Client Strategy Director

Position Summary

Protected Harbor is seeking an exceptional Client Strategy Director (CSD) to serve as a Virtual Chief Information Officer (vCIO) for our clients. This is a high-impact, senior leadership role at the intersection of strategic advisory, technology transformation, and client growth.

The CSD acts as a trusted C-suite partner, translating business objectives into clear, actionable technology strategies. This role requires exceptional listening, critical thinking, and the ability to design tailored solutions—whether integrating platforms, optimizing services, or re-architecting entire systems—to solve real client challenges and improve outcomes.

Owning the full client relationship across assigned accounts, the CSD serves as the primary executive point of contact, embedding deeply within each client’s organization at the VP and C-suite level. Rather than reacting to renewals, this role is proactive in identifying opportunities, developing multi-year roadmaps, and guiding clients through evolving technology and business landscapes.

The CSD stays ahead of industry trends and advises clients on key initiatives such as security modernization (including zero trust and multi-factor authentication), infrastructure evolution, and operational efficiency. The focus is on aligning technology with real business needs—enhancing performance, strengthening security, enabling growth, and reducing operational complexity—while clearly communicating the value and impact of each recommendation.

This role also plays a critical part in driving portfolio growth by supporting retention, expanding existing relationships, and generating referrals. It represents a rare opportunity to combine executive-level advisory with direct business impact—owning client outcomes, building long-term partnerships, and contributing to sustained, year-over-year growth.

Core Responsibilities

Executive Client Relationship Management

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Serve as the primary executive point of contact for strategic accounts, owning the overall client relationship at a VP or C-suite level, consistently highlighting PH differentiators.

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Build and maintain deep, trust-based relationships with key stakeholders including CIOs, CFOs, and VPs of Operations

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Act as an internal advocate for client interests, influencing Protected Harbor's product roadmap and service development priorities

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Monitor and manage overall account health, proactively identifying and resolving risk before it escalates

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Serve as the voice of the client within Protected Harbor, actively listening to client needs, challenges, and strategic direction, and translating those insights back to the PH executive team. This role combines consultative sales with problem-solving—identifying opportunities, surfacing obstacles, and ensuring client priorities are clearly understood and acted upon to drive meaningful outcomes.

Virtual CIO Advisory Services

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Conduct quarterly vCIO Business Reviews (QBRs) with each account, presenting technology health assessments, roadmap progress, and forward-looking strategic recommendations

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Develop and maintain a rolling 12–36-month Technology Roadmap for each client, aligned to their business objectives, budget cycles, and industry trends

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Provide C-suite-level guidance on network infrastructure, cloud connectivity, cybersecurity posture and any service optimization

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Translate complex technical concepts into clear business-value narratives for executive audiences

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Act as executive incident commander during critical outages or security events

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Own communication and resolution strategy across all stakeholders

Revenue Growth & Account Expansion

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Assist sales in achieving a minimum 10% year-over-year revenue growth target across the managed portfolio

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Identify, qualify, and help close opportunities including expanded bandwidth, managed security services, cloud connectivity and infrastructure projects

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Partner with internal sales & technical team to scope, price, and close incremental business

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Drive contract renewals

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Influence internal product, pricing, and delivery strategy based on field insights

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Act as a feedback loop between market demand and executive leadership

Strategic Planning & Execution

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Collaborate with Protected Harbor's sales & technical team to ensure seamless delivery and expansion of services within the portfolio

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Lead contract renewal negotiations, targeting multi-year agreements with expanded scope and increased ARR

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Identify project-based engagement opportunities beyond recurring revenue — including technology migrations, security assessments, and infrastructure buildouts

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Provide monthly and quarterly reporting to Director of Sales on portfolio health, pipeline status, and revenue trajectory

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Develop and present industry insights (e.g., SaaS scaling risks, cloud cost inefficiencies, infrastructure accountability gaps

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Represent Protected Harbor in executive briefings, events, or thought leadership content

Performance Metrics & KPIs

The CSD will be evaluated against the following metrics on a quarterly and annual basis:

Assistance in Portfolio ARR Growth

Minimum 10% year-over-year

QBR Completion Rate

100% of quarterly reviews conducted on schedule

Account Retention

100% retention across all strategic accounts

Assist Upsell Win Rate

40%+ conversion on qualified expansion opportunities

Pipeline Coverage

3x coverage vs. quarterly growth targets at all times

Executive Touchpoints

Minimum 2 additional C-suite contacts per account per quarter

Technology Roadmap Creation & Client Acceptance

Active roadmap in place for strategic accounts as directed by Director of Sales

Required Qualifications

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5-10+ years of experience in managed services, technology sales, IT consulting, or strategic account management

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Demonstrated success managing complex, multi-stakeholder enterprise accounts with $1M+ in combined ARR

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Proven track record of consultative sales or account management involvement

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Proficiency in networking, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity concepts —sufficient to lead credible C-suite technology conversations

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Experience developing and presenting multi-year technology roadmaps to executive audiences

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Strong executive presence with the ability to engage, influence, and build trust at the CIO, CFO, and VP level

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Proficiency in CRM systems (Salesforce or equivalent) and pipeline management disciplines

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Bachelor’s degree in business, Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field

Preferred Qualifications

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Experience in a Managed Service Provider (MSP) or managed internet/network services environment

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Excellent communication skills including active listening and understanding your audience

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Industry certifications

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Familiarity with IT service management frameworks

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Existing relationships within the SMB-to-enterprise technology buyer community

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Experience presenting to boards or ownership groups

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Ability to build: Business cases, ROI models, Total cost of ownership (TCO) comparisons

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Translate technology decisions into financial strategy

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Expected to bring a strong, defensible point of view on infrastructure strategy

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Ability to challenge client assumptions and lead strategic direction—not just support it

Compensation & Benefits

Protected Harbor offers a competitive total compensation package for this role:

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On-Target Earnings: (Base+Bonus) $150,000 - $250,000 per year

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Comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits

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401(k) with company match

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Paid time off, company holidays

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Professional development budget including certifications and industry conferences

About Protected Harbor

Protected Harbor is an Application-Aware Infrastructure (AAI) provider that designs, operates, and supports the environments modern businesses depend on. We go beyond generic cloud and off-the-shelf solutions—engineering infrastructure around the unique behavior, performance, and reliability requirements of each application. Our model is built on long-term partnership, full accountability, and measurable outcomes. The Client Strategy Director role sits at the center of this approach, serving as the executive bridge between our clients’ business goals and the infrastructure that powers them.