Account Director

Job description

About Northern At Northern, we thrive at the intersection of technology, marketing, and analytics. Our team delivers exceptional client experiences using innovative solutions and advanced analytics. We value collaboration, strategic thinking, and operational excellence. Since our founding in 2015, Northern has grown into a team of 200+ digital experts, receiving multiple recognitions in employee engagement from Great Place to Work® Canada, including Best Workplaces™ for Inclusion, Women, Mental Health, Hybrid Work, and more. What We’re Looking For We are seeking a highly motivated Account Director to join our Account Management team and serve as the digital transformation lead and trusted strategic partner for enterprise clients across commercial and public sectors. You will own multi-year roadmaps, value realization, executive alignment, and account growth through renewals, upsell, cross-sell, new solution adoption, and expanded services. You’ll lead strategic account management by building executive relationships, managing account plans and forecasts, leading client conversations, and shaping solutions through discovery, scoping, proposals, SOWs, RFPs, pricing, and negotiations. You’ll also partner with PMO, Delivery, and Sales to align priorities, manage risks, resolve challenges, and support successful project delivery on time and within budget. The ideal candidate has agency account-management experience, strong relationship and project-management skills, executive presence, and a proactive, commercially minded approach. Experience with Adobe Experience Cloud, AEM, Adobe Commerce, Acquia, or Drupal is strongly preferred. This role carries individual sales and account-growth targets, requires high autonomy, and includes mentoring junior team members and supporting other duties as assigned. Full-time remote is available nationally. Our Connected Workplace Program gives you the option to choose a remote, hybrid, or in-office workspace! (in Ontario, Canada preferred for in-person connection from time to time) Benefits of Becoming a Northerner In exchange for your talent and expertise, Northern is committed to providing: Benefits plan, plus a Health Spending Account Wellness Program & LifeWorks EAP Fitness Reimbursement Program - $500 annually Vet Care Program RRSP Matching Target based Bonus - commission Endless Professional Growth Opportunities Delicious Meals & Company Social Events Free Onsite Parking Referral Bonus Program Flexible work environment - so you can work where & when you work best Allowance to help set up home office - $500 Start with 3 week of PTO Just to name a few!... Duties & Responsibilities Achieve individual sales and account-growth targets, including retention, renewals, upsell, cross-sell, new solution adoption, and year-over-year revenue growth. Own the commercial performance of assigned accounts, including account plans, pipeline development, forecasting, budgets, and profitability. Build executive relationships, lead strategic conversations, and position Northern as a long-term digital transformation partner. Develop multi-year account roadmaps informed by client priorities, industry trends, platform developments, analytics, and opportunities to improve digital maturity. Lead expansion opportunities from discovery and solution shaping through scoping, pricing, proposals, SOWs, negotiation, contracting, and close. Support RFP responses, shortlist presentations, and pre-sales conversations by presenting solutions aligned to client business and technology needs. Conduct regular QBRs and ABRs to demonstrate value and ROI, review KPIs, align roadmap priorities, identify risks, and uncover future opportunities. Complete account health and opportunity reviews, proactively addressing risks and strengthening client relationships. Partner with PMO, Delivery, Sales, and subject matter experts to translate client challenges into effective solutions and support successful delivery. Build knowledge of priority clients and their industries to identify opportunities across client organizations and targeted verticals. Participate in relevant marketing, networking, partner, and industry events, including speaking opportunities where appropriate. Mentor team members, share best practices, and support challenging client conversations in collaboration with cross-functional teams. What You'll Bring 6+ years of experience in consultative sales, business development, or revenue-focused account management, preferably within an integrated marketing, digital, or creative agency. Demonstrated success growing client relationships and achieving revenue and account-growth targets. Experience with strategic account planning, executive stakeholder engagement, QBRs/ABRs, solution shaping, proposals, SOWs, pricing, negotiations, and RFPs. Familiarity with digital platforms and ecosystems, particularly Adobe Experience Manager, Adobe Commerce, Acquia, or Drupal. Experience supporting digital marketing and analytics solutions that deliver measurable business results. Ability to manage complex client relationships, budgets, opportunities, and expectations with professionalism and sound judgment. Strong listening, empathy, communication, presentation, and relationship-management skills. Experience working with clients across commercial and public sectors is preferred. Degree in marketing, communications, advertising, public relations, business, or a related field—or equivalent experience and measurable results. Ability to travel within North America; a valid passport is required. Why Join Northern Commerce? Be part of a high-performing, collaborative team. Work on exciting analytics projects with leading brands. Opportunity to drive operational excellence and team strategy. Hybrid work environment with flexibility to balance remote and in-office collaboration. Compensation This role offers a comprehensive total rewards package, including base salary, commission opportunities, RRSP matching, health and dental benefits, profit sharing, and other eligible perks. Final compensation is determined by role complexity, market alignment, internal equity, and candidate qualifications such as relevant skills, experience, and expertise, in accordance with our established pay practices. Equity and Diversity Northern welcomes applications from all qualified individuals and is dedicated to fostering a culture of inclusivity, employment equity, and diversity in the workplace. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply, including but not limited to members of visible minorities, Indigenous peoples, individuals with diverse abilities, and those of all gender identities and expressions. We are also committed to ensuring an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. Accommodations are available at every stage of the hiring process. If you require support or adjustments to participate fully, please let us know when you apply, and we will work with you to meet your needs. AI Use & Interview Transparency Northern uses AI tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as drafting interview questions and organizing candidate information. We may also record and transcribe interviews to ensure accuracy and consistency in our evaluations. Rest assured, you will be speaking with real live human beings! Why Join Northern? You’ll work alongside a team of 200+ digital experts at one of Canada’s Best Workplaces™ for Inclusion, Women, Mental Health, Hybrid Work, and more. We’re intentional about growth, collaboration, and creating meaningful digital experiences that move our clients forward.