Creative Recruiter (Mat Leave Contract)

WHO WE ARE

Sid Lee is a multidisciplinary creative collective striving to make a difference and celebrating culture with bold ideas. Over artisans work as one team from offices in Montreal, Toronto, New York, Paris, London, and San Francisco. They strive to break the ordinary through brand building, brand expression and brand experience. Its creative community also includes Yard, Digital Kitchen, Sid Lee Sport, Sid Lee Architecture, and Haigo. Alongside daring clients, Sid Lee draws on its rich collection of disciplines: from craft to culture and innovation, empowering its clients to outperform their competitors, earn the trust of their customers, and increase their influence.

Sid Lee is a member of kyu, a collective of top-tier global creative companies established by Hakuhodo DY Holdings. Sid Lee also imagined C2 Montréal, one of the largest creative-business conferences in the world.

ROLE

As a Creative Recruiter at Sid Lee, you connect exceptional creative talent with our agency’s evolving needs, for our offices in both Canada and the United States. Drawing on your hands-on experience reviewing portfolios and hiring for creative roles, you bring a sharp creative eye and a thoughtful, strategic mindset to the recruitment cycle. Working closely with our leadership, hiring managers, and Talent team, you guide the recruitment process from identifying needs through to securing the right fit.

Your passion for the creative industry allows you to seek out and attract both established and emerging talent—always assessing for craft, originality, and potential. You build strong relationships across the internal team and with candidates, staying engaged throughout their journey. You keep a pulse on the creative market, sharing insights that help Sid Lee stand out as a top destination for creative professionals.

Please note that this is a fixed-term employment agreement, from August to September .

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Evaluate and review creative portfolios, reels, and case studies for a variety of disciplines (art direction, design, copywriting, production, etc.).
• Partner with leaders at Sid Lee, creative directors, and HR business partners to understand team needs, mandates, and company strategy.
• Lead the end-to-end creative recruitment process: sourcing, outreach, interviews, portfolio reviews, negotiations, and hiring, all with a candidate-focused approach.
• Develop and nurture pipelines of promising creative talent, maintaining ongoing relationships and tracking emerging people in the industry.
• Shape and execute recruitment strategies for a range of creative mandates and hard-to-fill roles across both Toronto and Montreal.
• Communicate market trends, competitive salaries, and relevant candidate insights to stakeholders.
• Propose new strategies and initiatives to grow, diversify, and strengthen Sid Lee’s creative talent pool.
• Represent Sid Lee and build relationships through partnerships with schools, student associations, and creative communities, boosting the agency’s profile in both local and international markets.
• Attend portfolio reviews, creative industry events, and stay current on the advertising, branding, and design landscape.
  
  

REQUIREMENTS

• 3+ years experience recruiting for creative roles in advertising, design, or related creative industries.
• Demonstrated expertise in reviewing creative portfolios and reels, with the ability to assess craft, concept, and suitability for agency work.
• Proven ability to develop and execute creative recruitment strategies for specific creative roles.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills with candidates, creative leaders, and hiring partners.
• Knowledge of Greenhouse (or similar ATS) is an asset.
• Bilingual in English and French (spoken and written); bilingualism is required if based in Montreal, and a strong asset if based in Toronto.
• Knowledge of the creative market and talent networks in Toronto, Montreal and New York.

The salary range for this role is $70,–$85, CAD per year. Final compensation will be determined based on experience and qualifications.