Senior Director, Strategic Growth
Instrument is a digitally native design and technology company built to help brands unlock their full potential. Since 2005, our team of makers, thinkers, and storytellers has partnered with leading brands like Google, Nike, Uber, ŌURA, and Eventbrite to craft digital experiences that create impact and drive results.
Unlike traditional agencies, we don’t just design—we build. Our work lives at the intersection of taste and technology, powered by curiosity, thoughtful curation, and a commitment to delivering the most fitting solution for every brief. We bring this to life across three core offerings: Brand, Marketing, and Product.
We’re a hands-on, highly collaborative team of multi-hyphenates who move fast from idea to execution. With offices in Portland and NYC and a distributed team across the U.S. and Europe, we scale for big moments and stay nimble for the quick ones—always building teams around the unique needs of each project.
We’re a place for people who never stop learning—those excited to stretch their craft, experiment with new tools, and grow through collaboration. We believe great work comes from a mix of perspectives—people with different paths, passions, and lived experiences.
We’re proud to be an equal opportunity workplace, supporting diversity and providing reasonable accommodations so everyone can do their best work. We believe great work comes from a mix of perspectives—people with different paths, passions, and lived experiences. Come join us and help shape what’s next.
As a Senior Director, Strategic Growth, you are responsible for the health, growth, and long-term success of a portfolio of client partnerships. You act as the strategic steward of these relationships—balancing day-to-day excellence with a clear vision for what each partnership can become.
You bring a strong point of view on client business challenges, understand how to identify opportunity before it becomes a brief, and know how to translate insight into measurable impact. This role sits at the intersection of strategy, relationship leadership, and commercial rigor, requiring someone who can think expansively while executing with discipline.
You are equally comfortable partnering with executives, guiding internal teams, and leading high-stakes growth moments. You build trust through clarity, preparation, and follow-through—and you push toward what’s next with intention.
We are currently seeking candidates who are based in, or able to work primarily aligned with, one of the following metro areas:
- San Francisco Bay Area
- New York City metro area
- Seattle metro area
- Portland, OR metro area
* While Instrument supports distributed work, this role requires regular collaboration with senior partners, clients, and studio leadership that is best supported through proximity to one of these hubs.
What You'll Do
- Own a portfolio of key client relationships, with accountability for long-term revenue growth, retention, and client outcomes
- Build and maintain strategic account plans that identify whitespace, prioritize growth bets, and surface risks and opportunities
- Develop a deep understanding of each client’s business, industry, leadership dynamics, and competitive landscape
- Cultivate and expand senior-level client relationships, securing access to early-stage strategy conversations
- Proactively shape opportunities before briefs exist, partnering with internal leaders to define value, scope, and success metrics
- Lead pitches, workshops, and executive moments that drive clarity, confidence, and forward momentum
- Ensure scopes, staffing, and pricing align to both client outcomes and margin targets
- Shift engagements from delivery to impact by defining success metrics, tracking results, and using outcomes to unlock follow-on work
- Partner closely with Producers and Delivery Leads to ensure seamless handoffs and predictable execution
- Maintain accurate forecasts, pipeline visibility, and account data across internal systems
- Act as a connective force within the studio — aligning teams, modeling strong client leadership, and raising the bar for account excellence
What You'll Bring
- 10+ years of experience leading complex client relationships in an agency, consultancy, or similarly fast-paced environment
- A proven track record of growing accounts through trust-based relationships, strategic insight, and opportunity shaping
- Strong business acumen — you understand how clients make decisions, measure success, and manage risk
- Confidence operating at the executive level, with the ability to influence, challenge, and align senior stakeholders
- Experience leading pursuits, shaping scopes, and making sound commercial decisions
- Comfort balancing near-term delivery discipline with long-term growth vision
- Exceptional communication skills — clear, direct, and adaptable to different audiences
- A collaborative mindset and the ability to orchestrate cross-disciplinary teams toward shared goals
- An entrepreneurial lens: you see possibilities, connect dots, and take initiative to move ideas forward
- A commitment to inclusive, respectful partnership — internally and with clients
Pay Range
- The expected pay range for this position is $150,000 - $200,000 for our base US Region 3*. We have three regional pay ranges that are adjusted for cost of living (US1 +15%, US2 +7.5%, US3 Base), *learn more about our pay philosophy and cost of living adjustments.
What’s next?
Here’s what you can expect once you apply
- We'll review your application and reach out to discuss next steps
- You'll meet with a recruiter and we’ll get to know each other a little better.
- You'll have two remote interviews with key decision makers for the role you’re interested in
- You'll get extended an offer and start!