Senior Art Director, Social

Job summary

The Senior Art Director will concept and art direct social-first ideas, shaping the visual direction of campaigns across various platforms. They will collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate cultural and platform insights into engaging, high-quality creative content.

Job details

Company Description Publicis is an omni-channel communications agency with over 600 employees across our Canadian operations. The office is the largest in our industry in Canada and boasts talent across various disciplines of marketing and advertising expertise. Publicis carries a balanced split of Canadian, U.S. and Global clients for which we are Agency of Record. Publicis supports a range of D&I actions through our Driving Change team as well as giving back to the community through a long-standing participation in the Out of the Cold Program. With a strong, active and familial culture, Pub United is the agency’s social club, hosting events as wide reaching as Curling, Trivia Nights and more. Overview We’re looking for an Art Director who really understands social.Based in Toronto, you’ll work for brands that want to show up in culture, not just post into the void. This isn’t about maintaining calendars, it’s about creating work people actually care about. This role is for a visual thinker, concept maker, and social-native creative who can turn audience behaviour, cultural tension, platform trends, and brand ambition into work people actually care about. You’ll concept social-first ideas, shape campaign look and feel, art direct content acrossplatforms, and bring a high level of craft to everything from always-on content to integratedcampaigns.You’ll work closely with copywriters, designers, content strategists, account leads, media,production, community, and creator partners to make work that moves fast without losing its sharpness. We’re a growing agency, which means no passengers. You’ll have real influence on how wework, what we make, and how we grow. If you like building as you go, you’ll feel right at home. And yes, this role is deeply plugged into culture. You’re across platforms, creators, trends, and shifts in behavior before they hit the mainstream. More importantly, you know what’s worth acting on, and what’s just noise. You’ll be an influential creative voice in the room: clear, collaborative, opinionated, and able to bring confidence to the work when things move quickly. If you’re excited by the idea of shaping standout work, building something meaningful, and leaving your mark on a fast-moving agency, we should talk. Responsibilities ● Concept and art direct social-first ideas across always-on content, social-firstcampaigns, creator partnerships, and integrated brand moments.● Turn cultural, behavioural, and platform insights into ideas that feel timely, ownable, andbuilt for how people actually use social.● Shape the visual direction of campaigns, including look and feel, moodboards,storyboards, social mocks, content systems, decks, and production-ready creative.● Bring strong craft to design, photography, motion, short-form video, creator content, anddigital storytelling.● Clearly present and defend creative ideas to internal teams and clients using visualreferences, written rationale, and strategic thinking.● Interpret feedback, identify the real ask, and translate stakeholder input into strongercreative work.● Partner closely with content writers, strategy, account, media, production, community,and creator teams from brief through execution.● Manage assigned creative workstreams, balancing timelines, feedback, productionrealities, and multiple projects without losing creative quality.● Mentor junior creatives and designers through clear direction, constructive feedback,and support that helps them grow.● Use AI tools thoughtfully to support ideation, visual exploration, mockups, storyboards,prototyping, and production workflows. Qualifications ● 5+ years of experience in a creative agency, social agency, digital agency, contentstudio, or related creative environment.● A strong portfolio that demonstrates social-first thinking, art direction, visual craft,platform fluency, and the ability to bring ideas from concept through execution.● Strong art direction skills across design, photography, film, motion, short-form video,creator content, and digital storytelling.● Deep understanding of how brands show up across social platforms, including organic,paid, creator-led, and campaign content.● Demonstrated platform fluency across Meta, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, and emergingchannels, including formats, behaviours, specs, and best practices.● Strong communication skills, with the ability to present ideas clearly, defend creativedecisions, and translate feedback into action.● Strong creative problem-solving skills, with the ability to explore multiple concepts, adaptquickly, and protect the integrity of the idea.● Strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects, timelines, andfeedback loops in a fast-moving environment.● Experience mentoring junior creatives, giving constructive feedback, and leading byexample.● Curiosity and working fluency with AI tools such as Midjourney, RunwayML, AdobeFirefly, ChatGPT, or similar platforms is an asset.● A strong eye for internet culture, visual culture, creators, entertainment, emergingformats, and how technology is changing creativity.● Proudly accountable, collaborative, calm under pressure, and excited to make workpeople actually want to spend time with Additional Information SalaryTransparency matters to us. The salary range for this position is CAD $80K - 110K peryear. Actual compensation within this range will be based on a variety of factors, includingrelevant experience, knowledge, skills, and applicable certifications. This range reflects what we reasonably expect to offer based on current market data. AI UseWe use artificial intelligence tools to support parts of our hiring process, such as reviewingapplications or analysing resumes. These tools assist our recruitment team but never replace human decision-making. We believe in a human-first approach, where your experience and potential are recognised by people. Publicis Canada is committed to building a diverse workforce representative of our community.We encourage and are pleased to consider all qualified candidates, without regard to race,colour, citizenship, religion, sex, marital / family status, sexual orientation, gender identity,aboriginal status, age, disability or persons who may require an accommodation, to apply. If you require a specific accommodation, please contact Human Resources. We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. Accommodations are available throughout the hiring process upon request.

What you’ll do

The Senior Art Director will concept and art direct social-first ideas, shaping the visual direction of campaigns across various platforms. They will collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate cultural and platform insights into engaging, high-quality creative content.

Requirements

Candidates must have 5+ years of experience in a creative or social agency environment with a strong portfolio demonstrating social-first thinking. Proficiency in art direction, visual craft, and platform-specific best practices is required, along with the ability to mentor junior staff.

Listed skills

• Problem solving · Preferred
• Mentorship · Preferred
• Communication · Preferred
• Campaign Management · Preferred
• Visual Design · Preferred

Other relevant skills

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Art Direction
• Social Media Strategy
• Creative Concepting
• Visual Design
• Content Strategy
• Digital Storytelling
• Platform Fluency
• Motion Graphics
• Photography
• Video Production
• Creative Leadership
• Mentorship
• Campaign Management
• AI Tools
• Communication
• Problem Solving
• Influencing Skills
• ChatGPT
• Workplace Inclusivity
• Composure
• Ideation
• Media Production
• Constructive Feedback
• Workflow Management
• Organizational Skills
• Curiosity
• Decision Making
• Creative Problem Solving
• Marketing
• Operations
• Prototyping
• Storyboarding
• Balancing (Ledger/Billing)
• Calmness Under Pressure
• Look And Feel
• Visual Culture

Job areas

• Creative & Media
• Art & Design
• Marketing
• Art Director
• Creative Director
• Advertising and Marketing Professionals
• Art Directors

More jobs from Publicis Groupe Holdings B.V.