VP, Client Services

Objectives of this role:

The Vice President, Client Services, is a senior executive responsible for the strategic oversight and management of a major portfolio of client business. This role serves as a key bridge between the agency's scientific expertise and its business objectives, directly driving revenue, growth, and client retention. The VP provides top-level strategic guidance and financial accountability across multiple accounts while championing organizational process improvement and developing senior talent.

Position Responsibilities:

Strategic & Client Leadership

• Lead the client relationship function by serving as the principal business partner to the lead client executive(s), monitoring the marketplace, and guiding strategic/tactical changes aligned with brand goals.
• Provide organizational leadership to both internal and client teams, implementing change in process or workflow to adjust to different clients and market dynamics.
• Resolve complex strategic and operational conflicts between internal staff, teams, or clients where expectations do not align with service agreements.
• Guide strategy by leveraging high-level scientific and medical communications knowledge, ensuring all deliverables compliantly advance client objectives.
• Accountable for overall client satisfaction and ensuring the client’s goals and objectives are met.

Financial & Business Oversight

• Manage staffing responsibilities for an entire portfolio of accounts, ensuring sustainable growth and profitability.
• Oversee forecasting revenue accuracy across multiple accounts and control costs by monitoring key financial metrics, reports, and trends.
• Directly drive revenue, growth, and client retention by identifying expansion opportunities that fuel company growth.
• Responsible for overall financial health of portfolio and achievement of revenue goals.
• Participate in new business development, prospecting, and onboarding.

Personnel & Team Leadership

• Provide strategic oversight to Client Services leads (ADs/SADs/GADs) managing complex client relationships and ensuring regulatory compliance.
• Provide senior leadership and mentorship to develop talent across all levels of Client Services, including managing difficult personnel situations involving underperforming team members.
• Collaborate with operations leadership to improve internal processes, thereby enhancing company profitability and efficiency.
• Maintain knowledge of management software and financial tracking systems to provide authoritative guidance.
• Manage team dynamics and set an atmosphere where innovation, a growth mindset, and delivering excellent work is expected.
• Conduct annual performance reviews and identify developmental opportunities for team members.

Agency & Growth

• Represent the organization in the industry to build the company's capability and contribute to its reputation as a thought leader.
• Ensure creative and scientific output is on strategy, on message, and exceeds client expectations.
• Ensure the team follows agency processes for estimates, change orders, workflow, and other protocols.

Qualification Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree (minimum) in a relevant field; an advanced degree (PharmD, BSN, PhD, MS, MBA) is a plus.

• Experience: 10+ years of progressive pharmaceutical and/or medical communications agency experience, demonstrating sustained success in a high-level leadership capacity (prior experience as Account Director required).

• Skills:
  • In-depth knowledge of the pharmaceutical and agency industries, including an understanding of the product lifecycle and marketing mix.
  • Exceptional business acumen and the financial skills necessary to manage P&L responsibilities for a portfolio of accounts.
  • Expertisein relationship management, with a proven ability to build and maintain trust with both internal teams and external clients.
  • High-level scientific knowledge and a thorough understanding of medical publications and affairs to guide complex strategies.
  • Ability to navigate rapidly changing industry compliance and technological evolution without compromising regulations.
  • Ability to deal with personnel issues with tact, discretion, and authority
  • Ability to travel up to 10-15% annually.