Client Director - Agency Partnerships

Location: Hybrid, London twice per week with travel to client site in Bradford
Level: Director

About the Role

We’re hunting for an Agency Lead (Retail) to spearhead our brand-new Retail Media Network (RMN) team for a leading, northern-based UK retailer . You’ll be the very first SMGer through the agency door, forging powerful partnerships with UK media agencies, evangelising the value of retail media, and unlocking fresh, incremental revenue streams across CPG, entertainment, gaming, finance, travel—and beyond. In short: you’ll build the playbook, win the business, and scale the team that follows.

If you love variety, thrive in a fast-paced environment, and embrace change with energy, this could be your right role.

Why SMG?

At SMG, we hire for the future, which is fast-moving and changing shape . Do you have the potential to help shape our business? We’re looking for brilliant, diverse talent who want to grow with us—people who are curious, ambitious, and eager to learn, whether as specialists or across teams.

Our culture is everything. If you’re someone who stays honest, stays hungry, stays foolish, and has fun, you’ll feel right at home here.

We value those who take ownership of their growth and bring fresh perspectives. That’s why we’re committed to equity, inclusion, and building a place where everyone feels empowered to grow . At SMG, it’s not just about filling a role but building the future together.

We’re proud to be ranked the #1 Best Marketing and Media Agency and to have received World-Class accreditation from Best Companies.

• 10% discretionary bonus
• £1,800 yearly wellbeing fund (on top of your salary!)
• Free Headspace subscription
• £500 yearly “Uni Fund” for learning
• 4 extra Wellbeing Days off per year
• Summer & Winter conferences + year-round celebrations
• 4pm finishes every Friday
• Flexible and hybrid working

Are We What You’re Looking For?

We move fast, adapt quickly, and like to challenge each other. We're looking for people who enjoy the buzz of change, the satisfaction of building something better, and the joy of working with a close-knit, values-driven team .

This isn’t for everyone, but if you thrive in this environment, we’d love to meet you!

A Little Bit About You

You’ll bring:

• Proven success leading agency or client-side commercial teams and smashing revenue targets in a fast-paced environment.
• Deep knowledge of the UK media-agency landscape—operating models, commercial structures, JBP creation, and data-licensing deals.
• Stellar influencing skills with senior stakeholders; able to juggle multiple projects while thriving amid ambiguity.
• Strong commercial guile and a track record of unlocking non-traditional budgets (brand, data, and new verticals).
• Bonus points for experience launching or scaling a retail media network, but not essential

Don’t meet every single requirement? We still want to hear from you. If you believe you’d thrive in this role, your unique perspective might be just what we’re looking for.

What You’ll Be Doing

Your days will be dynamic. You might find yourself:

• Building & leading agency relationships – upskilling media agencies on RMN value and embedding our proposition into their planning cycles
• Unlocking incremental investment – accessing brand budgets for CPGs and attracting spend from entertainment, gaming, finance, travel, and more
• Negotiating smart commercial deals – from data-licence contracts to multi-channel media agreements that satisfy retailer and agency objectives
• Shaping go-to-market strategy – crafting marketing, PR, and training programmes that put our RMN front-of-mind across the agency ecosystem
• Partnering for growth – working hand-in-hand with Innovation, Strategy, and Data teams to build a market-leading media estate
• Scaling the dream team – hiring, mentoring, and inspiring new talent as the agency revenue stream accelerates

Our Values:

Stay honest. Stay hungry. Stay foolish. Have fun.

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