Associate Director, Activation

Keplergroup; Toronto; On-site; CAD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Kepler is seeking an Associate Director, Activation in Toronto to lead a team of digital media professionals delivering performance-driven campaigns across paid search, paid social, programmatic display and video, and connected TV. You will guide strategy, mentor direct reports, and translate campaign data into actionable insights to improve client outcomes.

You will collaborate with clients, media partners, and internal teams to maximize results, drive innovation, and maintain a high standard

Qualifications

• 5-8+ years of hands-on digital media experience
• Experience managing and developing at least 3 direct reports

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team: manage, coach, and mentor a team of approx. 3-8 direct reports
• Bring deep hands-on media expertise across paid search, paid social, programmatic display and video, connected TV, and other channels
• Drive campaign performance through development, launch, and optimization of digital media campaigns
• Guide strategic campaign development with data-driven media strategies and structures
• Serve as a subject matter expert and trusted resource for clients, media partners, and internal stakeholders
• Translate data into insights and communicate actionable recommendations to inform media strategy
• Build strong client and partner relationships to align on goals and optimize media effectiveness
• Drive innovation and operational excellence by adopting emerging platform capabilities and scaling best practices

Skills

Team leadership

Campaign optimization

Performance marketing

Client relationships

Tools

Analytics tools

DSP platforms

Job description

Kepler executes engineered marketing, where every message and ad delivered helps create a more personalized and productive relationship between brands and their consumers. We do this by acting as clients' agency of record, as their in-house team, or some hybrid of the two - and by harnessing data and technology across all paid digital media and data-driven CRM channels.

Kepler prides itself on being a great place to work. In fact, we're proud to share that AdAge recognized Kepler among the Best Place to Work in 2022, validating our investment in our team and our clients.

We're transparent with our employees. You'll hear updates on company financials, how we're performing against bonus goals, and how we're responding to challenges we face.

We're growing. For you, that means unparalleled growth opportunities and a role in shaping the direction of the company.

We're fun. You'll work with and learn from the smartest people in the industry and have a blast doing it.

The Team

Kepler's Activation team is made up of forward-thinking media experts who bring deep platform expertise, analytical thinking, and a passion for driving performance across digital media channels. Our teams develop, execute, and optimize campaigns across paid search, paid social, programmatic display and video, connected TV, audio, digital out-of-home, and other emerging media channels.

We're more than a media trading desk. We combine hands-on platform expertise with strategic thinking, data-driven insights, and a strong understanding of the evolving digital landscape to help our clients achieve their business goals. Our teams partner closely with clients, media partners, and internal stakeholders to develop innovative, full-funnel media strategies, identify opportunities for optimization, and build scalable solutions that drive measurable impact.

The Role

The Associate Director, Activation will lead a team of digital media professionals responsible for planning, executing, and optimizing performance-driven media campaigns across multiple channels. This role combines hands-on media expertise with people leadership, strategic problem-solving, and client partnership.

You will coach and develop a team of direct reports, guide campaign strategy and execution, and ensure the team consistently delivers strong performance against client objectives. As a senior member of the Activation team, you will serve as a subject matter expert across digital media platforms, translate campaign data into actionable insights, and identify opportunities to improve performance, processes, and ways of working.

What You Will Do

• Lead and develop a team: Manage, coach, and mentor a team of approximately 3-8 direct reports, providing guidance on campaign strategy, execution, optimization, and professional development while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Bring deep hands-on media expertise: Apply a strong working knowledge of performance media platforms and analytics tools across paid search, paid social, programmatic display and video, connected TV, and other digital channels. Stay close to campaign execution and optimization, providing hands-on guidance and expertise when needed.
• Drive campaign performance: Oversee the development, launch, and ongoing optimization of digital media campaigns, ensuring strategies and execution align with client objectives, KPIs, and business outcomes.
• Guide strategic campaign development: Lead your team in developing thoughtful, data-driven media strategies and campaign structures that maximize performance, support full-funnel objectives, and respond to evolving client needs.
• Serve as a subject matter expert: Act as a trusted resource for clients, media partners, and internal stakeholders, providing platform expertise, performance recommendations, and innovative solutions to complex media challenges.
• Translate data into insights: Partner with cross-functional teams to analyze campaign results, identify trends and opportunities, and communicate actionable recommendations that inform media strategy and improve business outcomes.
• Build strong client and partner relationships: Collaborate with clients, platform partners, and internal teams to understand business priorities, align on campaign goals, and identify opportunities to improve media effectiveness.
• Drive innovation and operational excellence: Identify emerging platform capabilities, industry trends, and opportunities to improve campaign performance, automate workflows, and scale best practices across teams.

Desired Skills & Experience

• 5-8+ years of hands-on digital media experience, with deep expertise in performance marketing and the execution and optimization of campaigns across multiple paid media channels, including paid search, paid social, and programmatic.
• Demonstrated experience managing and developing at least 3 direct reports, including providing coaching, performance feedback, and ongoing professional dev