Penn State Job Catalog

The defined natural career progression within or between job profiles.

Client Services

The Client Services Specialist is a strategic relationship manager responsible for cultivating, sustaining, and expanding high-value relationships with clients and key stakeholders. Serving as the primary point of contact and an ambassador of the University, this role ensures an exceptional client experience while driving new business development, organizational relevance, and long-term revenue growth; matches client and stakeholder priorities with the University's services and offerings, clearly communicating value and impact; works collaboratively with internal and external partners to advocate for and secure funding opportunities.

• Serve as the designated point of contact for clients, responding promptly and professionally to inquiries; ensure exceptional client service
• Build, strengthen, and manage long-term client relationships by understanding strategic needs, aligning services, and providing tailored solutions
• Proactively identify opportunities to expand business with existing clients and develop new relationships through networking, centers of influence, and other referral sources
• Serve as a trusted adviser to clients by communicating the University's value proposition, showcasing the impact of services/offerings, and maximizing organizational relevance
• Define, develop, and execute market penetration strategies to expand the University's footprint across key industry sectors
• Prepare and deliver compelling presentations, proposals, and other materials to support client engagement and business development efforts; support contract negotiations
• Identify, troubleshoot, and resolve client issues efficiently, coordinating with internal teams to ensure timely and effective solutions
• Maintain accurate and comprehensive records of client interactions, feedback, service requests, and engagement outcomes
• Stay knowledgeable about current and emerging University services and offerings to provide informed guidance and recommendations
• Support onboarding of new clients by coordinating training, sharing resources, and ensuring a seamless, high-quality experience
• Gather, analyze, and synthesize client feedback to identify trends, inform service improvements, and provide insights to leadership
• Collaborate with key stakeholders to advocate for client needs and secure funding aligned with organizational priorities
• Lead or participate in cross-functional teams to improve processes, refine client experience, and drive operational excellence
• May supervise staff, including hiring, coaching, development, and performance management

Level:

– Senior Supervisor

Base Description:

– Supervises direct reports, but primarily completes activities, tasks, and/or projects of a functional nature.

Level Summary:

– Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge to perform own work; spends majority of time on tasks related to own job responsibilities. May demonstrate subject matter expertise. Demonstrates intermediate to advanced planning, organizing, directing, and facilitating skills. Demonstrates the ability to coach assigned employees. Assigns and reviews completed work to verify accuracy, quality, and adherence to professional standards. Trains, coaches, mentors, and motivates staff. Anticipates potential problems, issues, and opportunities; researches and recommends solutions within defined policies. May develop creative recommendations for solving problems.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

– Typically oversees at least 2 full–time direct reports or equivalent team of part–time and/or student workers (for Professional track, performs work at the Senior Professional level or higher)

Fiscal Responsibilities:

– May validate and pay invoices
– Monitors and tracks budgets for specific area and/or grant(s)
– May assist in planning and forecasting budgets

Problem Solving:

– Encounters moderately complex problems
– Applies general precedents and practices and specialized knowledge and skills to resolve problems
– Understands benefits, limitations and impact of potential solutions
– Anticipates potential problems and recommends possible solutions within general guidelines

Independence of Action:

– Works independently on moderately complex work assignments, reviews progress, and evaluates results
– Organizes work of direct reports and sets team priorities
– Reviews the work of others to verify accuracy, quality, and adherence to professional standards

Communication and Collaboration:

– Communicates internally within working unit and the University
– Communicates with external audiences for scheduling/coordination
– May communicate with external audiences for business purposes
– Collaborates closely with team members; may interact with other staff outside of area
– Utilizes a communication style that is appropriate for a given situation
– Interprets and communicates information, ideas and instructions clearly, accurately and persuasively both verbally and in written materials intended for distribution

• Comp Grade – 12
• Minimum – $76,700.00
• MidPoint – $95,900.00
• Maximum – $115,100.00

• Business development
• Coordination
• Customer relationship management
• Customer Service
• Feedback
• Outreach
• Presentation Skills
• Prioritization
• Process improvement
• Project Management
• Relationship building
• Revenue management