Account Director

Company description

Publicis is an omni-channel communications agency with over 600 employees across our Canadian operations. The office is the largest in our industry in Canada and boasts talent across various disciplines of marketing and advertising expertise. Publicis carries a balanced split of Canadian, U.S. and Global clients for which we are Agency of Record. Publicis supports a range of D&I actions through our Driving Change team as well as giving back to the community through a long-standing participation in the Out of the Cold Program. With a strong, active and familial culture, Pub United is the agency’s social club, hosting events as wide reaching as Curling, Trivia Nights and more.

Overview

The Account Director will lead and oversee account operations, creative asset management, and execution, working closely with senior leadership while building strong, trusted relationships with agency partners and senior-level clients.

This role provides account leadership on a large Canadian retail brand, overseeing the successful delivery of fully integrated 360 advertising campaigns. The ideal candidate brings deep experience working on large, fast-paced accounts—such as CPG, retail, and automotive—and is comfortable navigating complex, high-volume workstreams. They also bring extensive experience across broadcast TV, digital, and social, and act as a confident strategic partner to both clients and internal teams. This position reports into a Group Account Director and plays a critical role in ensuring work is delivered strategically, efficiently, and to the highest standard.

Responsibilities

Strategy & Creative Development

• Monitor market trends and anticipate shifts to inform strategy and identify emerging opportunities.
  Influence decision-making through a strong point of view and clear, compelling strategic recommendations.
  Partner closely with strategy, creative, and production teams to ensure seamless execution from concept through delivery.

Account Management

• Lead campaign deliverables independently, with selective oversight from senior account leadership. Continuously assess and refine processes to drive efficiency across managed accounts.
• Own project timelines, scopes, and resourcing to ensure work is delivered on time and within budget.
• Ensure profitability across managed accounts by optimizing resource use in line with company financial targets.
• Proactively identify risks, challenges, and opportunities, including identifying and developing new business opportunities aligned with the agency’s overall strategic vision.
• Lead post-project reviews, evaluating performance and identifying opportunities for future improvement.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, motivate, and inspire cross-functional teams.
• Foster a culture of excellence, innovation, and collaboration.
• Mentor and manage Account Executives and Account Supervisors, supporting their growth and development.

Client Relations & Expertise

• Build and maintain strong, high-trust client relationships through proactive and thoughtful communication. Navigate client challenges and moments of crisis in partnership with senior account leadership.
• Act as a trusted strategic advisor, providing guidance to both clients and internal teams.
• Develop a deep understanding of the client’s business, serving as the expert on brand standards and best practices.
• Serve as a primary point of contact, ensuring client satisfaction and long-term retention.
• Partner with clients to define project objectives, requirements, and deliverables, translating them into actionable plans.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of agency account management experience, including a minimum of 2 years at the Account Supervisor level.
• Demonstrated ability to manage teams and processes with selective involvement from senior leadership.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a solutions-oriented mindset.
  Proven leadership on complex, high-volume accounts—ideally within CPG, retail, or automotive—across fully integrated social, digital, and broadcast campaigns.
• Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills.
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Comfortable thriving in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

Salary

Transparency matters to us. The salary range for this position is CAD $90,000 - CAD $110,000 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.

AI Use

We use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of our hiring process, such as reviewing applications or analyzing resumes. These tools assist our recruitment team but never replace human decision-making. We believe in a human-first approach, where your experience and potential are recognized by people.

Publicis Canada is committed to building a diverse workforce representative of our community. We encourage and are pleased to consider all qualified candidates, without regard to race, colour, citizenship, religion, sex, marital / family status, sexual orientation, gender identity, aboriginal status, age, disability or persons who may require an accommodation, to apply. If you require a specific accommodation please contact Human Resources.