SVP, Senior Client Partner

About Merkle

Merkle is a leading data-driven, technology-enabled, global performance marketing agency that delivers unique, personalized customer experiences across platforms and devices. With 16,000+ teammates across 50+ global offices, we partner with Fortune 1000 companies to drive measurable growth through integrated data, CX, and technology solutions.

About the Role

As SVP, Senior Client Partner, you are the senior-most Merkle executive on the account. You carry the account’s commercial result, set its strategy, and hold the client relationship at the altitude where budget decisions are made. Every other Merkle function on the account—account management, delivery, solutioning, and sales—contributes to a plan you own. You will lead a portfolio of strategic accounts generating $15M to $20M+ in annual net revenue across Merkle’s integrated capabilities: Modern CRM, Content Supply Chain, Martech for Media, Connected CX, B2B Transformation, and AI & Agentic Services, supported by alliance partnerships with Adobe, Google, Salesforce, AWS, and Braze, and the full power of One Merkle + One dentsu. The mandate is deliberate in its order: retention precedes growth. An account that is expanding while its base erodes is not growing. You are measured on the health and defense of the existing book before the increment. That means re-underwriting the value of current work every quarter—not just at renewal—then extending into adjacent scope where Merkle’s delivered performance is already the evidence, and finally opening new buying centers and capabilities with the Enterprise Sales Lead. You are not an account manager, a delivery leader, or a sales lead. Account management administers the commercial mechanics you direct. Delivery owns method and quality; you set the outcome and the commercial envelope. The Enterprise Sales Lead originates against the strategy you set. The client should be able to name one Merkle executive accountable for their account, and that executive should be able to answer any commercial, relationship, or delivery question about it without deferring. Where the client routes around the Client Partner, the role is not being performed. This is a hybrid role based from a dentsu hub (Chicago, Detroit metro, Los Angeles, or New York City), three days in office per week (two days in LA). Remote considered for candidates outside commutable range, based on business need. Reports to the SVP, Growth Officer.

Responsibilities

Own a portfolio of strategic accounts end-to-end: client satisfaction, revenue retention (>90%), margin quality, forecast accuracy, and year-over-year growth

Defend the contracted revenue base against scope erosion, in-housing, offshore substitution, procurement-driven rate compression, and competitive displacement—re-underwriting the value case quarterly, not annually

Drive revenue expansion through cross-sell, adjacent-scope extension, new buying center entry, and AOR expansion, with at least two qualified non-CXM opportunities per book in support of the One dentsu growth model

Set and own the account strategy and growth plan, ensuring account management, delivery, and the Enterprise Sales Lead are working to a single, current, written plan you chair

Hold executive relationships personally at the altitude where budget decisions are made—CMO, CIO, CFO, and their direct reports—and map stakeholder coverage so that no single departure creates material account risk

Navigate complex multi-stakeholder environments across business, technology, operations, vendor management, and procurement, adapting your approach to each buyer style and extending Merkle’s footprint up and across the client organization

Manage all commercial aspects of the account: contracts, pricing, profitability, revenue and margin forecasting, and AR health, with the discipline to keep Salesforce accurate and current at all times

Bridge sub-Practice delivery with Solutioning, Account, and Program Management to streamline execution and deliver a white-glove client experience, holding delivery accountable for method and quality while you hold the commercial result

Partner with Alliance leaders (Adobe, Google, Salesforce, AWS, Braze) on joint account planning, pipeline mapping, and co-sell motions—bringing at least one Alliance Joint Teaming motion per account growth plan annually

Run a proactive Client Partner cadence: Innovation Days, Discovery Workshops, Executive Business Reviews, and quarterly value reviews structured around measured outcomes rather than activity

Maintain a frequent, consistent stream of thought leadership into your accounts—events, POVs, workshops, and executive narratives that position Merkle as a strategic partner, not a vendor

Provide leadership and direction to Account Directors, Engagement Leaders, and Capability teams in a matrixed environment, ensuring the account team operates as one seamless unit

Client Challenges

You’ll Solve Client Partners at Merkle operate at the intersection of strategy and execution. Your portfolio will span clients facing transformation challenges that require integrated thinking across data, technology, and customer experience. You’ll build account strategies—and create opportunities for clients to think more broadly about Merkle’s capabilities—around problems like these: Unifying fragmented customer data and CRM systems to power personalization, loyalty, and orchestrated journeys across every channel—replacing siloed point solutions with a connected experience architecture Scaling content production without scaling headcount, using AI to accelerate creation, manage assets, and streamline creative operations across markets and channels Transforming B2B go-to-market from siloed marketing and sales into integrated, account-based motions with measurable pipeline impact and closed-loop attribution Deploying AI and agentic automation across the customer experience—conversational interfaces, adaptive commerce, intelligent service—to drive engagement and operational efficiency simultaneously Defending marketing investment against CFO scrutiny by building enterprise measurement and analytics capabilities that tie experience spend to revenue outcomes the finance function will accept Navigating platform migrations and martech rationalization—helping clients move from legacy stacks to modern, composable architectures without disrupting the customer experience in flight

