variances and risks, and recommend next steps.

C. Performance Marketing Understanding and Delivery Alignment

• Maintain a strong working understanding of PPC, SEO, content, web development and CRM, and how they work together.
• Ensure account managers can translate technical activity into meaningful business outcomes.
• Work with technical and delivery leads to align strategies, implementation plans and client expectations.
• Challenge reporting that lacks insight, context or actionable recommendations, and move discussions beyond vanity metrics to leads, conversions, revenue and ROI.
• Address underperformance through structured action plans, clear accountability and appropriate client communication.
• Find ways to improve client outcomes through better integration across CMG’s services.

D. Client Retention, Growth and Commercial Management

• Own client retention and contribute directly to protecting and growing agency revenue.
• Monitor client health across performance, satisfaction, engagement, budget, scope and stakeholder relationships, and put plans in place for at-risk accounts.
• Identify and qualify organic growth opportunities, such as additional services, increased investment or new markets.
• Work with delivery leads and the Managing Director on commercially viable proposals and growth strategies.
• Manage out-of-scope requests through the appropriate change-control process.
• Protect profitability by keeping expectations, deliverables, resources and fees aligned, and escalate risks such as excessive rework or scope creep.
• Manage renewals, contract discussions and budget changes proactively, keeping clear visibility of revenue, risks and commitments.

E. Account Management Standards, Governance and Quality Assurance

• Establish clear account management standards, processes and operating procedures.
• Ensure every account has an agreed scope, communication cadence, reporting schedule, stakeholder map, escalation process and documented priorities.
• Standardise onboarding, kick-offs, brief management, approvals, feedback, reporting and account reviews.
• Put consistent meeting practices in place, and keep accurate records of communications, decisions, actions, deadlines and risks.
• Ensure deliverables go through internal quality assurance before they reach clients.
• Identify recurring service failures and process gaps, and implement fixes.

F. Team Leadership, Coaching and Capability Development

• Lead, mentor and develop the account management team, with clear expectations for performance, professionalism and accountability.
• Define each role’s responsibilities, decision-making authority and performance expectations.
• Assess capability gaps and provide targeted training in communication, strategic thinking, commercial awareness, performance interpretation and escalation management.
• Hold regular one-to-ones, performance reviews and portfolio health discussions.
• Monitor workloads and account complexity so that portfolios are allocated appropriately.
• Address underperformance directly and constructively, and recognise strong performance.
• Build succession capability and reduce reliance on individuals or senior management for routine client management.

G. Cross-Functional Collaboration and Leadership Reporting

• Work with the PPC, SEO, content, web development, CRM and operations teams to ensure coordinated delivery.
• Align account and technical teams on briefs, priorities, timelines and client commitments.
• Resolve friction between teams constructively, keeping client objectives at the centre.
• Escalate capacity, capability, delivery and commercial risks that could affect clients or business performance.
• Report regularly to the Managing Director on portfolio health, retention, satisfaction, revenue risks, growth opportunities and team performance.

4. Required Skills and Experience

Essential

• 10+ years in client service or account management within a digital, performance or integrated marketing agency.
• 5+ years leading an account management or client service team.
• Strong understanding of PPC, SEO, content marketing, CRM and digital customer acquisition.
• Proven ability to manage multiple accounts and complex stakeholder relationships, retain clients, handle escalations and rebuild confidence.
• Strong commercial awareness, including revenue retention, profitability, scope management and growth.
• Experience turning client objectives into actionable briefs and measurable outcomes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, and confidence with senior stakeholders.
• Experience using performance data to guide client conversations and recommendations.
• Experience implementing processes, service standards and performance management.
• Demonstrable people leadership and coaching ability.

Advantageous

• Experience in healthcare or another regulated or technically complex industry.
• Experience with international clients and distributed teams across time zones.
• Familiarity with ClickUp, Slack, marketing analytics, paid media platforms, CRM and reporting tools.
• Experience managing agency budgets, retainers, SOWs and commercial negotiations.

5. Core Competencies

Client-first thinking: Anticipates client needs and acts in the interest of long-term relationships.

Accountability and ownership: Follows through on commitments and expects the same from the team.

Strategic thinking: Connects marketing activity to client objectives and commercial outcomes.

Commercial acumen: Understands how client satisfaction, retention, profitability and growth are linked.

Communication and influence: Clear, confident, professional and appropriately assertive.

Problem-solving: Finds root causes and drives practical solutions.

People leadership: Sets expectations, develops capability and builds accountability.

Operational discipline: Keeps structure and consistency without losing sight of the client relationship.

Emotional intelligence: Handles difficult conversations with sound judgement under pressure.

Collaboration: Builds partnerships across disciplines without letting internal friction affect clients.