Location: Liverpool/Manchester - Hybrid
Contract: Maternity Cover Contract 9 - 12 months
Level: Director level

About the Role

We are looking for a Client Director to join our SMG UK Partnerships team within the VMG partnership. In this role, you will lead the SMG Client Team to deliver exceptional retail media planning and client servicing, aligned with the VMG purpose and proposition. You’ll be responsible for driving commercial success, managing end-to-end P&L reporting, and nurturing senior relationships with partner brands and stakeholders. 

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 “Learning Fund” for learning
• 4 extra Wellbeing Days off per year
• Summer & Winter conferences + year-round celebrations
• 4pm finishes every Friday
• Flexible and hybrid working

Explore all our benefits here

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 experience in commercial reporting and P&L management
- Confidence in leading a team to generate income growth
- A strong track record of delivering best-in-class marketing campaigns, ideally with media innovation at the heart
- Deep understanding of the UK retail media network (RMN) landscape
- Ecommerce experience (in-store preferable but not mandatory)
- Excellent senior stakeholder management skills
- Collaborative mindset with influence across diverse KPIs and teams
- Ability to juggle priorities in a fast-paced environment
- Ideally (but not necessarily) retail or agency-side experience

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:

- Leading the SMG Client Team to deliver industry-leading retail media planning and partner brand growth
- Managing live P&L tracking and contributing to key commercial meetings
- Strengthening relationships with senior stakeholders across VMG and partner brands
- Collaborating with SMG central teams and TVG teams to enhance retail media offerings
- Contributing to campaign ideation and innovation
- Mentoring and developing a high-performing team, including performance management and personal growth

Our Values:

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

Explore what that means to us here

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