Manager, Client Engagement

R/GA•New York City, NY

4d•$68,000 - $78,000•Hybrid

About The Position

As a Manager, Client Engagement, you drive projects forward by connecting information, solving problems, and pushing ideas in new ways. You leverage your own growth and the expertise around you to build mastery within the department. You support small to medium-sized projects by combining program management, client management, and entrepreneurial leadership skills. You design plans, budgets, and contracts, track progress, and remove obstacles to ensure successful delivery, providing oversight throughout the project lifecycle. The Manager, Client Engagement is also a trusted partner and primary contact for junior clients, developing the ability to craft win-win solutions for clients and R/GA. For this role, you bring proven experience managing pharmaceutical marketing programs, including familiarity with Medical, Legal, and Regulatory (MLR) processes, hands-on use of Veeva, and an understanding of social-first and integrated 360 campaigns in the pharma space.

Requirements

3–5 years of client engagement experience within an advertising or digital agency, including 1-2 years supporting pharmaceutical clients.
Familiarity with MLR review processes and hands-on experience with Veeva or similar pharma technology platforms, applied in a project or program management setting.
Experience supporting social-first and 360-degree campaigns within regulated environments.
A track record of supporting projects valued at $500K–$1M, and/or leading multiple projects under $500K.
An understanding of core financial concepts, with growing knowledge of advanced topics such as scope management, pricing, invoicing schedules, and rate cards.
The ability to read and interpret a pipeline, break down budgets into hours, and assess the revenue impact of out-of-scope client requests as part of project oversight.
Developing negotiation skills, sound business judgment, and the ability to balance competing priorities while maintaining project momentum.
Curiosity for industry trends and client news, with the initiative to share relevant insights and ideas with your team to enhance project outcomes.
This role is based in the NYC area. Candidates must be located in the NYC tri-state region (NY, NJ, or CT) or willing to relocate.
This position will offer a hybrid work model, with in-person collaboration expected.

Nice To Haves

Understands the complexities of pharmaceutical marketing, including compliance requirements and multi-channel campaign nuances.
Anticipates next steps, asks smart questions, identifies risks, and escalates issues to leadership with clear, well-considered solutions.
Stays informed on industry trends, client news, and competitor work, and actively shares relevant insights to inspire the team.
Has a solid understanding of R/GA’s capabilities, centers of excellence, and celebrated work, using that knowledge to inform recommendations.
Maintains a sharp eye for detail and polish, holding all output to a world-class standard appropriate for the medium.
Builds trust-based relationships with clients through respect, empathy, and a genuine commitment to their success.
Reads both written and unwritten cues to gauge client satisfaction and shares those insights with the team.
Listens actively, leads discussions when needed, builds rapport, and clearly articulates status in both internal and client interactions.
Applies strong communication, emotional intelligence, collaboration, and negotiation skills to move work forward.
Brings flexibility, positivity, calmness under pressure, openness to new ideas, a can-do attitude, and intellectual curiosity to every situation.

Responsibilities

Apply your knowledge of pharmaceutical industry workflows, including MLR review cycles and compliance considerations, to support smooth campaign execution.
Partner with clients and internal teams to align on goals, scope, timelines, budgets, and delivery plans.
Translate objectives into actionable schedules and ensure expectations are managed throughout the engagement.
Act as the day-to-day contact for junior-level clients, maintaining a constant flow of information, leading status meetings, sharing key updates, and escalating issues to leadership when needed.
Apply sound client management techniques by clarifying objectives, fielding requests, sharing feedback, and representing the team’s recommendations with professionalism and clarity.
Contribute a strong point of view informed by client business knowledge, asking smart questions, and giving constructive creative and strategic feedback to help push the work forward.
Lead project execution by applying the right tools, processes, and methodologies to keep teams organized, work documented, and deliverables on time, on budget, and on brief.
Collaborate with team members to create a culture of trust, respect, and constructive challenge.
Delegate effectively, foster learning, and lean in where needed to get the best output.
Work with leadership, craft leads, and Talent Management to design smart project staffing plans that consider resource mix, seniority, location, and freelance versus staff.
Partner with Finance to build, track, and report on budgets.
Monitor EAC, flag risks early, and propose solutions such as reallocation, rescoping, or PCNs.
Support organic growth efforts by managing proactive work such as compiling creds or refining proposals, and identify new opportunities to bring to leadership.
Ensure creative excellence by monitoring quality standards, understanding how feedback impacts delivery, and maintaining focus on both client satisfaction and R/GA’s standards of work.
Serve as a knowledgeable resource for the project by connecting the right people, managing dependencies, and anticipating risks to keep delivery smooth.
Demonstrate curiosity and growth by seeking feedback, exploring new ways of working, and participating in training and team-building initiatives.