Senior Account Director (Influential)

Company Description

We are North, a strategic communications agency in Canada that makes it personal, moving brands with ideas that travel and influence.

We combine the agility of a boutique agency with the strength of Publicis Groupe’s global network. Our teams work across earned media, influencer, content, experiential, and issues management, bringing sharp thinking and care to every brief.

In a noisy world, we earn attention through bold ideas, rigorous execution, and a relationship‑first approach that helps our people and our clients grow.

Job Description

As part of North Strategic and Publicis Groupe Canada's growing Influencer practice, we're hiring an experienced Senior Account Director, Influencer. As part of the Senior Leadership Team, you will be responsible fornot only securing, maintaining and growing the business, but also working to build, grow and lead an existing team, which drives award‑winning programs for our current clients.

We are looking you’re an experienced leader with agency chops who is passionate about the influencer and creator landscape. You’re an entrepreneurial thinker who is excited to take the lead and continue to shape the agency’s growing influencer practice. You’ve got your eye on the ever‑evolving creator and social space: always on top of the latest trends, platform changes (or challenges), and thinking constantly about the opportunities or risks for the agency and its clients. You make it your mission to be on the edge of the shifting landscape and prepared with a strategic POV on opportunities for our clients.

In this position, you inspire and guide your direct reports and cross‑functional teams to shake things up, deliver bold creative ideas, test and learn, build deep client relationships and execute with excellence. You’re used to confidently representing – and leading - within large integrated agency marketing communications team environments. You’ll have the ability to guide, manage and grow top client accounts for some of Canada’s top brands. As a senior lead you can work in a collaborative, fast‑paced environment and consistently contribute to our inclusive culture and high‑performing team as a manager, coach and mentor.

In this role, you’ll own key client relationships. You’re skilled at client service, building lasting relationships with key senior client stakeholders to unlock new opportunities based on your influence and trust. You partner with clients to relentlessly pursue program goals with a focus on identifying and leveraging new trends, forging excellent creator‑brand partnerships and leading high‑performance teams to execute flawlessly. You know the power of strong measurement frameworks and double down on proving success with metrics that matter to your clients. An essential ingredient of your success is your organization and ability to keep multiple clients, programs and team members on track to exceed objectives.

You understand the foundation of PR and communications, influencer and paid/performance marketing to be able to cross‑sell as required, and build creative, impactful strategies that may span practice areas.

Responsibilities

• Oversee fully integrated communications programs, including PR and influencer work, across multiple client accounts.
• Develop strategic brand campaigns in a fast‑paced environment and consistently sell through big ideas within an integrated agency model.
• Partner with senior client marketing leaders to drive national and regional campaigns, build trusted C‑suite relationships, sell breakthrough strategies, and support executive personal brand‑building efforts.
• Develop award‑winning creative ideas that drive results and strengthen client brand reputation and influence.
• Lead high‑performing teams in a matrixed environment, including direct reports and account teams, while motivating team members to reach their full potential.
• Drive new business by participating in and leading client pitches.
• Guide teams on key deliverables, including media relations, content development, and influencer strategies for programs and projects.
• Identify organic growth opportunities within existing accounts and help expand current client relationships.
• Understand clients’ industries, including key products, categories, technologies, competitors, and broader market issues.
• Mentor, manage, and grow the team while identifying opportunities to integrate with regional North teams and support a best‑place‑to‑work culture.
• Plan and assess project and team resources to maximize profitability and team effectiveness.
• Lead national client accounts as a dedicated client‑service manager with minimal supervision.
• Demonstrate strong business management skills, including effective collaboration with leadership, other North offices, and practice groups such as Notch video, social media, and digital media.
• Manage client contracts, including associated terms and conditions.
• Forecast regularly and quarterly to meet profitability and revenue targets, while maintaining accurate project and budget tracking internally and with client leads.
• Partner with senior executives on an ongoing basis to deliver against client KPIs.
• Collaborate with integrated marketing teams, including internal and external agencies, to drive results and 360‑degree collaboration.
• Contribute to our inclusive culture by coaching and mentoring team members.

Qualifications

• 15+ years in the social space, with a minimum of 7+ years on influencer and developing integrated strategies
• 10+ years of agency or client service experience
• Proactive leader, moving strategies and programs forward with confidence
• Genuine curiosity and commitment to continuously learning about the influencer space, with a view to adapting the practice area to keep it at the forefront as the space evolves (e.g., around emerging platforms and/or talent, existing platform changes, partnership regulation/disclosure, etc.)
• Bachelor’s & post‑graduate degree in Communications, Advertising, Media Studies, Marketing or a related field
• Proven track record of building and leading high performance teams and adding value to company culture in a meaningful way
• Excellent cross‑functional leadership, presentation and communication skills
• Dynamic team player, collaboratively partnering with cross‑functional leaders across the agency to develop and innovate the influencer, social and digital practice areas
• Shows strong initiative as an entrepreneurial thinker taking independent actions and calculated risks
• Superior finance, budget and project management, team resourcing and organizational abilities
• Strong proficiency in social platforms (Meta, X, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest and Snapchat, etc.)
• Demonstrated interest in AI. You already see how it can benefit and amplify our client’s campaigns.
• Strong interpersonal abilities to effectively manage internal and external relationships, vendors and agency partners
• Agility, speed and flexibility to manage workflow within a changing work environment
• Demonstrated thought leadership on the topics of the day; you’re an enthusiastic advocate of public relations as a practice and wish to help build the next generation of leaders
• Calm under pressure
• Inter‑agency leadership experience working with creative, digital, sponsorship, research and media buying companies to ensure all campaigns are fully integrated and agency relationships are nurtured
• Demonstrated experience developing effective measurement frameworks for social programs analyzing data, deriving insights and building creative strategies to meet client objectives
• Refined understanding of community management and paid social/digital campaigns

Additional Information

• Meaningful work where you can have a direct impact working on some of the biggest brands out there!
• A culture of entrepreneurship, creativity, growth and collaboration.
• Work with top talent at an award‑winning agency on a serious growth trajectory.
• A focused commitment to career development and personal success – let us help you.
• Access to thousands of on‑demand e‑learning opportunities, and a suite of leading AI tools and resources.
• Highly competitive compensation and benefits package including substantial time off policies and mental wellness resources (like really. It’s a big deal).
• Oh, and did we mention the perks?! Hybrid work environment, parental leave top‑up program, regular social events, cell phone & internet allowance, professional development or wellness allowance, Business Resource Groups, Private health and Dental insurance, Life and Disability insurance… Just to name a few… #workperks.
• Work from (almost) anywhere for up to 20 days per year.
• All staff meetings so you’re always in the know.
• This is a hybrid role tied to our Toronto office.

Salary

Transparency matters to us. The salary range for this position is CAD$130K-$140K per year. Actual compensation within this range will be based on a variety of factors, including relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and applicable certifications. This range reflects what we reasonably expect to offer based on current market data

North Strategic is committed workplace diversity and will provide accommodation to applicants with disabilities throughout the hiring process.