Open Vacancy: This role is a current, active position and we are accepting applications.
Our client is an independently owned omnichannel marketing agency focused on insight-led shopper marketing, conversion and sales lift.
Our client is seeking a senior, hands-on Account Director to lead a new business and bring established-agency discipline to a lean, entrepreneurial team. In-depth retail and foodservice knowledge, on-premises marketing experience and omnichannel program leadership are essential.
The Role
You will be the senior day-to-day client lead and the accountable owner of account delivery, scope and commercial performance. The anticipated annual program comprises at least several mixed-complexity briefs: 12 received each quarter for execution in the following quarter. You will oversee current-quarter delivery while the next wave is being developed.
This role combines trusted client counsel with rigorous project and operational leadership. You will work with our client's strategy, creative, studio and media leads, external partners and specialist vendors. Bring practical systems and the confidence to challenge constructively. Project manager/producer support is intended to own detailed scheduling and task administration; you retain delivery accountability. Candidates may demonstrate market knowledge through relevant examples or a practical case.
Responsibilities
Project Management, Workflow & Operations
- Own intake, brief clarification, complexity tiering, quarterly priorities, capacity planning, and delivery governance.
- Establish workback schedules, dependencies, approval gates, and clear responsibilities with project-management support.
- Lead the adoption of project management tools and standard templates for briefs, estimates, status reports, decisions, changes, and time tracking.
- Personally prepare or challenge briefs, scopes, and schedules when needed.
- Maintain a single portfolio view, surface delivery conflicts early, and negotiate realistic solutions over unachievable commitments.
- Establish trusted client relationships and present an initial account-health and improvement plan based on feedback, workload, and delivery data.
Client Relationship Management
- Build trusted relationships across shopper, brand, sales, foodservice/on-premises, procurement, and studio stakeholders.
- Coordinate retailer, restaurant-group, and independent-operator interfaces through agreed client processes.
- Lead presentations, status meetings, and business reviews, translating objectives into clear briefs and success measures.
- Consolidate feedback, identify authorised decision-makers, and secure documented approvals.
- Challenge conflicting priorities, incomplete briefs, scope changes, and compressed timelines with practical recommendations.
Account Growth & Retention
- Build client confidence through reliable delivery and commercially useful advice.
- Identify organic growth opportunities, develop proposals with relevant specialists, and ensure additional work is properly scoped and funded.
- Focus initially on establishing a strong client/brand account rather than unrelated new-business prospecting.
Team Leadership
- Lead assigned account and project management support, coordinating shared discipline leaders and external partners with President backing.
- Set outputs, owners, and deadlines, mentor team members, and resolve delivery disagreements.
- Integrate external creative and strategic experts into one workflow, holding senior contributors accountable while respecting discipline ownership.
Budget Management
- Own account and project financial performance against targets across estimates, SOWs, resource budgets, POs, supplier commitments, change orders, and billing.
- Review actual hours, committed costs, and forecast cost-to-complete to identify over-servicing and margin erosion early.
- Keep agency fees, external delivery costs, and media spend distinct.
- Secure approvals before incremental work or spending within delegated authority, escalating material commercial exceptions to the President.
Campaign Strategy & Planning
- Work with business strategy, creative strategy, and conversion specialists to connect business objectives, shopper/guest insights, central ideas, and retailer/operator needs.
- Challenge whether recommendations fit the occasion, meet the brief, and can be delivered within scope.
- Preserve strategic continuity without replacing specialist leadership.
Retail & Omnichannel Activation
- Translate core campaign platforms into channel-specific shopper journeys across retail, QSR, dining, and digital touchpoints.
- Shape briefs, messaging maps, and activation toolkits tailored to promotional calendars, menus, and franchise vs. independent rollouts.
- Coordinate media dependencies with specialist teams (foundational media knowledge preferred).
Production, Partners, & Approvals
- Oversee pre-shop asset production, media deployment, and master-toolkit handoffs to client and internal studios.
- Manage specialized partners for French adaptation, microsites, contest administration, and prize planning.
- Enforce rigorous version control, proofing, and documented brand, legal, language, and technical approvals.
Campaign Analysis & Reporting
- Agree on success metrics with client teams to turn conversion, participation, and sales data into actionable recommendations.
- Deliver timely performance reporting tied to campaign briefs while tracking internal delivery health and financial performance.
Qualifications
- Senior Account Ownership: 8+ years of agency experience with Account Director-level ownership of major clients and complex integrated programs.
- Agency Operations: Background in integrated, shopper, or commerce agencies with direct use of structured briefing, resourcing, workflow, and financial-control processes.
- Operational Capability: Proven record of implementing delivery systems, managing risk, and establishing practical processes in a smaller agency environment.
- Commercial & Team Leadership: Strong budgeting, scoping, margin management, and experience directing cross-functional teams and external partners.
- Retail & Channel Knowledge: In-depth knowledge of grocery, convenience, and liquor channels, major retail banners, provincial differences, and local promotional/approval processes.
- Foodservice & On-Premises Expertise: Demonstrated leadership of on-premises marketing programs and deep knowledge of QSR, restaurant group, and independent operator dynamics, including menu, POS, and rollout needs.
- Omnichannel Delivery: Ability to connect pre-shop, digital, retail, and on-premises touchpoints into coherent programs with clear briefs and success metrics.
- Tools & Skills: Excellent writing, presentation, and negotiation skills; proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and structured project management tools; relevant degree or equivalent experience.
Strongly Preferred:
- Sector experience across CPG, food/beverage (including alcohol), retail, or hospitality.
- Familiarity with local regulatory considerations, category approval processes, and Quebec-market/French-adaptation requirements (French capability is an asset).
Success in the First 90 Days
First 30 days. Establish stakeholder, retailer/operator and approval maps; validate the brief pipeline and delivery boundaries; launch practical intake, workflow and commercial controls.
By 60 days. Embed the agreed Project workflow, portfolio calendar, resource plan and weekly time-and-cost review with project-management support.
By 90 days. Demonstrate controlled delivery, documented decisions and scope changes, reliable financial forecasts and an improvement plan based on actual workload and client feedback. Establish trusted working relationships with key client stakeholders and present an initial account-health and improvement plan based on client feedback, workload and delivery data.
The Opportunity
Bring the rigour of a larger agency to a business where your contribution is visible. You will work directly with the President, shape how a major account operates and help a senior integrated team deliver strong client outcomes without unnecessary bureaucracy.
AIP Connect believes in equal opportunity. Our recruitment consultants are committed to inclusive recruitment and selection practices and will not discriminate based on age, colour, ability, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.
Accessibility: If you need any accommodations during the interview process, please let us know.
Posted Salary: Actual compensation within this range will be determined based on job-related skills, relevant experience, education, and training. This range reflects base salary only and does not include eligibility for bonus program or other benefits.
For the most accurate and up-to-date details on this role, please refer directly to AIP Connect’s careers page, as third-party sites may not reflect current information.
