ZipRecruiter

Log In

1

Director Client Strategy Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

Cars

Director, Client Services

Chicago, IL · On-site

The Director, Client Services, Regions reports to the Vice President of Dealer Success and leads a ... Set talent strategy for your area; mentor Managers on best practices for people leadership and ...

Cars Commerce

Director, Client Services

Chicago, IL · On-site

The Director, Client Services, Regions reports to the Vice President of Dealer Success and leads a ... Set talent strategy for your area; mentor Managers on best practices for people leadership and ...

Cars

Director, Client Services

Chicago, IL · On-site

The Director, Client Services, Regions reports to the Vice President of Dealer Success and leads a ... Set talent strategy for your area; mentor Managers on best practices for people leadership and ...

next page

Showing results 1-20

All JobsClient Strategy JobsDirector Client Strategy JobsDirector Client Strategy Jobs in Chicago, IL

Director Client Strategy information

See Chicago, IL salary details

$105.1K

$143.3K

$250.3K

How much do director client strategy jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 6, 2026, the average yearly pay for director client strategy in Chicago, IL is $143,294.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $121,000.00 and $149,400.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a director client strategy?

To excel as a Director Client Strategy, you need expertise in client relationship management, strategic planning, and a proven track record in business development, often supported by a relevant degree and experience in marketing or consulting. Familiarity with CRM platforms, data analytics tools, and project management systems is typically required. Outstanding leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills help build trust with clients and guide teams effectively. These abilities are crucial for driving client success, fostering long-term partnerships, and delivering on business objectives.

How does a director client strategy typically collaborate with other departments to drive client success?

A Director of Client Strategy works closely with teams across the organization, such as sales, account management, creative, and analytics, to develop and execute comprehensive strategies tailored to each client's goals. Regular cross-functional meetings and strategic planning sessions are common, ensuring alignment on project deliverables, timelines, and key performance indicators. This collaborative approach not only helps address client needs holistically but also fosters innovation and ensures the agency delivers consistent value. Strong communication and leadership skills are vital, as the Director often acts as the main point of contact between clients and internal teams.

What is the difference between Director Client Strategy vs Client Services Manager?

AspectDirector Client StrategyClient Services Manager
Primary FocusDeveloping long-term client strategies and growth initiativesManaging day-to-day client relationships and service delivery
ResponsibilitiesStrategic planning, high-level client engagement, business developmentClient support, issue resolution, account management
Required CredentialsBachelor's degree, experience in strategy, marketing, or salesBachelor's degree, experience in client management or customer service
Work EnvironmentCorporate offices, strategic meetings, cross-department collaborationClient sites, customer support centers, internal teams

The main difference is that the Director Client Strategy focuses on creating and executing long-term client growth plans, while the Client Services Manager handles daily client interactions and service issues. Both roles require strong communication skills and industry knowledge, but the Director role is more strategic and high-level.

What does a director client strategy do?

A Director of Client Strategy is responsible for developing and overseeing strategic plans that help clients achieve their business objectives. They work closely with clients to understand their needs, identify opportunities for growth, and recommend solutions that align with both the client's goals and the company's offerings. This role often involves leading a team, managing key client relationships, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality, data-driven strategies. The Director of Client Strategy also collaborates with internal teams such as sales, marketing, and product development to ensure client satisfaction and retention.
What are the most commonly searched types of Client Strategy jobs in Chicago, IL? The most popular types of Client Strategy jobs in Chicago, IL are:
What are popular job titles related to Director Client Strategy jobs in Chicago, IL? For Director Client Strategy jobs in Chicago, IL, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Director Client Strategy jobs in Chicago, IL look for? The top searched job categories for Director Client Strategy jobs in Chicago, IL are:
What cities near Chicago, IL are hiring for Director Client Strategy jobs? Cities near Chicago, IL with the most Director Client Strategy job openings:
Director Client Strategy jobs near you

Director, Client Strategy

Wheelhouse DMG

Chicago, IL

Full-time

Posted 23 days ago

Job description

Wheelhouse DMG is a sought-after digital marketing agency that has worked with some of the world's most innovative healthcare, medical device, and privacy-first brands for more than a decade. We consistently deliver exceptional business value through a combination of deep marketing expertise, purpose-built technology, and creative capabilities. As platform automation and privacy regulations disrupt traditional marketing initiatives, much of our work focuses on helping healthcare and MedTech organizations drive performance in a first-party data world.

