Company Description
Influential is Publicis Groupe ANZ's specialist social and influencer agency, delivering culture‐led, creator‐powered work for some of Australia's leading brands.
We operate as part of Publicis Groupe's Power of One model — working seamlessly with creative, media, PR and production partners to deliver integrated solutions, while maintaining a sharp social‐first point of view.
As Influential continues to grow, we are investing in senior leadership to deepen client relationships, build teams, and elevate the quality and scale of our creative and influencer output.
Overview
Influential, part of Publicis Groupe ANZ, is growing its senior leadership team in Melbourne and is looking for an experienced Group Account Director to lead sophisticated, high‐value client partnerships across social and influencer.
This is a newly created role with genuine scope, ownership and influence. You'll work with some of Australia's most well‐known brands, acting as a trusted senior partner who connects social and influencer strategy to broader business and commercial outcomes.
This role is firmly focused on big‐picture thinking, senior stakeholder leadership and growth, rather than hands‐on delivery. You'll lead and develop a high‐performing team, collaborate closely with creative, media and agency partners across Publicis Groupe, and help shape Influential's future offering as the Melbourne office continues to scale.
If you're someone who thrives on client leadership, values people‐first cultures, and enjoys building strong partnerships that elevate the work, this is a chance to make a real impact.
Role Responsibilities
* Act as the senior client lead across a portfolio of top‐tier, sophisticated brands, building trusted, long‐term partnerships.
* Provide strategic leadership across social and influencer programs, ensuring work ladders up to client business objectives and delivers commercial value.
* Lead account growth within existing clients through strategic thinking, proactive ideas and strong partnership.
* Own commercial oversight across your client portfolio, including scoping, forecasting, fee discussions and profitability management.
* Partner closely with creative, media, PR, operations and finance teams across the Publicis Groupe network to deliver integrated, high‐quality outcomes.
* Lead, mentor and develop senior talent, creating clear direction, strong culture and sustainable team structures as the team grows.
* Set the standard for strategic excellence in social and influencer—guiding vision and quality without being in the day‐to‐day execution.
* Attend senior WIPs, presentations and key client moments, providing leadership and confidence at the table.
* Contribute to broader agency growth, profile‐building and thought leadership within Influential and across Publicis Groupe.
Desired Qualifications / What we'd love to hear from you
* Significant experience in a senior account leadership role within a social, influencer or integrated agency environment.
* Proven ability to lead complex, high‐value client portfolios and operate confidently at senior stakeholder level.
* Strong commercial and financial capability, with experience managing agency economics and identifying growth opportunities.
* Demonstrated people leadership experience, with a track record of building, mentoring and developing high‐performing teams.
* Strong understanding of social and influencer at a strategic level—setting direction, standards and vision rather than channel‐level execution.
* Comfort working in a matrixed, cross‐functional agency environment and influencing without direct authority.
* Familiarity with using AI and insight tools to support strategic thinking, planning and decision‐making.
Why Join Us?
* Own and shape senior client partnerships with some of Australia's most sophisticated brands across social and influencer.
* Lead at a strategic level — less hands‐on delivery, more high‐impact thinking, influence and growth.
* Build and inspire a high‐performing Melbourne team in a supportive, people‐first culture.
* Leverage the power of Publicis Groupe with autonomy, visibility and access to world‐class clients and tools.
What We Will Offer You
* Work with a diverse team where we value all the benefits of harnessing differences for our people, our clients, and our business.
* A comprehensive Wholeself program supporting Physical, Mindful and Financial wellbeing.
* A creative, fun and rewarding office environment where people love working with each other, supported by our Publicis Liberté flexibility approach "working your way, with us."
* Access to our Global AI Platform, Marcel, connecting Publicis Groupe employees with opportunities for careers mobility and collaboration across our global network.
* Extensive Learning & Development opportunities, including more than 15,000 learning programs via our online learning platform Marcel Classes.
* A culture of open feedback and support to reach your goals through our Career Conversations program.
* A committed Diversity, Equality and Inclusion strategy driven through our Viva! Women, Égalité, enABLE and Embrace (reconciliation action plan) programs.
* Work Your World program enabling employees the flexibility to work from anywhere in the world for up to 6 weeks per year.
* Parental leave policy with up to 18 weeks paid primary carer leave and generous secondary carer benefits.
* Access to counsellors, psychologists and professionals through Sonder, an all‐in‐one digital wellbeing technology platform designed to support psychological, medical & safety needs.
Diversity. Inclusion. Equity. More than just words, these are part of our DNA. At Publicis Groupe we are committed to the inclusion and recognition of all people; regardless of race, age, culture, ability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status and religious affiliation. We believe that to deliver the best solutions to our clients, our people need to reflect the diverse communities in which our clients operate in. We value diversity and the skills, knowledge and experience that difference brings to our culture and solutions.
Uniqueness is powerful; without it we wouldn't be where we are today. So be you – we like it that way.
We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for people with disability or those that require additional support throughout the application process. If you need any assistance or adjustments, please contact us via recruitment@publicisgroupe.com – your personal information will be kept confidential.
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