Managing Director, Embedded Studio

About The Role
We are hiring a Managing Director to lead the commercial relationship and strategic direction of a major retained studio engagement. This is a senior client leadership position with a focused, high‑stakes remit: own the health of the partnership, shape the commercial model, and set the strategic priorities for a dedicated, high‑performance production and operations team.

The content industry is being reshaped by AI, changing how work is produced, priced, and valued. This engagement is at the frontier of that shift. The Managing Director will define how we show up for the client in this new landscape, ensuring that our model evolves as fast as the technology and the opportunity.

You will be the client’s primary senior contact at Monks. You will lead a multidisciplinary team spanning production, creative, program operations, and delivery across multiple regions. Your job is to translate the client’s evolving ambitions into priorities for that team, manage the commercial performance of the engagement, and navigate the organizational complexity of a large, matrixed client environment.

Responsibilities

Own the senior client relationship across a retained, multi‑regional content production engagement. Serve as the primary point of contact for client leadership and the trusted partner they turn to when priorities shift, problems arise, or opportunities emerge.

Shape and steward the commercial model for the engagement. Define how value is measured, how efficiency commitments are delivered, and how the economics evolve as AI reshapes production costs and timelines.

Set strategic direction. Translate client priorities into clear, actionable mandates for the team. Determine what matters next quarter, not how it gets executed.

Own P&L performance, including margin health, pricing strategy, and commercial sustainability.

Manage the interface between client‑side stakeholders and the Monks delivery organization. Ensure alignment across multiple teams, regions, and workstreams without duplicating effort or creating bottlenecks.

Identify and pursue growth opportunities, whether through expanded scope, new service lines, or deeper integration into the client’s marketing ecosystem.

About You

10+ years in client‑facing leadership roles at an agency, production company, consultancy, or embedded studio operation, with significant experience managing retained enterprise‑scale relationships.

Direct experience with subscription, retainer, or output‑based commercial models. You understand the economics of selling outcomes rather than hours and have navigated that transition firsthand.

A track record of managing senior stakeholders in complex, politically layered organizations. You have been the person a VP or SVP calls when something is not working.

Financial fluency. You speak to margin, cost‑per‑unit economics, and volume‑based pricing without needing a finance partner to translate.

Comfort leading a high‑performance team without micromanaging it. You set direction, remove obstacles, and trust strong operational leaders to execute.

Familiarity with content production at scale. You may not have run a production floor yourself, but you understand what it takes to deliver at high volume so you can speak credibly to clients about capacity, timelines, and trade‑offs.

A point of view on AI in creative production. Not as a talking point, but as something that is actively reshaping how you think about pricing, staffing, and the value proposition of a studio operation.

This role requires meaningful in‑person presence with the client team in either Seattle or Los Angeles.

Benefits

Excellent, full coverage medical, dental, and vision insurance.

Generous PTO and 15 company‑wide holidays.

401k with company contribution.

Paid parental leave.

Work‑life balance with an emphasis on personal well‑being.

Career growth in a disruptor space & entrepreneurial opportunities within the Monks network.

A globally diverse & inclusive culture with employee resource groups such as S4, Pride, Cultura, and more.

Authentic commitment to DEI efforts and sustainable growth.

Salary
Salary Range: $250,000—$275,000 USD

Monks has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what Monks may pay for the position at the time of posting. Monks may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on job‑related factors, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.

We are an equal‑opportunity employer committed to building a respectful and empowering work environment for all people to freely express themselves among colleagues who embrace diversity in all respects. Hiring processes promote equity and inclusion while mitigating bias.

This role is subject to our Return to Office (RTO) policy. If you reside within a commutable distance of one of our office locations, you will be expected to work from the office a set number of days per week. The specific details, including the number of required office days, will be in accordance with the company’s then‑current RTO policy, which is subject to change from time to time.

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