Director, Paid Social

Who we’re looking for:  

We are seeking a Social Media Director with experience in campaign management, is a vocal and engaged leader on their client and functional teams and have shown the ability to carry out strategy through structuring and planning. Directors are direct managers of the Associate Director and oversee the holistic team members on their account, taking responsibility, and guiding the teams towards individual and collective growth.  

Social Directors own the Social function on their book of clients and assist in leading the function for their region.  This includes developing overall paid media strategy, helping to grow the client’s business through additional Social channels and ensuring team execution meets and exceeds client expectations.  

We want an individual that is accountable for all aspects of the plan and has the ability to flag and escalate concerns appropriately to upper management. 

We value our culture above anything else, and that culture is built on the spirit of our people. We’re looking for tireless optimists, happy warriors and fearless collaborators who bring that extra dose of contagious energy.   

 
The Opportunity:  

If you’re reading this, we want to talk to you about joining our team as a Director. Your responsibilities will include:  

Team Leadership 

• Determine how to use Social resources most efficiently and succession plan for resources 

• Effectively manage and lead all Social team members on particular client team(s) 

• Identify training and development needs of client team and broader functional team 

• Build training materials and determine how to effectively implement with the client team and broader functional team; receive consistent feedback on needs from teams 

• Develop processes, methodologies, best practices and frameworks for client team and broader functional team; work with team members to ensure they are being used 

• Consulting with individual client teams as needed to ensure best practices are being used and to brainstorm new approaches to achieving client goals 

• Lead hiring process for Social team members on their client team 

• Oversight for on boarding new clients within their office location 

• Ensure integration with other functional teams 

• Primary account contact with COE for agency-wide social knowledge sharing 

Grow Business 

• Determine how to increase and expand paid media services for their clients 

• Help identify and test new channels and products, highlighting results and sharing across organization and externally 

• Ensure Social strategy aligns with client’s overall business goals and merchandise impact  

• Help business development team develop and present pitches, including providing oversight and guidance to junior team members assisting with the process 

Broader agency responsibilities, related to one or more of the following: 

Practice Development 

Product & Service Development 

Partner Relations 

Practice Development: 

Innovation 

• Identifies and develops new processes, strategies, frameworks, etc. 

• Meets with client teams regularly to identify new management approaches, processes, optimization techniques, etc. to determine if appropriate to leverage across all client teams 

• Helps pilot new approaches with client teams to refine and ensure viability 

• Meets with Content and Analytics functional leads to identify opportunities for integration, processes to leverage, etc. 

• Alpha/Beta tests 

• Ensures learnings and insights are captured and shared across client teams 

• Provides oversight to client teams on testing approach, analyzing results and merchandising internally and externally 

• POVs 

• Leads development of POVs related to new products and enhancements related to existing Social products and services 

Product & Service Development: 

New External Channels/Products 

• Identifies and evaluates new channels and products 

• Recommends clients to test new channels and products 

Internal Products & Services 

• Helps with product marketing for existing Social services 

• Project manages development and testing of products and services 

• Identifies new products/services being delivered by client teams and determines potential to provide at agency level 

Partner Relations: 

Technology 

• Main point of contact for technology partners – competitive and campaign management 

• Identify and evaluate new technology providers in the space 

• Develop proposals for new providers recommended for the agency 

• Update technology RFIs/comparisons on periodic basis 

• Point of escalation for technology related issues 

• Responsible to ensure all client teams are informed about new providers or updates to existing technologies 

• Subject matter expert for client team questions, new business, sister agencies, etc. 

Social Networks 

• Main point of contact for social networks 

• Point of escalation for engine related issues 

• Responsible to ensure all client teams are informed of new products and engine enhancements 

• Coordinate presentations from providers for Social team or broader agency 

• Coordinate QBR from key engine partners 

• Coordinate with training lead on related certifications 

Our expectations of you:  

We’re looking for a great connector of people and ideas – someone who is personable, communicates well, is empathetic to other’s points of view, strong partners, and is ultimately comfortable assuming leadership and driving action in a collaborative setting.    

You would be called upon to bring inspiration, smarts and clarity to paid social planning throughout the funnel – i.e., someone who sets an agenda teams can happily and confidently take action on. We would challenge you to continuously raise the bar on our social product, helping clients and partners develop more creative media solutions to business challenges plan after plan. You’re a highly skilled self-starter who is organized and confident in your abilities that isn’t afraid to share opinions and new perspectives.   

Overall, we’d look to you as a convincing expert and persuasive voice who can sell paid social ideas and strategies to clients and agency partners.  

 What you’ll need to succeed:  

• Bachelor’s degree or relevant post-secondary education, training, or equivalent experience  

• 7+ years business experience including 5+ years building and/or managing accounts in the social marketing and/or interactive advertising space.   

• Be a proactive self-starter 

• Possess general knowledge of direct and brand marketing principles and strategies 

• Have a deep understanding of the interactive marketing landscape 

• Have polished presentation, communication, and analytical skills  

• Have strong organizational skills, being able to manage multiple projects at once   

• Have online media sales and/or interactive ad agency experience  

• Know the difference between features and benefits and how to sell and deliver value! 

The outcomes we will celebrate:  

Strong client relationships, admiring teammates, more effective plans, industry awards, strong agency partnerships.  

Who you’ll partner with:  

You’ll work hand in hand with the social members on your team, partnering with the strategy/planning teams and reporting into the Client Business Lead. 

Beyond your immediate team, you’ll also work closely with the rest of the Digital Activation team, including Search and Programmatic Video/Display, as well as the wider media and marketing sciences teams to drive your client’s business forward.