Account Director, Paid Search

**Account Director**-**Toronto**

**Position Summary**

GroupM is seeking a passionate Account Director to deliver immediate results for our search and social campaigns, contributing to the growth and overall success of the business.

As an Account Director, you will have full responsibility of growing a portfolio of clients as well as a team and are in charge of maintaining an excellent level of satisfaction across all accounts. You will be in constant communication with the team leads of GroupM, our agency partners and our clients to make this happen. You will be fostering the career growth, management skills and expertise for the next generation of data-driven search and social specialists.

You will bring significant experience in biddable media, as well as team development and management. You are a highly passionate and dynamic media professional keen on expanding your understanding, skills and experience within the search and social space.

**Core Duties/Responsibilities**:
**Strategic Client and Agency Relationships**
- Identify business opportunities for new/existing agency clients as well as any direct business
- Establish and monitor KPIs and performance metrics of client campaigns
- Work with clients to uncover business needs and objectives, build appropriate strategies, and identify/implement services to help achieve client goals
- Provide strategic input to manage and develop campaigns with various strategies, such as, prospecting, remarketing, contextual targeting to meet client goals
- Develop, maintain and refine trusted relationships and service levels that bridge key client and agency stakeholders
- Proactively identify and solve client risks before they escalate
- Ensure best practice optimization approaches to meet team objectives as well as workflows with internal customers
- Base all decisions on empirical data using appropriate analytical techniques and with a strong appreciation of where assumptions are being made

**Strategic Leadership**
- Demonstrate thought leadership for your clients, agency partners and the overall industry
- Educate clients on the importance of search, social and display and ensure its integration
- Understand clients' business and generate new ideas to enhance client performance
- Provide effective analysis to support marketing recommendations
- Build trust, credibility, and client referrals

**P&L Accountability and Business Development**
- Own your team’s P&Ls
- Identify and improve account profitability, billings and revenue from both agency partners and direct business
- Collaborate with agency partners to identify and develop new client sales proposals
- Manage budgets and re-forecast as necessary

**Coaching, Training, Mentoring and Team Growth**
- Manage, coach and mentor a team at all levels, taking an active part in their professional development
- Identify training opportunities to improve the knowledge and skills of the team
- Foster teamwork and creativity within a constructive work environment

**Brand Management and Communications Planning**
- Assist in the branding of Catalyst as the authority in the industry through collaboration in planning and participation our marketing efforts.
- Drive visibility and positive reputation of Catalyst through participation in industry events, associations, speaking engagements and other networking opportunities.

**Recommended Core Competencies**:

- SEM & Paid Social experience required
- 5+ years of related industry experience, preferably agency
- 3+ years of demonstrated strong client relationship responsibility
- Proven account management, analytical, and problem solving skills
- Demonstrated track record of client relationship development and service
- Strong knowledge or experience account management/coordination, buying, client/campaign strategy, and media planning
- Proven ability to lead successful campaigns
- Superior verbal and written skills with outstanding presentation ability
- Strong interpersonal/communication skills
- Keen attention to detail
- History of successful team leadership