Engagement Lead

About the Role The Engagement Lead is CDS's primary client-facing owner, the single accountable presence who bridges strategic advisory, commercial stewardship, and delivery execution. This role owns the end-to-end client engagement—ensuring delivery excellence, deepening relationships, identifying and leading growth pursuits, and connecting clients to the broader capabilities of Dentsu/Merkle. It is a trusted advisor role with commercial accountability, not a coordinator or project manager. What You'll Do

• Own end-to-end client engagements (ongoing or project-based), driving delivery excellence, expanding relationships, and leading growth opportunities.
• Serve as the primary client-facing owner bridging strategic advisory, commercial stewardship, and delivery; connect clients to Dentsu/Merkle capabilities.
• Lead value conversations without a translator; use data as a lens to understand data sourcing, flows, activation, and how it drives measurable customer outcomes.
• Be proactive, commercially minded, and curious about clients' businesses; drive continuous learning including hands-on engagement with AI tools.
• Manage engagements with cross-functional delivery teams (architects, engineers, consultants) across modern data/MarTech/AdTech/CRM stacks (e.g., Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, CDPs, Adobe CX Enterprise, Salesforce Data Cloud, Braze).
• Balance relationship management with execution; own outcomes and expansion opportunities; treat CDS as a strategic partner, not just a vendor.
• Lead capability and roadmap conversations and help shape client roadmap and investments. What We're Looking For
• 6+ years of client delivery experience, including 2+ years in a senior client-facing role with commercial or delivery accountability.
• Experience delivering in technology, data, or marTech services; senior client-facing with cross-functional delivery leadership.
• Comfort moving between relationship management and execution-minded work; able to manage multiple engagements (ongoing or project-based).
• Conversant across data platforms and marketing technology with executive-level fluency in at least one or two; able to lead capability and roadmap discussions without a translator.
• Track record of growing client relationships through delivery excellence and consultative engagement, not just managing defined scope.
• Excellent communication skills across all levels (analyst to C-suite); strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Demonstrated use of AI tools as a regular productivity practice.
• Experience with agile delivery and modern data/martech engagement structures is a plus. Nice to Have
• Experience in a consultancy, systems integrator, or data-heritage services firm.
• Familiarity with cloud data warehouses (Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, Microsoft Fabric) and their role in first-party data strategies.
• Familiarity with Adobe CX Enterprise, Salesforce Data Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Braze.
• Certifications in Adobe CX Enterprise, Salesforce Data Cloud Consultant, SnowPro, or Databricks.
• Active participation in vendor champion or community programs (e.g., Snowflake Data Superhero, Databricks MVP, Salesforce/Microsoft/AAdobe communities).
• Visible external point of view: speaking, writing, or community leadership in data, martech, or AI.
• Background in financial management: revenue forecasting, margin tracking, resource optimization.
• Bachelor's degree; advanced degree or relevant certifications a plus. Compensation & Benefits
• The hourly pay range for this position is $55.00 - $62.00/hour. Temporary employees are eligible for paid holidays and safe time per Dentsu policy; other benefits or compensation are not included.