You May Be a Good Fit

If You Have 15+ years of progressive experience in client services, client management, or enterprise account leadership within an advertising agency, consultancy, marketing services firm, systems integrator, or client-side marketing organization, with direct P&L accountability for accounts of meaningful scale

Demonstrated success owning $20M+ books and leading complex, multi-service-line engagements across multiple industries, with a track record that includes both growing and defending revenue under pressure

Executive relationships held personally at CMO, CIO, or CFO level—not inherited or brokered—with the presence and credibility to earn trust at the altitude where budget decisions are made

Deep working knowledge of CXM/CRM, Loyalty, Data and Analytics, Identity, Digital Marketing, Content Supply Chain, B2B, and Enterprise AI / Martech—sufficient to hold a substantive conversation with a client technology leader, not just name the categories

Experience directing account teams you do not line-manage, and the judgment to set direction without relying on escalation—comfortable being accountable for outcomes produced by people who do not report to you

Strong commercial acumen: pricing strategy, multi-year deal structuring, negotiation, margin defense against procurement, and the discipline to manage forecasts, contracts, and AR with rigor

A specific account you defended against in-housing, offshore substitution, or a competitive displacement attempt—with the story of how you did it

Working command of modern AI capability and its effect on delivery timelines, commercial models, and client expectations

Alliance experience with Adobe, Salesforce, or a comparable platform partner, including joint account planning and co-sell execution

Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree a plus

What Success Looks Like

In your first 30 days, you’ve taken full handover of the commercial position, contract terms, delivery status, and relationship map for your portfolio. You’ve met every named client stakeholder and identified the retention risks nobody has written down By day 60, you’ve published the account plan for each account and established the operating cadence. Account management, delivery, and the Enterprise Sales Lead are working to it. You’ve agreed the annual commitment with the SVP, Growth Officer By day 90, you hold executive relationships at least one level above your predecessor’s highest contact. You’ve closed or addressed the most urgent retention exposure and opened at least one extension opportunity in your largest account By month six, you’ve completed one renewal on improved terms, produced a client-attested value result, and have a qualified pipeline of growth opportunities across your book that reflects the full breadth of Merkle’s capabilities By year one, you’ve delivered the committed revenue and margin, retained >90% of your base, opened at least one new buying center, and your account plans are the operating document the team actually works against—not a shelf artifact

Compensation and Benefits

The annual base salary range for this position is $237,000 to $275,000. Placement within the range is based on relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and other factors permitted by law. This position is also eligible for discretionary incentive compensation tied to the account leadership and growth outcomes described above.

Benefits include

• medical, vision, and dental insurance
• life insurance
• short-term and long-term disability
• 401(k)
• flexible paid time off
• at least 15 paid holidays per year
• paid sick and safe leave
• paid parental leave

Dentsu complies with applicable state and local leave laws, including the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, in accordance with its plans and policies. For more information, visit

Additional Information

This is a hybrid role based from a dentsu hub (Chicago, Detroit metro, Los Angeles, or New York City), three days in office per week (two days in LA). Remote considered for candidates outside commutable range, based on business need. Reports to the SVP, Growth Officer.

Location: USA - Remote - New York

Brand: Merkle

Time Type: Full time

Contract Type: Permanent

Equal Employment Opportunity

Dentsu is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees. We do this without regard to race, color, national origin, sex , sexual orientation, gender identity, age, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital status, political affiliation, religious practices and observances, citizenship status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

Dentsu is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to, among others, individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans. If you need an accommodation because of a disability to search and apply for a career opportunity with us, please send an e‑mail to View email address on click.appcast.io by clicking on the link to let us know the nature of your accommodation request and your contact information. We are here to support you.

About dentsu

For over 120 years, innovation is a core tenet of our offering – exploring new ways to reach, engage and nurture relationships with audiences. Together we drive a multiplier effect for clients at a global scale, through the development of Integrated Growth Solutions that are underpinned by our promise to clients: innovating to impact. Be a force for good. Sustainability is a vital part of our business and an important area of focus for our clients. We’re leading the way – helping to build a more sustainable planet. Dream loud. In this moment of transformation, we need our people to be fearless, embracing change and ambiguity, driven by the love for their work and excitement for the future. Team without limits. We create opportunities for connection and collaboration between our colleagues and clients, building a sense of belonging and having some fun along the way. Find out more about us Who we are Our Social Impact Our work