Client Engagement Lead - US
About Very
Very is a fully distributed technology firm led by expert problem-solvers who create efficient, scalable solutions that move commercial, industrial, and consumer products from pilot to production in record time.
We believe that real innovation happens in the grind, working shoulder to shoulder with clients who are building the future. Our team thrives on that energy. When we’re not helping clients deliver business-critical outcomes, we’re refining our craft and celebrating what it means to do hard things well.
We’ve built a collaborative, tight-knit culture that thrives in both remote and in-person settings. We’ve won numerous workplace awards over the years, including Great Place to Work certification and recognition from Parity.org as a Best Company for Women to Advance.
Our clients include well-known brands like Vizio, Peloton, Clear, iHeart Radio, and Fellowes — all determined to leverage connected devices and AI to drive meaningful impact. Our job is simple: help them win.
About this role
The Engagement Lead is a distinct career track at Very — separate from engineering and program management — built around a single accountability: the outcome of the client engagement.
PMs run the machine. Engagement Leads own the outcome.
This is a client-facing, commercially-minded role. You will personally own 1–3 active client relationships at a time, ensuring that Very is delivering real business value, that engagements are healthy and profitable, and that clients are growing with us. You will operate at high billability (60–80%), meaning you are not overhead — you are contributing directly to the work while simultaneously holding the altitude of the overall engagement.
You will sit at the intersection of client trust, technical delivery, and business development. The best Engagement Leads are builders who have learned to sell, or sellers who have learned to build — people who are as comfortable writing a Statement of Work as they are reviewing a sprint report.
What you’ll own
Client Relationship & Outcomes
- Serve as the primary relationship owner for 1–3 client engagements simultaneously
- Maintain client trust at the working level — know your stakeholders, understand their business, and be the person they call when something feels off
- Drive alignment between client expectations and what Very can actually deliver
- Escalate early and with a recommendation — never let a problem become a surprise
- We're remote-first, but travel within the US is part of the job — show up in person when it strengthens client relationships & deliverables
Commercial Ownership
- Own the profitability of your engagements — understand margin, monitor burn, and proactively flag risk
- Write and negotiate Statements of Work for new phases and follow-on engagements
- Identify expansion opportunities within existing accounts and close them
- Participate in the sales process for new opportunities — Very's best Engagement Leads are part of the commercial motion
Delivery Health
- Accountable for the health of delivery on your engagements — scope, schedule, and quality
- Make tradeoff calls with confidence; bring options, not just problems
- On smaller engagements (≤ $250–400K, single workstream, small team): run the cadence yourself — standups, sprint planning, milestone reviews
- On larger engagements: partner with a PM who runs execution; you shift altitude to steering, scope management, and client strategy
Team & Culture
- Coach team members on what it means to work in a client services organization — communication, expectation management, escalation
- Model the standard for how Very engages with clients
What success looks like
In the first 90 days:
- Named as engagement owner on at least one active client; client and internal team know you own it
- Strong working relationships established with key client stakeholders
- Reporting consistently in Program Tactical; no surprises to leadership
In year one:
- 8