Examples of our work include:

  • Unlocking performance for a medical device client by employing sophisticated first-party data strategies
  • Developing and implementing HIPAA-compliant data strategies for healthcare and MedTech clients
  • Reimagining the appointment booking experience to create exponential growth for one of the largest healthcare systems in the U.S.
  • Leading strategy for the consolidation of 2.5 million web pages on 39 NASA websites into a single, unified information architecture and content strategy for NASA's Science Directorate

We are seeking a senior, highly proactive strategist to join our Account Management team as Director of Client Strategy.

Strategic Focus

The Director of Client Strategy raises the strategic ceiling on Wheelhouse's most important client work, connecting insight across channels, practices, and history into clear, executive-ready strategy and storytelling. In practice, this person operates as a number two to the Director of Account Management: taking high-level strategic workstreams off her plate, owning client health and strategic direction for a defined set of complex accounts, and freeing her to lead the function and develop the team.

This is a client-facing, visible senior leader, not a behind-the-scenes resource. You will be introduced to clients by name and present in executive-level strategic conversations on behalf of Wheelhouse, especially on our largest and most complex accounts. Internally, you will lead Strategy Group, Wheelhouse's strategic braintrust that collectively reviews account strategies on a weekly basis.

Initial focus will be on our largest and most strategically important client relationship, expanding over time to serve as the senior strategy voice across several accounts.

In this role, you will:

