Company Description

Merkle is a leading data-driven, technology-enabled, global performance marketing agency that specializes in the delivery of unique, personalized customer experiences across platforms and devices. For more than 30 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of their customer portfolios. The agency's heritage in data, technology, and analytics forms the foundation for its unmatched skills in understanding consumer insights that improve people-based marketing strategies. Its combined strengths in performance media, customer experience, customer relationship management, loyalty, and enterprise marketing technology create improved marketing results and competitive advantage. With 9,600+ employees, Merkle is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, with 50+ additional offices throughout the US, EMEA, and APAC. In 2016, the agency joined the Dentsu Aegis Network. For more information, contact Merkle at 1-877-9-Merkle or visit www.merkleinc.com.

Diversity is embedded in who we are and all that we do: our mindset, our solutions, and in our teams to empower an inclusive, equitable environment. We put our people at the center, creating space for growth, understanding and learning so they can succeed. Our differences make us richer and ensure stronger relationships with each other and foster greater impact for our clients. We engage with our communities to promote positive social impact by promoting equity and working to create a digital society that works for all. Merkle is an agency of dentsu

Job Description

The America's Generalist Delivery Leader is accountable in partnership with the America's solutions leadership team for successful achievement of our Solutions objectives in the Americas region. This leader will collaborate with sales, client management and delivery across dentsu's creative, media and customer experience management service lines and CXM's Data & Analytics, Experience and Commerce, Activation and Technology Strategy practice areas to win and successfully deliver client engagements.

This leader will partner with the Solutions Team and Practice Area delivery leadership to define the vision and evolve the program management capability within CXM for winning and delivering large scale, multi-disciplinary client engagements. Specifically, this leader will be responsible for delivery across dentsu's end to end client lifecycle - from RFP response to client sunsetting.

This leader will be measured by the financial performance of their client accounts (margin, specifically top line revenue, secondarily), the TRR scores of their client, the happiness and retention of the internal team and the quality and efficacy of the work the team delivers.

JOB ROLE:

In the sales process:

• Represent the uniqueness of CXM's program management capability in the new business process by tailoring operating model frameworks to client contexts for pitch decks, RFP responses and in in-person pitches to prospective clients.
• Craft approach and timeline for operating model (structure, process, toolset) definition and pricing for client pitches.
• Partner with finance, client engagement and practice area solutions and operations to model and price new client business.
• Design the operating model for the client engagement - team models & structures, workstreams, processes and toolset.

Upon award of client engagement:

• Partner with service lines, practice areas and clients to refine the operating model design presented in the sales process and partner with the teams to staff the right talent.
• Work with the team to prepare both client and internal kickoffs. Solidify engagement approach and timing. Solidify communications strategy for the engagement.
• Conduct change management / briefing sessions for both client and internal team on operating model design, roles and responsibilities, etc.
• Partner with finance and client engagement to write SOW, MSAs. Facilitate contract process in conjunction with client engagement.
• Create and rollout the internal operations playbook for the account given the unique client requirements.

Delivering the work:

Until there is a robust program team in place, serve as the COO and lead program executive on client accounts. This could take the form of running the PMO on behalf of the client, being a member of a PMO / TMO for a client or running an initiative outside of client PMO structures.

Specifically responsible for:

Execution Standards

• Accountable for tailoring PMO / TMO frameworks and approaches to client context and ensuring all parties across dentsu and the client teams understand approaches, templates and communication strategy
• Accountable for developing standardized team size scoping methods on the account
• Accountable for standardized delivery of the client's chosen delivery methodology
• For example, all Agile ceremonies, including unified processes and common templates
• Ensure process documentation exists for all methodologies employed in the client engagement
• Owns Delivery Onboarding materials and ensures all project teams have project specific onboarding
• Ensure all members of the team have access to standardized templates and tools

New Business Pursuits

• Accountable to facilitate pitch and proposal development in partnership with the client service team
• Accountable for ensuring appropriately detailed SOWs are developed and approved for all new engagements
• Accountable for ensuring appropriately detailed Change Orders are developed and approved for all project changes
• Partners with account CLG, ELT and SLT teams to develop new Account Plans
• Partners with account CLG, ELT and SLT teams to execute against the Account Plans

Delivery Excellence

• Accountable for ensuring all projects and programs are delivered on schedule, on budget, and meet the expectations of the agreed scope
• Accountable for escalating Project and Program (and cross program) issues early and transparently to Client Service Leads, Internal and Client stakeholders
• Partners with appropriate leads and delivery representation to Identify and drive remediation actions for escalated issues
• Ensures project retrospectives are executed consistently and frequently throughout the year
• Accountable for driving retrospective improvement opportunities back into work projects and programs
• Owns and manages the weekly cross team internal status meeting
• Tracks TRR scores and initiates improvement plans where and when necessary

Discipline & Team

• Establishes and grows the delivery community on the Account
• Host regular discipline meetings
• Solicit and gather feedback from the PM teams on the account with a goal of understanding sentiment and developing enhancement or improvement plans for the team
• Grows the culture of the team
• Develops training and skill growth plans for the Delivery Community. Increase the skill level within the discipline

Qualifications

• At least 15 years experience delivering transformation, complex, global, scaled client engagements with star brands in a professional services environment.
• Proven track record of bringing diverse teams together to deliver stellar digital experience work.
• A convincing program subject matter expert who is an operational wizard. A skilled delivery leader who has experienced global / complex roll-out and knows how to guarantee successful execution of strategic initiatives.
• Strong experience working in partnership with other professional services organizations in client contexts.
• The candidate is expected to be an excellent communicator and business leader, they will need to rally talent from various backgrounds and cultures toward a common goal.
• The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong commercial delivery track record and be able to showcase how they delivered complex engagements profitably.
• Contribute to our Solutions value proposition and vision.

Additional Information

The anticipated base salary range for this position is$235,500k - $380,075k. Actual salary will be based on a variety of factors including relevant experience, knowledge, skills and other factors permitted by law. Additionally, this position is eligible for discretionary incentive compensation. The company's incentive compensation plan is subject to change. A range of medical, dental, vision, 401(k) matching, paid time off, and/or other benefits also are available. For more information regarding dentsu benefits, please visit dentsubenefitsplus.com.

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About dentsu
Dentsu is the network designed for what's next, helping clients predict and plan for disruptive future opportunities in the sustainable economy. Taking a people-centered approach to business transformation, dentsu combines Japanese innovation with a diverse, global perspective to drive client growth and to shape society .

We are champions for meaningful progress and we strive to be a force for good-for our people, for our clients, for the industry and for our society. We keep our people at the center, creating space for growth, understanding and learning so they can thrive. We embed diversity, in our mindset, in our solutions and in our teams to empower an inclusive, equitable and culturally fluent environment. Building this culture within our teams makes us better collaborators with each other and with our clients, driving better outcomes for all.

Dentsu (the "Company") is committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee of the Company, on the basis of age, sex, sexual orientation, race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, national origin, alienage or citizenship, disability, marital status, veteran or military status, genetic information, or any other legally-recognized protected basis under federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances. Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act and/or certain state or local laws. A reasonable accommodation is a change in the way things are normally done that will ensure an equal employment opportunity without imposing an undue hardship on the Company. Please contact your recruiter if you need assistance completing any forms or to otherwise participate in the application process or to request or discuss an accommodation in connection with a job at the Company to which you are applying.