Director, Client Engagement – Maternity Leave Coverage

Director, Client Engagement – Maternity Leave Coverage : November – April 

Overview

David Yurman is seeking an experienced Director of Client Engagement to provide maternity leave coverage for the Client Engagement team. This temporary leadership role will ensure continuity of the Client Engagement function while advancing several key business priorities during the coverage period.

The Director will provide day-to-day leadership for the Client Engagement team and oversee the execution of David Yurman’s established clienteling strategy, with a focus on strengthening client relationships, driving repeat business, enabling sales teams, and increasing adoption of clienteling practices and tools.

This role will partner closely with Retail, Commercial, Marketing, Client Experience, Events, Learning & Transformation, Analytics, and Technology teams to ensure Client Engagement priorities are translated into meaningful and actionable programs for the sales organization.

In addition to overseeing the ongoing responsibilities of the function, the Director will be accountable for advancing a defined set of priority initiatives during the coverage period, including foundational clienteling programs, technology enhancements, and a coordinated Client Engagement activation calendar.

The ideal candidate is a strong operator, collaborative leader, and experienced clienteling practitioner who can quickly integrate into an established team, navigate a cross-functional organization, and balance day-to-day leadership with delivery against key initiatives.

Key Priorities During the Coverage Period

In addition to providing leadership and continuity for the Client Engagement function, the Director will be responsible for advancing three priority workstreams with defined milestones and deliverables during the maternity leave coverage period.

1. Clienteling Foundations & Retail Enablement

Partner closely with Retail leadership to execute foundational programs that strengthen clienteling behaviors, measurement, and enablement across the sales organization.

• Lead the rollout and adoption of an enhanced Client Engagement measurement framework, creating greater visibility into clienteling activity, behaviors, and commercial outcomes.

• Partner with Retail leadership to translate measurement insights into actionable priorities and opportunities for sales teams.

• Support the launch and adoption of new devices and related capabilities designed to enable sales teams to more effectively execute clienteling activities.

• Coordinate business readiness, communications, training, and feedback loops across Retail and cross-functional partners to support successful adoption.

• Monitor early adoption and performance, identifying barriers and opportunities to optimize execution.

Coverage Period Outcome: Measurement framework operationalized in partnership with Retail; new device capabilities successfully launched and adopted; and clear mechanisms in place to monitor engagement, adoption, and impact.

2. Clienteling Technology Enhancements

Partner with Technology and key business stakeholders to advance priority enhancements to David Yurman’s Clienteling application, with an initial focus on appointment booking and loyalty tracking capabilities.

• Serve as the Client Engagement business lead for defining and prioritizing requirements for appointment booking enhancements within the Clienteling application.

• Lead business requirements for enhanced loyalty tracking capabilities, helping provide sales teams with greater visibility into client engagement and relationship-building opportunities.

• Translate Retail and Client Engagement needs into clear business requirements, use cases, workflows, and success criteria.

• Facilitate alignment across Retail, Technology, Analytics, and other stakeholders on scope, priorities, dependencies, and key decisions.

• Participate in solution design, testing, business readiness, and rollout planning as appropriate based on project timelines.

• Maintain clear documentation of decisions, requirements, milestones, and outstanding work to enable a seamless transition at the conclusion of the coverage period.

Coverage Period Outcome: Priority business requirements defined and aligned; technology enhancements advanced through agreed-upon project milestones; and a clear roadmap and handoff established for work extending beyond the coverage period.

3. Client Engagement Activation Calendar

Lead a structured calendar of communications, campaigns, and activities that provides sales teams with clear, actionable opportunities to consistently engage clients and strengthen relationships.

• Develop and manage an integrated Client Engagement activation calendar aligned with key commercial, product, marketing, event, and client moments.

• Translate business priorities into actionable clienteling opportunities, providing sales teams with clear direction on who to contact, why to engage, and recommended actions.

• Partner with Retail, Marketing, Product, Events, and Client Experience teams to coordinate outreach opportunities and ensure an integrated approach to field communications.

• Establish a consistent communication cadence that keeps Client Engagement priorities visible and actionable for sales teams and field leadership.

• Incorporate client segmentation, product priorities, events, appointments, relationship milestones, and other relevant triggers into activation planning.

• Measure participation and outcomes where possible and incorporate performance insights and field feedback into future activities.

Coverage Period Outcome: A consistent and actionable Client Engagement calendar is in market, providing sales teams with coordinated opportunities to build, maintain, and strengthen client relationships throughout the coverage period.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

While the priority initiatives above represent specific deliverables for the maternity leave coverage period, the Director will also provide ongoing leadership and oversight of the Client Engagement function and its core responsibilities.

Client Engagement Strategy & Execution

• Lead the execution of established Client Engagement strategies and priorities across client segments, product categories, and sales channels.

• Identify opportunities to optimize existing clienteling programs and drive client acquisition, engagement, retention, and repeat business.

