Account Director, Influencer

CJ; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 97,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K matching

Wellness programs

Medical/dental/vision coverage

Flexible time off

Holiday pay

Team-building events

Hybrid work arrangement

Parental leave

Employee discount program

Global support via International SOS

Job summary

CJ in Chicago, IL is seeking an Account Director, Influencer to own a portfolio of clients and lead CJ Influencer campaigns end-to-end.

You will mentor the Influencer team, align client expectations with deliverables, and identify strategic solutions to grow influencer and content marketing across CJ and Publicis Groupe.

This hybrid role requires 3 days in the office, with competitive compensation and a path for career advancement.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of digital marketing experience, preferably Affiliate Marketing.
• 1-4 years in an Influencer Marketing related role.
• 1-2 years' experience managing 1 or more direct reports.
• Strong verbal and written communication abilities.
• Ability to work across departments and divisions by building consensus and delivering objectives.

Responsibilities

• Own portfolio of clients and manage the Influencer team.
• Ensure alignment between client expectations and team deliverables.
• Identify needs and stakeholders to support influencer marketing growth.
• Lead and mentor Influencer Managers on best practices and performance goals.
• Drive renewals and client satisfaction while guiding solution development.

Skills

Digital Marketing

Influencer Marketing

Team Leadership

Communication

Decision Making

Organization

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Job description

Welcome to Our World

We’ve been leading the charge in the affiliate industry from day one—establishing performance marketing and paving the way for future innovations. We're known for maintaining one of the largest, most reliable partnership platforms with impeccable, personalized service.

Company Description

Welcome to Our World

We’ve been leading the charge in the affiliate industry from day one—establishing performance marketing and paving the way for future innovations. We're known for maintaining one of the largest, most reliable partnership platforms with impeccable, personalized service.

Founded in Santa Barbara, California in 1998, CJ (formerly Commission Junction) stands as the most trusted name in performance marketing. We specialize in building partnerships between top brands and reputable publishers to drive revenue and business growth. CJ’s industry-leading solutions make us the platform of choice for over 3,800 global brands across sectors like retail, travel, finance, technology, and home services. As part of Publicis Groupe, our savvy data capabilities, cutting-edge tech, and strategic expertise facilitate genuine connections, allowing brands to reach consumers wherever they are.

A Quick Peek at Affiliate Marketing

Think back to your last online purchase. Did an influencer tip you off about a great product and offer a discount? Or perhaps you relied on a trusted review site to make your decision? Whatever path you took, affiliate publishers likely played a role by influencing, informing, or helping you find the best deal. CJ connects brands with these publishers, creating valuable resources for shoppers like you.

Overview

The Account Director, Influencer role will be responsible for owning a portfolio of clients, and managing a team of influencer and content creator experts. The Account Director needs to ensure successful management, delivery and execution of CJ Influencer campaigns for clients and proactively identifying strategic solutions to support influencer and content marketing growth across CJ and our parent, Publicis Groupe. With a focus on efficiencies and investment growth, this individual must be knowledgeable in Affiliate and the Influencer Marketing industry. The Account Director will be responsible for the success of the Influencer Marketing Team regarding their collective clients, mutual goals, renewals and solution development.

Responsibilities

What you will be doing:

• Work in partnership with Business Development to develop pitches and elevate CJI’s positioning in the marketplace.
• Ensure alignment between client expectations and team deliverables
• Resourcing and pricing profitability at a team level and balancing workload by assigning campaigns to team pods
• Ultimately responsible and accountable for client/campaign satisfaction and driving renewal business
• Proactively identify operational efficiencies
• Responsible for advising on product solution roadmap, identifying needs and stakeholders
• Be the Subject Matter Expert internally to educate advertisers, publishers and agency partners on the vertical and business benefits to partnering with CJ
• Stay abreast of industry trends
• Elevate CJ’s positioning within the influencer space through thought leadership.
• Use industry events, conferences, podcasts and client events to advocate/educate on CJ’s capabilities
• Lead partnerships with Client Dev/Groupe Agencies to source needs and opportunities
• Utilize past performance, data insights and industry trends to guide the CJI team on the development and execution of Influencer campaigns contracted by CJ advertisers.
• Directly manage the Influencer team. Lead, train, educate and mentor Influencer Managers on best practices, team goals, publisher client needs and CJ innovations and how it will benefit their own portfolio of clients.
• Empower, Enable and Engage with the team on an ongoing basis, nurturing them through their respective career paths. Define SMART goals to support their performance management and career development. Facilitate building their exposure and expertise.

Qualifications

What we look for:

• 5+ years of Digital Marketing experience (preferably Affiliate Marketing)
• 1-4 years in an Influencer Marketing related role
• 1-2 years' experience managing 1 or more direct reports
• Strong verbal and written communication abilities
• Effective decision-making skills
• Excellent organizational and communications skills with a strong attention to detail
• Ability to work across departments and divisions by building consensus and delivering upon stated objectives

Additional Information

This is a hybrid role requiring 3 days a week in office.

CJ is the leader in Performance Marketing. We take pride in our innovative technology, comprehensive data solutions and our people. We equip our teams with advanced tools, training and career development opportunities all to provide modern solutions, strategies and support to deliver high quality results for our clients. We work in an enthusiastic, collaborative team setting that values outstanding performance.

We're a community of creative and passionate problem solvers who go the distance to tackle the tough questions, think creatively, and drive resourceful growth, for our clients—and ourselves. We foster and embody an inclusive and collaborative culture where diverse perspectives are sought, relationships are valued, and people feel accepted with a sense of belonging in expressing themselves authentically. We pride ourselves in having a workplace environment that values both work and play.

Why Our Workplace Stands Out

Apart from offering competitive salaries, 401K matching, wellness programs, and comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, we provide:

• Flexible time off without the hassle of accrual
• A generous number of paid holidays
• Company-sponsored team-building events
• An Employee Referral Program
• Annual recognition awards
• Hybrid work arrangements for optimal work-life balance
• Parental bonding leave
• Backup care options for children and elders
• An employee discount program
• International SOS program for global support
• Business Resource Groups, where employees connect over shared interests to cultivate an engaging, inclusive environment

and those are just a few of our great perks! Come join us and see what makes our company a great place to work.

If you require accommodation or assistance with the application or onboarding process specifically, please contact [e-mail].

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Compensation Range: USD $97,375.00 - USD $139,965.00/Annually. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and the Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. Temporary roles may be eligible to participate in our freelancer/temporary employee medical plan through a third-party benefits administration system once certain criteria have been met. For regular roles, the Company will offer medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401k, and paid time off. The Company anticipates the application deadline for this job posting will be 10/24/2026.