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Director Prototyping Client Operations

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Kaleidoscope®

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Location:
United States , Chicago

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Contract Type:
Not provided

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Salary:

90000.00 - 100000.00 USD / Year

Job Description:

The Client Services Director – Prototyping leads the Prototyping Client Services team and is responsible for client relationship management, estimate creation, operational execution, and margin performance within the Prototyping division. This role manages Prototyping CSMs and the Client Operations Manager while personally servicing key accounts. The Manager and all Prototyping CSMs serve as the primary liaison between clients and Production and act as strategic partners to Client Growth Managers (CGMs). The position balances revenue growth with margin protection and production feasibility, ensuring all client commitments are executable, documented, and profitable.

Job Responsibility:

  • Lead, coach, and manage Prototyping CSMs and the Client Operations Manager
  • Establish clear performance standards and measurable KPIs
  • Conduct regular 1:1 meetings, quarterly check-ins, and annual reviews
  • Ensure consistent adherence to SOPs, workflow systems, and documentation standards
  • Address performance issues and capability gaps promptly
  • Support hiring and onboarding as business needs evolve
  • Defining and documenting scope before pricing
  • Confirming feasibility with Production prior to finalizing estimates
  • Building estimates that account for labor, materials, complexity, and risk
  • Protecting target margins while remaining competitive
  • Updating estimates when scope changes occur
  • Capturing and documenting change orders for billing
  • Ensuring alignment between estimate, production execution, and final invoicing
  • Translating client objectives into clear production requirements
  • Communicating feasibility, cost, and timeline realities to clients and CGMs
  • Confirming scope clarity before work enters production
  • Managing expectation resets when constraints arise
  • Escalating risks early to prevent delays or margin erosion
  • Reducing rework through structured intake and documentation
  • Operate as an extension of CGMs to support account growth
  • Participate in client meetings, business reviews, and travel as required
  • Provide operational input during opportunity scoping
  • Ensure commitments made during sales discussions are realistic and profitable
  • Maintain shared accountability for account revenue and retention
  • Personally manage a portfolio of key or strategic Prototyping accounts
  • Maintain strong client relationships through proactive communication
  • Serve as senior escalation contact when needed
  • Model disciplined client management for the team
  • Estimate accuracy and margin realization
  • Account-level profitability
  • Revenue growth (in partnership with CGMs)
  • On-time delivery
  • Reduction in rework and scope creep
  • Accurate scope change capture
  • Forecast visibility and reliability
  • Team performance and development
  • Establish and enforce quality control standards across all Prototyping client projects to ensure deliverables meet defined scope, production specifications, and client expectations
  • Conduct structured quality reviews in collaboration with Production and Client Services to confirm accuracy prior to release or shipment
  • Implement preventative controls to reduce rework, margin erosion, and scope misalignment
  • Monitor quality performance metrics and address recurring issues through process refinement and accountability
  • Ensure documentation standards support traceability, change management, and audit readiness

Requirements:

  • 7+ years of experience in client services, estimating, or production-driven environments
  • 3+ years of leadership experience
  • Demonstrated experience building detailed production-based estimates
  • Strong financial literacy and margin management capability
  • Experience in prototyping, packaging, manufacturing, or fast-turn production preferred
  • Ability to manage high-volume, deadline-driven workflows
  • Willingness to travel for client meetings and business development activities

Additional Information:

Job Posted:
March 04, 2026

Employment Type:
Fulltime
Job Link Share:

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