Sr Client Advocate I

Companion Data Services•Columbia, PA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Companion Data Services provides IT solutions and managed services, operating data centers that support government, commercial, and education clients. The Senior Client Advocate serves as the central point of contact for contract-related issues and incoming requests, directing each request to the appropriate support area. The role establishes and maintains client relationships, coordinates communication and priorities across strategic, tactical, and operational levels, and works with clients to identify innovation, cost-reduction, efficiency, and business-improvement opportunities. It also acts as a liaison between Information Systems (I/S) and leadership for assigned business units, helping ensure technology solutions support business growth. The position may contribute to staff training and development and assist department managers with daily operations. This is a full-time, fully onsite position based in Columbia, South Carolina; State College, Pennsylvania; or Dallas, Texas. Occasional on-call work, nights, and weekends may be required in response to client-reported incidents or disaster recovery needs. The position is not eligible for current or future sponsorship. The Senior Client Advocate manages customer requirements and account relationships; coordinates and tracks I/S work requests, estimates, authorizations, priorities, and delivery dates; monitors service levels and reports SLA performance and customer satisfaction; and provides strategic consultancy and project quality oversight. The role also promotes relevant I/S products and services, develops customer-focused solutions, and tracks industry and technology trends to identify ways to improve products and services.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree, or an associate degree plus two additional years of job-related experience for a total of nine years of required work experience, or 11 total years of required work experience.
Seven years of I/T-related experience, including client relationship management, I/S marketing, and process or product improvement.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with an assertive yet customer-focused style.
Strong leadership and teamwork skills, with the ability to communicate with all levels of management.
Strong technical knowledge and analytical and conceptual skills.
Understanding of information systems, business processes, and the key drivers and measures of success for the business unit and organization.
Knowledge of company business practices and direction, and of assigned business-area products and processes.
Understanding of technological trends used to develop solutions for business units.
Strong business analysis experience across multiple lines of business.
Strong line-of-business experience, including close collaboration with I/T on system development and implementation.
Strategic thinking, client management, relationship-building and management abilities, and a service-oriented approach.
Demonstrated ability to manage resources to meet goals and manage multiple projects.
Experience participating on multidisciplinary, high-performance work teams.
Ability to negotiate terms and scope-of-work documents.
Ability to prepare and deliver formal presentations.
Effective problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills.
Ability to work occasional on-call shifts, nights, and weekends based on client-reported incidents or disaster recovery.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office.
Ability to work fully onsite in Columbia, South Carolina; State College, Pennsylvania; or Dallas, Texas.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience in IT project management, IT business analysis, IT account management, IT solutions, IT operations, or a similar area.
Knowledge of commercial healthcare claims.

Responsibilities

Serve as the central contact for contract-related issues and route incoming requests to appropriate support areas.
Establish, build, and maintain sustainable client relationships and coordinate client communications and priorities at strategic, tactical, and operational levels.
Identify opportunities with customers for innovation, cost reduction, improved efficiencies, and solutions to business challenges.
Act as a liaison between I/S and leadership for assigned business units.
Collect, analyze, review, document, and communicate customer needs and requirements, ensuring I/S solutions align with customer business strategies from initial requirements through implementation.
Build relationships between customers and the I/S organization; analyze problems, settle disputes, and negotiate within contractual boundaries.
Help customers define business needs, changes, and priorities, and assist in defining I/S work and audit requests.
Prepare and deliver estimates and supporting documentation; negotiate estimates, authorization, and start and completion dates with customers.
Track and monitor work requests to control costs and ensure delivery according to customer priorities, estimates, and dates.
Monitor service levels, compare actual performance with agreed service levels, review results with customers, and identify improvement opportunities.
Establish and report I/S performance and customer-satisfaction metrics, report SLA performance, assess SLAs, and report customer status to I/S management.
Provide strategic consultancy to assigned customers on business or technology processes and oversee project quality to support on-time, on-budget delivery that meets customer specifications.
Proactively communicate relevant I/S offerings, identify products and services that meet customer needs, and work with I/S teams to propose and build tailored solutions.
Design products and services with reusable components, establish pricing, obtain line-of-business management approval, and package offerings for customers.
Research customer strategies, industry trends, and new technologies; identify appropriate I/S products and services and communicate customer needs to the I/S organization.
May participate in staff training and development and assist department managers with day-to-day operations.