Director, Client Services

Cars Commerce • Chicago, IL

1d • $154,200 - $192,750 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Client Services, Regions reports to the Vice President of Dealer Success and leads a defined portion of the Regional Client Services organization. This is one of two Director roles that together oversee Regions; the two Directors each own a portion of the Regional book of business and partner as peers to ensure consistent standards, strategy, and client experience across all Regions. The Director sets direction and priorities for their area of accountability and develops and executes business plans through subordinate Managers, who in turn lead Associate Performance Managers, Performance Managers, and Senior Performance Managers. The Director is responsible for business results and resource allocation, including budget and staff, for their portion of the region.

Requirements

• Excellent communication and analytical skills
• Marketing savvy
• Ability to enjoy working in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to work through conflict resolution both internally and with external clients
• Previous management experience, ideally including experience leading or developing other people leaders (subordinate managers)
• Account management and digital marketing strategy services experience
• Ability to provide constructive and consistent feedback to all team members to ensure their further growth within their roles
• Outstanding presentation & communication skills both over the phone and during in-person meetings
• Excellent customer service skills
• Must be very organized, punctual, and detail oriented
• Fast learner & interested in new technologies
• Team building and ability to rally your internal team to achieve company goals
• The ability to remain cool under pressure and manage through client conflict
• Must have experience within the automotive industry and be able to speak to the needs of this vertical
• Availability and willingness to travel up to 25%
• Bachelor's degree required
• 10+ years of experience
• 5+ years of people management experience
• Strong knowledge of Leadership and People Management
• Strong knowledge of Website Performance / Google Analytics
• Intermediate WordPress knowledge
• Strong knowledge of SEO Fundamentals and Principles
• Strong knowledge of Paid Search / Google Ads
• Strong knowledge of Automotive Dealership Operations
• Strong knowledge of Social Media

Nice To Haves

• Cultivates innovation
• Demonstrates self-awareness
• Manages complexity
• Balances stakeholders

Responsibilities

• Lead a defined portion of the Regional Client Services organization through subordinate Managers, owning the performance, development, and outcomes of that leadership layer and the PFM teams beneath it
• Set direction and priorities for your area of accountability, and develop and execute business plans that deliver against short- and mid-term strategy
• Own business results and resource allocation for your portion of the region, including budget and staff
• Assist the Vice President with forecasting and business growth, driving market and product penetration across the Dealer Inspire and Cars Commerce library of products
• Partner with the peer Director, Client Services, Regions to align standards, processes, playbooks, and strategy across the full Regional organization
• Imagine, document, roll out, and iterate new processes and contests for the Manager and PFM teams as necessary
• Own retention for your portion of the region in cross-functional partnership with other teams, including digital advertising, SEO, marketplace, and beyond
• Hold regular (weekly) touch bases with your leadership team to identify wins and blockers
• Ensure ongoing training across the PFM ladder and maintain detailed knowledge of all new products and digital offerings
• Work with the Manager and PFM teams to identify upsell and expansion opportunities and build strategy
• Set talent strategy for your area; mentor Managers on best practices for people leadership and client management, and support their professional growth
• Own hiring, performance management, and (as needed) offboarding for your direct reports; meet with your Manager team for annual and ongoing performance reviews with constructive feedback on performance and growth path
• Assist in the sales and strategy process for new business development for Dealer Inspire / Cars Commerce
• Provide support to Managers and PFMs on complex client strategy, difficult clients/cancellations, and bandwidth management
• Advocate and communicate with other internal departments about larger product issues, blockers, and process
• Ensure consistent communication of company directives across the Manager and PFM teams
• Identify issues and solve for process improvements
• Identify staffing needs with the VP for your portion of the region and serve as a liaison for necessary growth in client-facing roles
• Support the interview process outlined by HR for the Manager and PFM teams
• Onboard new employees to Dealer Inspire in partnership with the Regional Trainer
• Own executive- and ownership-level relationships with the most strategic customers in your region, and provide insight and guidance to the team related to digital services (and beyond)
• Positive representation of Client Services to all internal teams
• Positive representation of Dealer Inspire to all clients
• Quarterly goal to maintain retention of all clients and products (goal established quarterly)
• Identify opportunity for regional growth within the Dealer Inspire product suite / upsell existing products

Benefits

• Medical, Dental & Vision Healthcare Plans
• New Hire Stipend for Home Office Set-Up
• Generous PTO
• Paid Holidays, Floating Holiday, Volunteer Day, Recharge Day

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director