Associate Director, Client Services

About the team and what we’ll build together

As Associate Director, Client Services, you will drive the evolution and success of our clients’ customer loyalty programs. Your leadership will shape loyalty strategies, leveraging data-driven insights and cross-functional collaboration to enhance customer experiences and maximize program ROI.

In the Financial Services Vertical, This Means:

You’ll operate at the intersection of loyalty marketing and banking/card operations. With a growing portfolio of financial institution (FI) clients, you will bring deep understanding of the unique challenges, regulatory environment, and customer expectations within banking, credit unions, and other financial services organizations.

How you will make an impact 

• Driving Program Development & Strategy: In conjunction with our clients, manage loyalty programs that enhance customer retention and satisfaction. Develop strategies to drive program adoption and engagement – directly impacting our clients’ bottom line.
• Customer Insights & Data Analysis: With Decision Scientist partnership, understand our client’s customer data and insights to refine loyalty program offerings, ensuring alignment with customer preferences and business goals.
• For financial institution clients, this requires sensitivity to data privacy regulations (e.g., GLBA, CCPA) and an understanding of how financial behavior data informs cardholder engagement and reward strategy. Analyze program performance and make data-driven recommendations.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Your ability to collaborate with technology teams across Kobie and our clients to ensure seamless execution and integration of loyalty programs.
• For financial institution clients, this includes managing fulfillment partners in coordination with Kobie’s Partnership team, ensuring partner performance, SLA adherence, and alignment with client expectations – particularly for FI clients where reward fulfillment accuracy and compliance are critical.
• Promotions & Campaigns: Manage the definition and execution of promotional campaigns to drive awareness and participation in the loyalty program. In partnership with our clients and Kobie partners, develop strategies for seasonal, tier-based, and milestone rewards.
• Enhancing Customer Experience: Understand the customer journey to ensure the Kobie platform and our clients technology allow the program members to have a seamless and enjoyable experience from enrollment to reward redemption.
• Performance Monitoring & Reporting: Understand and monitor our client’s program’s performance metrics, such as participation rates, redemption rates, and ROI. In alignment with Decision Science and Strategy, provide regular reports to our clients on program success and areas for improvement.
• This role is expected to own the working relationship with both the clients and the internal Kobie team.  That includes but isn’t limited to CSAT scores, contractual allocations and support staff, teammate workload and prioritization. 
• Competitive Analysis: In partnership with Strategy, understand competitor loyalty programs and industry trends to ensure our client’s program remains competitive and innovative.
• For financial institution clients, this means tracking trends specific to card-linked loyalty, banking rewards, co-brand partnerships, and the competitive landscape among issuers and fintechs.
• Budget Management: Oversee our clients program budget, ensuring effective allocation of resources and staying within budgetary constraints.
• Program Enhancements: Identify opportunities for continuous improvement and propose new features or offerings to maintain our client’s interest and engagement, driving organic revenue.
• This role is responsible for improving the operational excellence of these accounts through efficiencies, personal experience and skillsets as well as influence. 
• This role has the potential to include direct reports to align with client growth and needs.  Additionally, this role will be responsible for managing several teammates indirectly in support of our client’s needs. 

What you need to be successful   

• 8-10 years of experience in client services, account management, relationship management, or customer loyalty roles.
• Experience within the financial services industry, including prior experience working with or within financial institutions such as banks, credit unions, or card issuers
• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, Business, or a related field.
• Deep understanding of financial services terminology, culture, and business drivers.
• Strong analytical skills with experience in data analysis and interpretation.
• Experience managing complex client relationships with multiple stakeholders. You’ve worked with clients large enough to have many decision-makers, conflicting priorities, and organizational silos.
• Knowledge of CRM software, loyalty program platforms, and customer segmentation.
• Excellent communication skills with emphasis on clarity, documentation, and over-communication.
• Strong project management abilities with attention to detail.
• Ability to work cross-functionally in a fast-paced environment.
• Creative problem-solving and a customer-focused mindset.

Nice to Have

• Experience with loyalty program platforms
• Make required
• Experience navigating the compliance, audit, and regulatory frameworks common in financial institution environments, such as GLBA, CCPA, and banking regulations
• Experience with card-linked loyalty, banking rewards, or co-brand partnerships
• Experience coordinating with marketing operations or managing marketing CRM platforms.