Client Relations Manager – Creative

Salary: £70,000 per annum, plus company benefits

Location: London - City

Contract: Full Time

Shifts: 37.5 hours per week, Monday – Friday, 9am until 5:30pm with 1 hours unpaid lunch break

Work model: Fully onsite

Williams Lea seeks a Client Relations Manager in our Creative Team to join us!

Williams Lea is the leading global provider of skilled, technology-enabled, business-critical support services, with long-term trusted relationships with blue-chip clients across investment banks, law firms and professional services firms. Williams Lea employees, nearly 7000 people worldwide, who provide efficient business services at client sites in often complex and highly regulated environments, from centralised Williams Lea onshore facilities, and through best cost company offshore locations.

Purpose of role 

The Client Relationship Manager oversees design and communication projects within the Presentations and Creative Services group, acting as the primary liaison between clients, internal teams, and external vendors. This role collaborates with the Account Director, Creative Director, Art Directors, Senior Designers, Project Managers, Presentations Operators and Supervisors, and Global Workflow Coordinators to assess client needs, develop cost estimates, and ensure seamless project execution. Serving as the face of Williams Lea Presentations and Creative Services, this position builds and maintains senior-level relationships with both clients and suppliers, fostering an environment of elevated client service and identifying opportunities to support business growth.

Job Description

Responsible for ensuring clients receive proactive, professional, and high-quality support that not only meets but exceeds their expectations. This role focuses on building strong client relationships, understanding their business objectives, and aligning Williams Lea’s services to create value-driven solutions. By anticipating client needs and identifying opportunities for improvement, the Client Relationship Manager ensures seamless service delivery and fosters long-term partnerships that drive success.

■   Client Relationship Management: Assess client needs, provide recommendations, and oversee budgets and timelines to ensure project success.

■   Strategic Guidance: Translate client requests and client briefs into elevated, strategic design concepts that align with objectives while pushing creative boundaries.

■   Trust & Credibility: Establish strong relationships with clients through expert communication, ensuring designs exceed expectations and contribute to more effective, compelling presentations.

■   Leadership & Collaboration: Provide leadership within the creative team by leveraging design expertise and interpersonal skills to navigate client relationships, external vendors, and deliver outstanding visual solutions.

■   Project Execution: Coordinate with internal operators, designers and external print/production vendors to manage projects from conception to completion.

■   Problem-Solving & Innovation: Use creative problem-solving to address client communication challenges, resolve service delivery issues, and enhance department productivity.

■   Multi-Project Management: Successfully manage multiple projects and clients simultaneously, ensuring high-quality outcomes.

■   Process Optimization: Develop and implement strategic solutions to help clients and internal teams meet communication objectives and streamline workflows.

■   Brand Consistency & Quality Control: Work closely with the Creative Director, Art Directors to ensure all designs adhere to brand standards and maintain the highest quality.

■   Issue Resolution & Escalation: Address client escalations, resolve challenges proactively, and communicate major issues to the Account Director, Creative Director.

■   Continuous Improvement: Leverage insights from monthly and quarterly client meetings to refine processes and align with client expectations.

■   Client Consultation & Advisory: Collaborate with the Creative Director to educate clients on new or enhanced services, features, and capabilities.

■   Stakeholder Engagement: Build relationships with end-users and key stakeholders, actively managing perceptions and expectations to drive satisfaction and retention.

Financial Management

Ensure financial targets are met within a framework of strict financial control, while collaborating with the Creative Director and Account Development team to drive new business growth.

■   Budget Oversight: Monitor financial performance of projects against budget and support both the department and clients in the budgeting process.

■   Invoice Management: Assist in preparing, reviewing, and ensuring accuracy of monthly invoices.

■   Financial Reporting: Complete monthly financial duties in alignment with the Accounting Close calendar.

■   Forecasting: Provide mid-month financial projections to track performance and anticipate variances.

■   Performance Analysis: Develop and analyze monthly financial reports, focusing on expense management and achieving financial targets.

■   Compliance & Controls: Ensure adherence to contractual, pro-forma, and internal financial controls.

■   Trend Analysis & Action Planning: Monitor financial trends, identify shortfalls, and assist in developing action plans to recover revenue or reduce costs.

Job qualifications

■   Education: Bachelor's degree from an university or relevant substantial experience.

■   Experience: Minimum 5 years in an advertising, creative services environment, preferably within an in-house or agency setting.

■   Industry Knowledge: Strong understanding of design studio workflows, approval processes, and relevant software/equipment.

■   Execution Skills: Experience managing digital, print, and web executions.

■   Client Management: Proven ability to build, maintain, and enhance client relationships through strong customer service skills.

■   Adaptability: Ability to multi-task, shift priorities, and handle high-pressure deadlines effectively.

■   Decision-Making & Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and decision-making skills to manage complex operations.

■   Confidentiality & Integrity: Ability to handle sensitive materials and maintain confidentiality.

■   Communication & Software Proficiency: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with proficiency in MS Office, Adobe CS.

■   Attention to Detail: Strong time management, problem-solving, and organizational skills.

■   Financial Acumen: Ability to read and interpret campaign, program, and project budgets.

 Rewards and Benefits

We believe in supporting our employees in both their professional and personal lives. As part of our commitment to your well-being, we offer a comprehensive benefits package, including but not limited to:

25 days holiday, plus bank holidays(pro-rata for part time or fixed term roles)Salary sacrifice schemes, retail vouchers – including our TechScheme which can be used on a range of gadgets such as Smart TV’s, laptops and computers or household appliances.Life AssurancePrivate Medical InsuranceDental InsuranceHealth AssessmentsCycle-to-work schemeDiscounted gym membershipsReferral Scheme

You will also have the opportunity to work for a global employer who is dedicated to offering each and every employee an enjoyable, challenging and rewarding career with future career development prospects!

Equality and Diversity

The Company values the differences that a diverse workforce brings to the organisation and will not discriminate because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race (which includes colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation (each of these being a “protected characteristic” in discrimination law). It will not discriminate because of any other irrelevant factor and will build a culture that values openness, fairness and transparency.

If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format or would like to make a reasonable adjustment to enable you to make an interview please contact us at careersatWL@williamslea.com(we do not accept applications to this email address).

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