Head Client Strategist

Full job link here: https://gamma.app/docs/Head-Client-Strategist-h86m5mmofwxw2i7

Company Description

Team Empathy is a fast-moving ecommerce Search and AI agency based in New Zealand. We specialise in AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation), AI search visibility, and content at scale powered by AirOps - the world's leading AI content operations platform.

We have spent a decade delivering exceptional SEO results (including an average 32X ROI) for local businesses and professional services brands. Now we are making our most exciting move yet: going all in on ecommerce, in partnership with Simon Phillips - a specialist who has scaled multiple ecommerce brands to 7 and 8 figures, runs the Ecommerce Accelerator, and is personally invested in Team Empathy reaching a $10M valuation.

We are one of the only ecommerce-specific AEO agencies in APAC. We are early. We are fast. And the window is narrow.

Role Description

This is not a normal agency job.

The Head Client Strategist owns the client side of Team Empathy. You run the portfolio, lead the delivery pod, protect our margins, spot growth opportunities, and make sure every client is getting results they can see and feel.

This is not an execution role. You have Om (SEO), Nico (Content/AirOps), and Milda (QA/AirOps) in your pod. Your job is to think, strategise, coordinate, and continuously innovate - not to do the doing. Client delivery takes about 50-60% of your time, with the goal to optimise and reduce that over time through AI workflows.

The other 40-50%? Making things better. Building smarter systems. Tinkering with AI tools. Bringing ideas to the table that nobody asked for but everyone needed. That curiosity and builder energy matters just as much to us as the client work.

You will live and breathe AI. One of our core interview questions will be: "What problems have you solved with AI recently?" We want someone who leans into change, gets genuinely excited about new platforms, and can jump into something like Claude Cowork and create MVPs that become defining assets for the business.

What You'll Own:

1. Client Portfolio & Strategy - Own outcomes for every client. Lead strategy planning, keep the team accountable, ensure every client is moving forward with clarity and momentum. Target: 80%+ retention of good-fit ecommerce clients. No client waits more than 24 hours to hear from you. You earn a 3% bonus on every client that stays with us for 12 months.

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2. Revenue Growth - Spot at least one upsell opportunity per client per quarter. Shape the pitch, lead the conversation, and close it with support from Ben on pricing. You earn a 5% bonus on every confirmed upsell - directly rewarded for growing the book.
3. Margin Protection - Know what things cost and do not give work away for free. Target: 70-80% gross margin across the portfolio. Track team hours, protect scope, and flag deviations before they become problems.
4. Pod Leadership - Coordinate Om, Nico, and Milda without becoming the executor. Set priorities, run the cadence, make sure the right people are working on the right things at the right time.
5. Reporting & ROI Visibility - Clients always know what is happening and why it matters. 100% on-time monthly reporting, delivered in a way that makes our value undeniable.
6. Continuous Innovation - Every month, bring us something new. A workflow. A tool. An insight. Something that makes what we do smarter, faster, or better. This is baked into the role.

What you are NOT doing: Building AirOps workflows · Writing or producing content · Closing major new clients · QA beyond initial calibration · Admin, bookkeeping, or invoicing

Qualifications & Experience

• 5+ years in digital agency client management or equivalent commercial role
• Strong commercial judgement - you understand scope, margin, and how to drive profitable outcomes for both agency and client
• Working knowledge of SEO, AEO, and how AI-driven search is reshaping ecommerce visibility
• Comfortable across LLMs and AI platforms (Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc.) - this should already be part of how you work daily
• Confident in Shopify fundamentals and ecommerce analytics, or genuinely ready to learn fast - we provide full support during Phase 1
• Strong communicator - able to lead client conversations with authority and present performance data clearly
• Comfortable across: ClickUp, GA4, GSC, SEMRush, Ahrefs, Looker Studio, Slack, Loom, and Claude's ecosystem

The Builder Mindset (non-negotiable): We are not looking for someone who waits for the rulebook. We are looking for someone who sees a gap and fills it - someone who has shipped things that were not in their job description because they saw the opportunity and just did it. Change does not stress you out. Slow environments do.

Compensation

• Phase 1 (months 1-3): $90,000 NZD base
• Post Phase 1 (from month 4): $100,000+ NZD, reviewed against KPIs and portfolio size
• Retention bonus: 3% of client's total 12-month spend per retained client, paid quarterly
• Upsell bonus: 5% of confirmed upsell revenue, paid quarterly
• Equity conversation opens at the 12-month mark for the right person
• Salary continues to grow with portfolio and performance - we love promoting and rewarding real value creation

Phase 1 - Onboarding & Impressing Us

We do not do long trials. 90 days is more than enough time to show us what you are made of. We want someone who arrives buzzing, hits the ground running, and has us wondering how we ever managed without them. Any clients you onboard yourself during Phase 1 count toward all bonus structures immediately - from day one.

We will walk you through the full KPI framework during the interview journey. We like being transparent about exactly how success is measured.

How to Apply

Watch Ben's Loom walkthrough of this role here: https://gamma.app/docs/Head-Client-Strategist-h86m5mmofwxw2i7

Then send Ben a Loom or video back telling him why this role was written for you. No CV needed - your energy and thinking will tell us everything.

Reach out directly: ben@teamempathy.co.nz

This role is fully remote across NZ and AU. Christchurch-based candidates are a bonus as we are relocating there - but location is genuinely flexible. We have operated as a distributed team for 6 years and it works brilliantly.