  • Own client health and strategic direction for a defined set of complex and flagship accounts, in partnership with the Director of Account Management
  • Synthesize inputs from Digital Advertising, Digital Strategy, Marketing Sciences, and Account Management into coherent strategic stories, clear recommendations, and executive-friendly roadmaps
  • Stay ahead of client needs by proactively identifying risks, opportunities, and strategic shifts before the client raises them
  • Lead Strategy Group, pressure-testing account strategy on a weekly basis and modeling the standard of rigor Wheelhouse expects
  • Coach and give direct, candid feedback to Account Managers, raising the team's strategic capability over time, without formal line authority
  • Act as a trusted thought partner and pressure-release valve for the Director of Account Management and the broader AM team
Core Responsibilities Client Strategy and Health
  • Own client health and strategic direction for a defined set of complex and flagship accounts, in partnership with the Director of Account Management
  • Show up as a named, visible senior strategic leader on assigned accounts, introduced to clients and present at key strategic touchpoints
  • Ensure Wheelhouse's work consistently shows up as clear, compelling, executive-level narrative, not data dumps, at key client touchpoints
  • Serve as a senior point of escalation when an account is at risk, stepping in to pressure-test the plan and help the team reset direction
Strategic Elevation of Work
  • Operate above the day-to-day execution layer, with no responsibility for trafficking, builds, or task management
  • Take inputs from Digital Advertising, Digital Strategy, Marketing Sciences, and Account Management and synthesize them into coherent strategic stories and executive-friendly roadmaps
  • Pressure-test and elevate high-stakes deliverables, including executive decks, QBRs, and onsite presentations, before they reach the client
  • Challenge the team when historical bias or constraints are limiting strategic thinking, and reopen smart options that may have been closed prematurely
Strategy Group Leadership
  • Lead Strategy Group, Wheelhouse's internal strategic braintrust that collectively reviews account strategies on a weekly basis
  • Set the agenda and bar for these reviews, ensuring discussion produces sharper direction rather than open-ended debate
  • Surface cross-account patterns and carry the best thinking back into individual accounts and the One Wheelhouse approach
Coaching, Standards, and Partnership
  • Act as the Director of Account Management's deputy on quality and standards, coaching AMs in real time and pushing the team where there is friction
  • Enforce the process and quality controls Wheelhouse already has in place, especially during high-pressure stretches
  • Take high-level strategic workstreams off the Director of Account Management's plate so she can focus on leading the function and developing people
  • Connect insight across Digital Advertising, Digital Strategy, Marketing Sciences, Creative, and Content so the full picture of Wheelhouse's work shows up in client strategy
Experience & Qualifications
  • 8+ years in a digital, performance, or integrated agency environment, with demonstrated ownership of strategy for large, complex accounts
  • Proven ability to synthesize cross-channel data, performance insights, and client history into executive-level narratives and recommendations
  • Comfortable presenting to and pushing back on C-suite and VP-level client contacts with confidence and care
  • Strong strategic instincts: identifies risks and opportunities early, reframes problems, and resets direction when conditions change
  • Comfortable giving direct, candid feedback and coaching to people who do not report to them
  • Exceptional written and verbal communication; translates complexity into clarity without oversimplifying
  • Experience operating in high-pressure, politically complex client environments
  • A bias toward action: the judgment to know the difference between a moment to push forward, a moment to stop and rethink, and a moment to escalate immediately
  • Healthcare, health tech, medtech, or other regulated industry experience preferred
  • Familiarity with performance media measurement, attribution frameworks, or data-driven strategy preferred
  • Experience partnering closely with account management or client success to elevate the strategic quality of AM-led relationships preferred
Logistics
  • This is a senior, client-facing role with no direct reports; authority comes from credibility and influence rather than the org chart
  • Initial focus is on Wheelhouse's largest and most strategically complex account, expanding to additional accounts over time
  • Full strategic ownership of assigned accounts is expected within 60 to 90 days
Full compensation packages are based on the skills and experience of the candidate. Candidates hired in this role should expect an offer in this range. The monetary value of additional benefits, such as insurance, time-off and fringe benefits are not included in this range. This only outlines the value of the salary portion of the offer. Details regarding the benefits package are found in the job description.
Compensation Range
$180,000—$217,000 USD
Beyond Experience: About You
You know digital marketing from every angle. You've earned a reputation as a T-shaped marketer, someone with deep expertise in your core discipline and the range to connect it to every other piece of the puzzle. You're always looking for the link between a tactic and the business goal it's meant to serve, and that focus on performance shows up in the results you deliver.
You'd rather enable your teammates than direct them. You thrive in collaborative work, the kind that fills up a whiteboard during a good brainstorm, and you listen closely for ways to help clients succeed, whether that's a new tactic worth testing, a piece of work worth proposing, or a better way to collaborate. You bring real emotional intelligence to the table, especially when it comes to delivering feedback with care.
You're helpful, generous, and empathetic, and you find real joy in helping others succeed. Wheelhouse's values aren't aspirational for you; they're already how you work. There's no room for cynicism here, and you wouldn't want there to be.
What Wheelhouse offers:
  • A passionate, joyful, values-driven company with a remote-first culture.
  • An exciting, creative, and fast-paced atmosphere
  • Competitive salary with semi-annual review processes
  • Company-sponsored Medical, Dental and Vision coverage for the employee and their dependents
  • Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, Life Insurance and AD&D Benefits
  • Access to the Company's Employee Assistance Program
  • Quarterly volunteering and donation match
  • $50 monthly Wellness stipend
  • $1000 annual Professional Development & Education credit
  • Joy Fund of $50 per month that can be spent on anything that brings joy to a Wheelhouse employee or client
  • Unlimited PTO
  • Generous Company Holidays
  • Monthly Mental Health Days for employees to rest and recharge
  • 3 months of 100% paid parental leave with a two-week re-entry period
  • Participation in the Wheelhouse 401k program, including 100% match up to 4% of salary
  • Participation in a Student Loan Assistance program
At Wheelhouse DMG, we believe that our differences add to the richness of our experience together. This means we not only welcome diversity; we celebrate it! Your gender identity, your religion, your skin color, and where you come from are essential to who you are and will be welcomed here. We believe that by fostering a culture of inclusion where everyone is able to bring their whole selves to work, we will create a place where everyone feels like they belong and are valued for who they are. We have an ongoing commitment to diversity and equal opportunity for all applicants and employees. Come as you are, everyone is welcomed here -- but don't forget to apply!