Business Director

Established in 2004, OLIVER is the world’s first and only specialist in designing, building, and running bespoke in-house agencies and marketing ecosystems for brands. We partner with over 300 clients in 40+ countries and counting. Our unique model drives creativity and efficiency, allowing us to deliver tailored solutions that resonate deeply with audiences.

As a part of The Brandtech Group, we're at the forefront of leveraging cutting-edge AI technology to revolutionise how we create and deliver work. Our AI solutions enhance efficiency, spark creativity, and drive insightful decision-making, empowering our teams to produce innovative and impactful results.

Role: Business Director

Location: Chicago, United States

About the role

The Business Director is the senior strategic and commercial lead for the OLIVER studio working in partnership with our client. You are accountable for the overall health of the client relationship, the financial performance of the account, and ensuring studio delivery is aligned with the client’s marketing priorities across all four business units.

You partner with the Program Director on operational delivery, with the Associate Creative Director on creative quality, and with the CRM Strategy Lead on campaign planning. You act as the key escalation point for senior client stakeholders and serve as the bridge between the client’s ambitions and the studio’s capabilities.

What you will be doing

Own the senior client relationship with stakeholders across all business units (Walden, Chamberlain, AUC, Enterprise), building trusted, strategic partnerships that go beyond brief management

Lead weekly and monthly account rhythms — status meetings, QBRs, and performance reviews — ensuring consistent reporting against agreed SLAs and KPIs

Manage the overall commercial health of the account, including budget tracking, forecasting, scope management, and financial reporting to OLIVER leadership

Identify and develop organic growth opportunities across the client’s portfolio, acting as a proactive strategic partner rather than a reactive service provider

Partner with the Program Director to ensure studio operations, resource allocation, and workflow management via OMG — where the work is organised and orchestrated — support on-time, on-brief delivery at scale

Lead and develop a team of Account Managers, creating a high-performance, client-first culture within the studio

Represent OLIVER at a senior client leadership level, presenting performance data, creative work, and strategic recommendations with confidence and clarity

Work with the AI Transformation Lead to identify opportunities to integrate AI-driven efficiencies via Pencil and Share of Model into studio operations and client deliverables

Serve as the cultural anchor of the studio: insider-minded, proactive, and deeply embedded in the client’s mission, brands, and audiences

What you need to be great in this role

A track record of leading large, complex client accounts — ideally spanning multiple brands or business units — in an in-house, embedded, or agency environment

Strong commercial acumen: experience managing account-level budgets, forecasting, and financial reporting

Experience in or adjacent to higher education, healthcare, or mission-driven marketing is a strong differentiator

Demonstrated ability to hold senior client relationships and facilitate strategic conversations with VP-level and above stakeholders

Excellent people leadership skills, with experience developing account management teams

A proactive, insider mindset: you understand the opportunity from the inside and bring the right workflows, the right talent, and the right technology

Strong understanding of creative production operations — briefing, resourcing, delivery, and reporting — in a high-volume content environment

Strategic integration of AI across studio projects and operations

Experience setting AI governance and quality standards at studio level

Agentic leadership for complex business and creative challenges

Drives AI innovation and shares best practice across OLIVER network

At the time of this posting, the base salary for this position may range from $153,000.00 to $171,000.00. Individual compensation varies based on job related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications. The range listed is just one component of OLIVER’s total compensation package.

Req ID: 17675

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Our values shape everything we do

Be Ambitious to succeed

Be Imaginative to push the boundaries of what’s possible

Be Inspirational to do groundbreaking work

Be always learning and listening to understand

Be Results-focused to exceed expectations

Be actively pro-inclusive and anti-racist across our community, clients and creations

OLIVER, a part of the Brandtech Group, is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive working environment where all employees are encouraged to reach their full potential, and individual differences are valued and respected. All applicants shall be considered for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, neurodivergence, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by local laws.

OLIVER has set ambitious environmental goals around sustainability, with science-based emissions reduction targets. Collectively, we work towards our mission, embedding sustainability into every department and through every stage of the project lifecycle.