Director of Client Services

About Heady

Heady architects purchase experiences in store, online, and through AI agents — helping brands sell to humans, and increasingly to and through the agents now shopping on their behalf. Our expertise spans the software and infrastructure behind a purchase, the experience enabling it, and the loyalty that follows. We're a relationship-driven, craft-focused, people-first company. Our clients trust us not just to execute, but to think alongside them.

About the role

As a Client Services leader at Heady, you're the primary steward of a select portfolio of our most important client relationships — responsible for growing those accounts and the partnerships behind them. You do this by being a credible commerce voice with clients: a point of view on commerce and retail, built from seeing these problems across many organizations, that helps clients see where their business is going and what to do next. That perspective earns you a seat at the table with senior stakeholders — and turns relationships into new work for Heady.

You'll build and own relationships at the VP and Director level, working alongside our founders (who hold our most senior executive relationships) and our Product Managers (who own day-to-day delivery). You're the connective tissue between them: translating what delivery teams see on the ground into a business case a client will act on, and client goals into work our teams can deliver. You're accountable for account growth, not for producing strategic deliverables — when a client needs research or a detailed plan, you scope it, sell it, and hand it to delivery. Because clients value your perspective, expect to carry a billable advisory load on your accounts.

Hybrid, Brooklyn-based: in-office Tuesdays + Wednesdays in Dumbo, with potential to increase to 3 days/week in the future. Travel: up to 50%, for on-site meetings with client executives and stakeholders.

What you'll own

Growth & the Client Relationship

• Account Growth: Spot where clients are headed, frame how Heady helps, shape the next piece of work.
• Mining Opportunities: Watch for signals — new departments, product phases, market shifts — and show clients how Heady fits.
• Strategic Partnerships: Identify moments to bring in our partner network.
• Looking Forward: Work with the CEO on revenue forecasting and lead pitches/proposals for your accounts.
• Industry Insights: Bring a credible POV on retail/e-commerce trends, framed around each client's specific challenges.

Relationships & Trust

• Strategic Stakeholder Mapping: Learn the client's internal hierarchy and build real relationships at the VP/Director level where budgets get shaped.
• Broadening Our Access: Build relationships across the client org, from working teams to approving leaders.
• Strategic Check-ins: Lead business reviews focused on the client's big-picture goals, not just daily tasks.
• Taking the Pulse: Stay close to the internal team, surface insights to leadership, and watch for early signs of frustration.
• The Heady Host: Be a main face of the agency — coordinate and lead client visits at Dumbo or their HQ.

Supporting the Internal Team

• Partnering with Product: Partner with (not manage) our PMs — bring client context in, carry delivery reality out, scope and hand off new work cleanly.
• Support for the Team: Be who the team calls when a client is difficult, so PMs and developers can stay focused.
• Client Budget Awareness: Partner with the VP of Delivery to track client budget usage and avoid surprises.

Contract Management & Staying Ahead

• The Contract Lifecycle: Own renewals/extensions, staying 60–90 days ahead of expiration.
• Managing Scope: Protect the project team — lead the conversation, paperwork, and pricing when clients ask for out-of-scope work.
• Drafting Agreements: Pull together requirements, scope, and pricing into clear, professional agreements.

Who you are

• A Commerce Expert: Deep experience across commerce/e-commerce, speaking credibly on purchase architecture, conversion, and AOV.
• A Confident Point of View: Can take a substantive commerce question from a senior client and hold or adjust a defensible position under scrutiny.
• A Translator of Goals into Work: Shape a broad client objective into a clear first engagement, with the business case behind it.
• Experienced with Senior Stakeholders: Executive presence to advise senior leaders candidly, including on budget and investment.
• A Skilled Communicator: Translate technical delivery realities into client-friendly language; comfortable with direct communication.
• Commercially Minded: Own conversations about money, pricing, and contracts — protecting the agency while championing the client.
• Technically Aware: Understand tech stacks/roadmaps enough to spot opportunities, and know when to loop in internal experts.

Experience: 5–8 years in commerce strategy, digital product consulting, or senior account leadership within a digital product or tech environment. (Likely not a fit for traditional advertising/marketing agency backgrounds — you need to understand the nuances of software delivery.)

Education: Bachelor's in Business, Marketing, or related (MBA preferred).

Culturally, you're socially intelligent and empathetic, with sharp situational awareness — you read tone and subtext in every client interaction. You practice strategic diplomacy, knowing when to push and when to pull back, and balanced advocacy — deep client trust paired with the backbone to say no. You're curious, growth-oriented, and comfortable building structure in a fast-moving environment.

How we define success

• Growth: new revenue from existing accounts
• Retention: long-term partners, early renewals
• Relationship Depth: becoming the trusted advisor, widening access over time
• Healthy Accounts: commercially sound through smart scope/budget management

First 6 months: build trusted VP/Director relationships across your portfolio; audit all active SOWs for 100% accuracy on expiration/billing; lead 3–5 out-of-scope or challenging client conversations; launch a consistent Business Review cadence.

First 12 months: close multiple expansion opportunities toward a meaningful share of your revenue target; manage all contract renewals to a strong retention rate; reduce scope creep through proactive change-order management; help refine Heady's strategic account management practice.

Pay

• Base Compensation: $155,000–$175,000
• Variable Incentive Compensation: across three dimensions — Portfolio Health (client satisfaction, retention), Portfolio Revenue Attainment (annual plan performance), and Portfolio Expansion (growth above expectations). Paid annually at year-end, rewarding both stewardship and growth.

Benefits

• Medical/Dental/Vision from Day 1
• Flexible PTO (4+ weeks encouraged) + 13 paid holidays
• 401(k) eligibility after 3 months
• Continued Learning Program
• Sabbatical eligibility after 3 years
• Generous Parental Leave
• Hybrid flexibility (2 days/week in Dumbo)

We encourage you to apply even if you don't meet 100% of the requirements above. We value the unique perspective and expertise you bring to your craft.