Account Director

Publicis Groupe; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 100,000 - 108,000; Full time

Job summary

Leo Burnett Toronto, part of Publicis Groupe, seeks an Account Director to manage client relationships and drive strategic, creative delivery across media. You will oversee an Account Supervisor and work closely with planners and creatives to ensure on-time, on-budget projects in the financial sector.

You will lead cross-functional teams, mentor staff, identify growth opportunities, and maintain high client satisfaction while navigating budgets and schedules. Occasional travel is required.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of account management experience.
• Significant agency experience in client relationship management and team management.
• Collaborative and confident approach to creative projects.
• Excellent interpersonal abilities with an aptitude in developing and maintaining long-term business relationships.
• Accountability and calm, confident presence.
• Understanding of budgeting and progress reports.
• Understanding of time tracking and hour reconciliation process.
• Experience with finance - a nice to have.
• Experience driving continuous adoption of AI to enhance workflows.
• Outstanding leadership skills and a natural motivator of people.
• Strong understanding of various communication research approaches.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Keen attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Managing an Account Supervisor and overseeing their operations, in partnership with Account Director peer.
• Building a strong client relationship and growing agency value with all clients that intersect with this role.
• Providing strong leadership on all creative development in various media forms, from concept to strategy to execution in partnership with a Planner and Creative Director and is able to clearly and convincingly communicate and negotiate on all these areas with clients.
• Overseeing the integrity of approved communication ideas are upheld as translated into multi-media channels including building relationships with the other external to Leo Burnett agencies.
• Resolving issues with a collaborative approach to build rapport and strengthen trust with client teams.
• Using proven skills to positively drive clients, and the agency, creatively and strategically.
• Ensuring the timely completion of projects for clients on schedule and within an established budget.
• Effectively overseeing clients' annual budgets, identifying issues and trouble-shooting.
• Proactively identifying client needs and unique business opportunities.
• Tracking and reporting hours.
• Managing up to the business lead.
• Providing feedback and counselling to account staff to help meet objectives and promote career growth.
• Occasional travel is required.

Skills

Account management

Agency experience

Leadership

Client relationships

Budgeting

Time tracking

AI adoption

Communication

Negotiation

Detail orientation

Job description

Company description

We're a creative consultancy. That means we put creativity at the center of all our thinking - be it strategic consulting, design and advertising or product and service design. If you believe in the power of creativity to transform how people think and behave, you're in the right place.

Overview

The Account Director's primary responsibility will be to manage and build relationships with agency client and partners by fostering an environment for the delivery of a strong, efficient and creative product. They will be accountable for overseeing the smooth delivery of broad range of communication platforms and executions, while focusing on individual business acumen, mentorship and the growth of their assignments, in the financial space.

Responsibilities

• Managing an Account Supervisor and overseeing their operations, in partnership with Account Director peer.
• Building a strong client relationship and growing agency value with all clients that intersect with this role.
• Providing strong leadership on all creative development in various media forms, from concept to strategy to execution in partnership with a Planner and Creative Director and is able to clearly and convincingly communicate and negotiate on all these areas with clients.
• Overseeing the integrity of approved communication ideas are upheld as translated into multi-media channels including building relationships with the other external to Leo Burnett agencies.
• Resolving issues with a collaborative approach to build rapport and strengthen trust with client teams.
• Using proven skills to positively drive clients, and the agency, creatively and strategically.
• Ensuring the timely completion of projects for clients on schedule and within an established budget.
• Effectively overseeing clients' annual budgets, identifying issues and trouble-shooting.
• Proactively identifying client needs and unique business opportunities.
• Tracking and reporting hours.
• Managing up to the business lead.
• Providing feedback and counselling to account staff to help meet objectives and promote career growth.
• Occasional travel is required.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of account management experience.
• Significant agency experience in client relationship management and team management.
• Collaborative and confident approach to creative projects.
• Excellent interpersonal abilities with an aptitude in developing and maintaining long-term business relationships.
• Accountability and calm, confident presence.
• A good listener and someone who reads people and those in the room well.
• Knowledge of creative processes and production for integrated campaigns and experience in lower funnel and digital-first / social-first productions (e.g. in-store, event collateral, acquisition banners, etc.).
• Track record of ensuring company's retention of clientele and facilitating further growth with large accounts.
• Experience in negotiation and meeting client requirements.
• Thorough understanding of budgeting and progress reports.
• Understanding of time tracking and hour reconciliation process.
• Experience with finance - a nice to have.
• Experience driving continuous adoption of AI to enhance everyday workflows and stay ahead of emerging capabilities.
• Outstanding leadership skills and a natural motivator of people.
• Strong understanding of various communication research approaches.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Keen attention to detail.

Additional information

Salary

Transparency matters to us. The salary range for this position is 100,000$ to 108,000$ 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 tools to support parts of our hiring process, such as reviewing applications or analysing 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 recognised by people.

Leo Burnett Toronto is an equal opportunity employer with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. Drawing on valuable perspectives and insights from our unique workforce allows us to continue sharing our best work with the world. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals and will provide appropriate accommodation for candidates with disabilities or accessibility needs throughout the recruitment process, upon request.