Media Activation Director

SALT XC; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid setup

Up to 28 paid days off

Health, dental, and vision plans

Salt Bucks wellness program

Learning & leadership development

Job summary

SALT XC’s Salt Media division seeks a data-driven Media Activation Director to lead planning, activation, optimization, and reporting for a portfolio of Fortune 50 brands. You will manage, mentor, and train a cross-functional team, maintain strong client trust, and stay ahead of digital media trends and analytics.

The role requires hands-on analytics, GA tracking, DSP experience, and a deep understanding of the online user journey.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or Diploma in Marketing, Communication, or Advertising required.
• Minimum 6–7 years working at a media agency in a senior or director level role focused on digital media activation.
• Hands-on experience with Google Analytics, Search Console, DSPs, and reporting tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning, activation, optimization, and reporting for key clients.
• Prepare, write, and present integrated media plans and analyses that meet client objectives and exceed brief expectations.
• Mentor and develop direct reports, provide ongoing coaching and performance feedback.
• Ensure media plans adhere to the agency's processes and are tracked against KPIs.
• Oversee multi-platform campaign setup, QA, budgeting, and optimization across clients and campaigns.
• Develop and present evaluations of media opportunities and trends to clients.

Skills

Media activation

Senior leadership

Presentation skills

Team mentoring

Digital media strategy

Client relationship building

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree or Diploma in Marketing, Communication, or Advertising

Tools

Google Analytics

Search Console

DSPs

Google Data Studio

Job description

ROLE: MEDIA ACTIVATION DIRECTOR

TEAM: MEDIA

LOCATION: TORONTO (HYBRID)

COMPANY OVERVIEW

At Salt Media, we're on a mission to earn the world's attention. As the media division of Salt XC, we're building a different kind of agency where media, commerce, creative, data and technology work as a single connected team. Our people combine strategic thinking with AI-powered tools, automation and advanced analytics to help some of North America's most recognized brands solve complex business challenges and drive measurable growth. We move quickly, challenge convention, and believe the best ideas come from curious people who are empowered to experiment. If you're looking to do career-defining work alongside smart, ambitious teammates in an environment that's shaping the future of media, we'd love to meet you.

ROLE OVERVIEW

The Media Activation Director is a data-driven, insights-led media strategist and platform expert with hands‑on analytics, reporting, and management experience. The best candidate for this role will be a natural collaborator with strong presentation, organizational, and strategic thinking skills. They have a strong comprehension of the media landscape and a proactive nature combined with a high level of attention to detail.

In this role, you'll be on top of current and emerging trends in the world of digital media capabilities and tech offerings. You ideally come with a breadth of experience across clients from different verticals andwill be responsible for planning, developing, implementing, and managing the overall media strategy for your clients with your team. In addition, you are responsible for managing, guiding, and training your team.

The role will require the right candidate to be highly proficient in media planning, implementation, activation, optimization, reporting, and analysis. This includes understanding online user journey optimizations, a very solid understanding of Google Analytics (tracking and analysis), performance optimization/levers/algorithms, and DSP experience.

The successful candidate will need to develop strong trust‑based relationships with both client and agency team members.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Leading planning, implementation, activation, optimization, and reporting for all key clients.
• Leading the preparation, writing, and presentation of integrated media plans, proposals, and analysis that satisfy client objectives and go beyond the brief.
• Managing and mentoring direct reports, conducting performance reviews, and providing day‑to‑day training and support.
• Maintain stewardship and accountability of the media plan, regularly evaluating and monitoring execution.
• Manage your team in reviewing and QA’ing platform setup across multiple platforms and campaign types, ensuring campaigns are properly set up against KPIs, targeted appropriately, and using the correct budget.
• Oversee the work of junior team members, supporting the management of workload and prioritization across multiple clients and campaigns.
• Liaise and foster knowledge sharing with other disciplines internally, partner agencies, and other departments to ensure that media and client knowledge is current.
• Ensure that all media plans adhere to the agency's values, philosophies, and processes.
• Lead the preparation and presentation of evaluations of media opportunities, media trends, and issues of interest to clients.
• Develop reporting processes for each client with support from the Managing Director and ensure timely delivery of reports based on the agreed‑upon process.
• Maintain awareness of client KPIs and objectives, ensuring that tracking is in place for check‑ins as required.
• Accurately and effectively manage clients' day‑to‑day planning requirements, with a strong understanding of clients' business objectives and KPIs.
• Inform leadership of potential challenges and opportunities as they relate to client and/or people management.
• Influence decision‑making by encouraging appropriate strategies and benefits of offerings to clients.
• Participate in additional agency/team projects and new business presentations as required.

EXPERIENCE & SKILLS

• Minimum 6–7 years working at a media agency in a senior or director‑level role focused on digital media activation.
• Bachelor's degree or Diploma in Marketing, Communication, or Advertising required.
• Prior hands‑on experience in Google Analytics, Search Console, paid social business manager accounts, and DSPs (essential).
• Demonstrated creative and innovative thinker who doesn't mind rolling up their sleeves and getting the job done.
• Network or relationships with digital media partners and service providers.
• Excellent communication skills (both written and verbal).
• High attention to detail.
• Prior hands‑on experience with Google Data Studio/dashboard visualization tools (essential).
• Hands‑on management experience planning, implementing, optimizing, and reporting for Fortune 50 brands.
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed and sometimes involved instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
• Knowledge in all facets of the digital marketing space: CRM, SEO, SEM, programmatic, social, mobile, and video.
• Experience with e-commerce platforms such as Shopify, Magento, and BigCommerce is an asset.

We don’t just talk about balance, growth, and culture, we build for it:

• Work-Life Flexibility: Hybrid setup, up to 28 paid days off and winter holiday shutdowns
• Comprehensive Coverage: Health, dental, and vision plans, plus Salt Bucks to spend on what matters to you—wellness, RRSPs, or extra time off.
• Growth-Driven Culture: Dedicated Salt Days, top-tier learning access, and formal leadership development.
• Celebration-First Mentality: Legendary team trips, seasonal socials, and Salt Swag thatrepsyour squad.
• Real Rewards: Referral and new business bonuses, exclusive lifestyleperks, and personalized wellness options.
• Culture of Belonging: DEI programs, active ERGs, and a workplace where every voice counts.

WHAT WE STAND FOR

• Salt of the Earth: We lead with humility, honesty, and heart—always.
• Do What’s Right: No shortcuts. We choose integrity over ease, every time.
• Earn Your Salt: We roll up our sleeves, chase results, and celebrate the journey.
• Make Things Better: We’resolution-seekers, always pushing for smarter ways forward.
• Seek Different Perspectives: Diversity fuels our thinking. Inclusion drives our impact.

The anticipated annual base salary range for this position is $110,000–$140,000. Individual compensation within this range is determined based on job‑related factors such as experience, skills, level of responsibility, internal equity, and business needs. This range represents the expected base salary for this role and does not include other elements of SALT’s total rewards program.
Salt XC is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity and to attracting and retaining the most qualified employees regardless of race, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age or disability.