Account Director, Influencer Strategy

Weber Shandwick•Chicago, IL

About The Position

The Account Director, Influencer Strategy is responsible for providing strategic, integrated direction for influencer & creator marketing initiatives. This role engages in high-level discussions with clients, ensuring that influencer efforts align with brand goals and drive measurable business outcomes. The ideal candidate will lead cross-functional collaboration, contribute to industry thought leadership, and advocate for innovation in influencer marketing.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in influencer marketing, digital strategy, or a related discipline.
Proven experience in high-level client engagement, strategic consulting, and cross-functional collaboration.
Strong understanding of influencer marketing trends, emerging platforms, and measurement frameworks.
Ability to drive measurable results and demonstrate the business impact of influencer campaigns.
Excellent leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.
Experience mentoring and developing teams, fostering a culture of growth and innovation.
Comfortable working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with multiple stakeholders.
Strong analytical mindset with proficiency in data-driven decision-making.
Familiarity with influencer marketing platforms, CRM tools (CIQ), and industry-standard analytics solutions.
Must have true passion and understanding of pop culture and are part of the community (be it music, gaming, fashion, food, internet culture, etc.)
Understand the role and importance of diversity, equity & inclusion (DE&I)
Deep understanding of the influencer landscape is required.
Proven ability to build, speak and grow relationships with change agents and cultural makers (celebrities, influencers, artists, thought leaders) directly or via their agents.
Willingness to speak publicly about influencer trends when opportunities present itself to the WS Influencer Team.
Experience working with RFPs and meeting with leading tech companies to understand their services and identify their uniqueness (and keep up with their ongoing changes in our WS influencer database)
Ability to "step up to the plate" and lead effectively in the client’s and agency’s best interests while also helping to cultivate, mentor and coach mid to junior staff members on the influencer team.
Identify influencer opportunities (organic or new) to ensure influencer marketing continues to be a strong marketing discipline and revenue driver on your assigned account or at Weber Shandwick.
Understand how important it is to be in compliance with best practices (FTC updates, platform requirements), continuously build our excellence by partnering with DXTRA legal and finance to ensure risk and liabilities are reduced and tamed for every campaign you touch.
Experience building engaged audiences: on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and other digital & social platforms.
Build client presentations that tell smart, compelling stories, never “rinse and repeat” which requires you to be highly motivated, energetically charged and always inspired.
Willing to learn a little bit of everything, and open to take on anything.

Nice To Haves

Proven ability to navigate complex celebrity relations and talent negotiations, coupled with familiarity with SAG-AFTRA compliance and union procedures.

Responsibilities

Provides strategic direction for influencer marketing, ensuring alignment with brand objectives and business KPIs for some of our top lifestyle and CPG clients.
Partners with cross-functional leads—including Creative, Analytics, Paid Media, and CX teams—and the IAT to ensure full campaign integration and stay at the forefront of agency capabilities, social trends, and digital innovations.
Drives communications in tactical planning, acting as a representative for influencer marketing capabilities.
Champions innovative approaches, leveraging emerging platforms, AI-driven insights, and trend forecasting to future-proof strategies.
Builds and maintains strong relationships with talent and management agencies to ensure reliability, quality partnerships, and the ability to execute quick-turn activations.
Acts as a trusted advisor, guiding clients through social, digital, and influencer best practices while identifying opportunities for strategic growth. Drives client engagements to uncover incremental revenue opportunities and foster long-term partnerships.
Reviews campaign briefs, align teams, and coordinate strategic staffing needs with Sr. Influencer Strategy Leads & Resource Management to optimize execution.
Mentor internal team, sharing best practices and emerging trends to elevate influencer marketing expertise.
Collaborate with the Sr. Influencer Strategy Leads to develop case studies that highlight successful influencer marketing initiatives.