• Maintain established Client Engagement objectives and KPIs, monitoring performance and partnering with key stakeholders to address opportunities and gaps.

• Champion a client-centric mindset and reinforce consistent clienteling behaviors across Commercial and Retail teams.

• Partner with Client Experience on engagement opportunities, including events, experiences, gifting, VIC programming, and other relationship-building initiatives.

• Collaborate with Marketing, Media, Product, Events, and Marketing Strategy teams to incorporate Client Engagement opportunities into relevant campaigns, activations, and client journeys.

• Support targeted client outreach and acquisition programs aligned with key product, category, and commercial priorities.

• Provide Client Engagement leadership and perspective for seasonal, business-critical, and ad hoc initiatives.

Clienteling Tools & Adoption

• Drive continued adoption of existing clienteling tools and practices across Commercial and Retail teams.

• Partner with Retail leadership to reinforce effective client outreach behaviors and identify opportunities to improve field execution.

• Support ongoing enhancements to CRM and clienteling tools in partnership with Technology and other cross-functional teams.

• Gather feedback from the field and translate business needs into actionable recommendations for existing and future Client Engagement capabilities.

• Maintain established clienteling frameworks, including client segmentation, outreach strategies, and measurement of clienteling activities.

• Partner with Learning & Transformation and Product Education teams on communications, training, and materials that reinforce clienteling best practices.

Database, Reporting & Analytics

• Oversee Client Engagement reporting and performance measurement, including data capture, client retention, outreach, engagement, and customer care KPIs.

• Maintain regular reporting cadences and provide actionable insights to Commercial and Retail leadership on Client Engagement performance and trends.

• Partner with Analytics teams to evaluate the effectiveness and ROI of clienteling initiatives, including events, experiences, gifting, VIC programming, and targeted outreach.

• Oversee established client list programs and support ad hoc client list needs tied to business development and commercial opportunities.

• Partner with Legal, Privacy, Technology, and business stakeholders to ensure client data capture and engagement practices align with applicable US and Canadian privacy requirements.

• Monitor Client Engagement budgets and planned activities during the coverage period, escalating risks and opportunities as appropriate.

Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching, prioritization, and support to the Client Engagement team.

• Establish clear priorities and ownership across ongoing projects and deliverables, ensuring the team remains focused on the highest-impact opportunities.

• Foster a collaborative, client-centric team culture and support the continued development and engagement of team members.

• Build strong working relationships with Commercial and Retail leadership and key cross-functional partners to maintain alignment on priorities and execution.

• Represent the Client Engagement function in relevant leadership, planning, and cross-functional forums.

• Facilitate communication and knowledge sharing across teams, ensuring key decisions, risks, dependencies, and next steps are clearly documented and actioned.

• Partner with Learning & Transformation to support ongoing Client Engagement training and reinforcement across the sales organization.

• Ensure effective transitions at the beginning and conclusion of the maternity leave coverage period, including documentation of key decisions, project status, priorities, risks, and outstanding actions.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 6+ years of experience in CRM, Client Engagement, Clienteling, Loyalty, Direct Marketing, or a related discipline, with demonstrated progression of responsibility.

• 3+ years of leadership experience, including experience managing and developing a team.

• Retail experience required; luxury retail experience strongly preferred.

• Experience working within an omnichannel Retail CRM and Client Engagement environment.

• Demonstrated experience managing CRM, loyalty, clienteling, or customer engagement programs.

• Experience partnering with Technology teams to define business requirements and advance enhancements to CRM, clienteling, or customer-facing platforms.

• Strong understanding of client segmentation, targeting, retention, and relationship-building strategies.

• Passion for understanding consumer behavior and demonstrated ability to translate client insights and data into actionable commercial strategies.

• Proven ability to quickly understand an established business, lead existing programs, and advance priorities within a complex cross-functional organization.

• Strong project and program management capabilities, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, stakeholders, dependencies, and deadlines.

• Excellent cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management skills.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with senior leadership, corporate partners, and field teams.

• Strong quantitative and analytical skills with the ability to frame business problems analytically and translate insights into action.

• Strong understanding of commercial and financial metrics, including measurement of program effectiveness and ROI.

• High proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Tableau or similar data visualization/reporting tools.

• SQL experience is a plus.

Education

Bachelor’s degree required; quantitative or analytical field of study a plus.

Travel

Some travel may be required.

Compensation: $85-$100 per hour /40 hours per week

Assignment

This is a temporary position providing maternity leave coverage for the Director of Client Engagement. The role is designed to ensure continuity of leadership and day-to-day operations while advancing defined Client Engagement priorities during the coverage period.

Success in the assignment will be measured by the effective leadership of the Client Engagement function, continuity of core programs and partnerships, progress against the defined priority initiatives, and a seamless transition of responsibilities at the conclusion of the coverage period.