Provides executive leadership for a portfolio of pharmaceutical and medical communications clients. Oversees strategic client relationships, scientific and regulatory communications, account staffing, revenue forecasting, profitability, business development, client retention, and talent development. Guides senior client services teams, resolves complex operational issues, ensures compliant and high-quality deliverables, and improves agency processes. Requires extensive pharmaceutical or medical communications agency experience, strong financial and relationship management skills, and the ability to lead growth and organizational change.
Reset your expectations of what a healthcare agency can be. Fingerpaint was founded on a simple, powerful idea: Put people first. By replacing egos with a "Never Paint by Number" philosophy, we empower our teams to create truly original work while delivering integrated marketing and life sciences solutions for patients and providers alike. Fiercely independent, we blend empathy, creativity, and data to solve the industry’s most complex challenges, empowering bold thinkers to craft with the courage and purpose needed to break the mold.
Fingerpaint Group’s medical communications solutions, Fingerpaint Medical, help pharmaceutical and biotech companies communicate complex scientific data effectively, enabling healthcare providers to make informed decisions that advance patient care. Our targeted educational programs and strategic communications support product adoption and drive commercial success in competitive therapeutic areas.
Objectives of this role:
The Vice President, Client Services, is a senior executive responsible for the strategic oversight and management of a major portfolio of client business. This role serves as a key bridge between the agency's scientific expertise and its business objectives, directly driving revenue, growth, and client retention. The VP provides top-level strategic guidance and financial accountability across multiple accounts while championing organizational process improvement and developing senior talent.
Position Responsibilities:
Strategic & Client Leadership
- Lead the client relationship function by serving as the principal business partner to the lead client executive(s), monitoring the marketplace, and guiding strategic/tactical changes aligned with brand goals.
- Provide organizational leadership to both internal and client teams, implementing change in process or workflow to adjust to different clients and market dynamics.
- Resolve complex strategic and operational conflicts between internal staff, teams, or clients where expectations do not align with service agreements.
- Guide strategy by leveraging high-level scientific and medical communications knowledge, ensuring all deliverables compliantly advance client objectives.
- Accountable for overall client satisfaction and ensuring the client’s goals and objectives are met.
Financial & Business Oversight
- Manage staffing responsibilities for an entire portfolio of accounts, ensuring sustainable growth and profitability.
- Oversee forecasting revenue accuracy across multiple accounts and control costs by monitoring key financial metrics, reports, and trends.
- Directly drive revenue, growth, and client retention by identifying expansion opportunities that fuel company growth.
- Responsible for overall financial health of portfolio and achievement of revenue goals.
- Participate in new business development, prospecting, and onboarding.
Personnel & Team Leadership
- Provide strategic oversight to Client Services leads (ADs/SADs/GADs) managing complex client relationships and ensuring regulatory compliance.
- Provide senior leadership and mentorship to develop talent across all levels of Client Services, including managing difficult personnel situations involving underperforming team members.
- Collaborate with operations leadership to improve internal processes, thereby enhancing company profitability and efficiency.
- Maintain knowledge of management software and financial tracking systems to provide authoritative guidance.
- Manage team dynamics and set an atmosphere where innovation, a growth mindset, and delivering excellent work is expected.
- Conduct annual performance reviews and identify developmental opportunities for team members.
Agency & Growth
- Represent the organization in the industry to build the company's capability and contribute to its reputation as a thought leader.
- Ensure creative and scientific output is on strategy, on message, and exceeds client expectations.
- Ensure the team follows agency processes for estimates, change orders, workflow, and other protocols.
Qualification Requirements
- Education: Bachelor’s degree (minimum) in a relevant field; an advanced degree (PharmD, BSN, PhD, MS, MBA) is a plus.
- Experience: 10+ years of progressive pharmaceutical and/or medical communications agency experience, demonstrating sustained success in a high-level leadership capacity (prior experience as Account Director required).
- Skills:
- In-depth knowledge of the pharmaceutical and agency industries, including an understanding of the product lifecycle and marketing mix.
- Exceptional business acumen and the financial skills necessary to manage P&L responsibilities for a portfolio of accounts.
- Expertisein relationship management, with a proven ability to build and maintain trust with both internal teams and external clients.
- High-level scientific knowledge and a thorough understanding of medical publications and affairs to guide complex strategies.
- Ability to navigate rapidly changing industry compliance and technological evolution without compromising regulations.
- Ability to deal with personnel issues with tact, discretion, and authority
- Ability to travel up to 10-15% annually.
Fingerpaint Emeryville, California, USA Office
1250 45th St, 250, Emeryville, CA, United States, 94608
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