Director, Media Activation

Director, Media Activation
Team: Connections
Location: Toronto (Hybrid)

Company Overview

Salt XC is an agency driven by the philosophy of Experiential Commerce™. Our unique framework for designing better consumer experiences that earn attention and drive action. We take an integrated approach that connects your consumer's online and offline experiences through data, media, and the memorable moments that drive brand transactions.

Role Overview

The Director, Media is a data-driven, insights-led media strategist and platform expert with hands-on analytics, reporting, and management experience. The best candidate for this role will be a natural collaborator with strong presentation, organizational, and strategic thinking skills. They have a strong comprehension of the media landscape and a proactive nature combined with a high level of attention to detail.

The Director, Media is on top of current and emerging trends in the world of digital media capabilities and tech offerings. They ideally come with a breadth of experience across clients from different verticals.

You will be responsible for planning, developing, implementing, and managing the overall media strategy for your clients with your team. In addition, you are responsible for managing, guiding, and training your team.

The role will require the right candidate to be highly proficient in media planning, implementation, activation, optimization, reporting, and analysis. This includes understanding online user journey optimizations, a very solid understanding of Google Analytics (tracking and analysis), performance optimization/levers/algorithms, and DSP experience.

The successful candidate will need to develop strong trust-based relationships with both client and agency team members.

Core Responsibilities

• Leading planning, implementation, activation, optimization, and reporting for all key clients.
• Leading the preparation, writing, and presentation of integrated media plans, proposals, and analysis that satisfy client objectives and go beyond the brief.
• Managing and mentoring direct reports, conducting performance reviews, and providing day-to-day training and support.
• Maintain stewardship and accountability of the media plan, regularly evaluating and monitoring execution.
• Manage your team in reviewing and QA'ing platform setup across multiple platforms and campaign types, ensuring campaigns are properly set up against KPIs, targeted appropriately, and using the correct budget.
• Oversee the work of junior team members, supporting the management of workload and prioritization across multiple clients and campaigns.
• Liaise and foster knowledge sharing with other disciplines internally, partner agencies, and other departments to ensure that media and client knowledge is current.
• Ensure that all media plans adhere to the agency's values, philosophies, and processes.
• Lead the preparation and presentation of evaluations of media opportunities, media trends, and issues of interest to clients.
• Develop reporting processes for each client with support from the Managing Director and ensure timely delivery of reports based on the agreed-upon process.
• Maintain awareness of client KPIs and objectives, ensuring that tracking is in place for check-ins as required.
• Accurately and effectively manage clients' day-to-day planning requirements, with a strong understanding of clients' business objectives and KPIs.
• Inform leadership of potential challenges and opportunities as they relate to client and/or people management.
• Influence decision-making by encouraging appropriate strategies and benefits of offerings to clients.
• Participate in additional agency/team projects and new business presentations as required.

Experience & Skills

• Minimum 6–7 years working at a media agency in a senior or director-level role focused on digital media activation.
• Bachelor's degree or Diploma in Marketing, Communication, or Advertising required.
• Prior hands-on experience in Google Analytics, Search Console, paid social business manager accounts, and DSPs (essential).
• Demonstrated creative and innovative thinker who doesn't mind rolling up their sleeves and getting the job done.
• Network or relationships with digital media partners and service providers.
• Strong presentation skills.
• Excellent communication skills (both written and verbal).
• High attention to detail.
• Prior hands-on experience with Google Data Studio/dashboard visualization tools (essential).
• Hands-on management experience planning, implementing, optimizing, and reporting for Fortune 50 brands.
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed and sometimes involved instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
• Knowledge in all facets of the digital marketing space: CRM, SEO, SEM, programmatic, social, mobile, and video.
• Experience with e-commerce platforms such as Shopify, Magento, and BigCommerce is an asset.

Salt's Values

Salt of the Earth

We aspire to be good people. People who are humble, hardworking, honest, and kind to one another. People who are fun to work with, who trust and are respectful of each other.

Do What's Right

We don't believe in taking shortcuts. We believe in doing what is right, not what is easy or expected.

Earn It

We believe in rolling up our sleeves and not being afraid of hard work. We want to earn the respect of others, the results we deliver, and the praise we receive.

Make Things Better

We aspire to leave things better than we found them and are always looking for a better way. Great ideas come from anywhere; they come from being curious, passionate, solutions-oriented people who care deeply about what we do.

Seek Different Perspectives

We believe in embracing difference; the perspective it brings, how it challenges us, how it spurs creativity, and its ability to make us better.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Salt XC is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity and to attracting and retaining the most qualified employees regardless of race, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age, or disability.

The anticipated annual base salary range for this position is $110,000–$140,000. Individual compensation within this range is determined based on job-related factors such as experience, skills, level of responsibility, internal equity, and business needs. This range represents the expected base salary for this role and does not include other elements of SALT's total rewards program.