Freelance Influencer Account Director

ROLE PURPOSE 

Lead the delivery of influencer marketing campaigns from brief through to case study, with accountability for campaign quality, creator relationships, and team execution. The Lead tier sits between execution (Executive / Associate) and account ownership (Unit Manager), and is expected to direct the work of junior team members, own the craft within their track, and escalate commercial and strategic decisions to the Unit Manager. 

Decision-making at this level carries high operational judgment across campaign delivery and prioritisation, with the Unit Manager holding final commercial and strategic sign-off authority. Process ownership includes building and maintaining team workflows, templates, schedules and working rhythms. The Lead is the day-to-day line manager for Executives and Associates on assigned accounts, responsible for reviewing their output, mentoring them, and upskilling the team over time. 

On casting: the Strategy track proposes creator selection rationale and casting logic. The Client Delivery track executes and manages against that casting brief. The Unit Manager holds final sign-off on commercial fit. This is the authoritative split and applies to all influencer accounts. 

ROLE CHARACTERISTICS 

We hire for mindset and develop for skill. These are the non-negotiable behaviours at this level: 

• Ownership-minded: You lead campaigns from kickoff to close without needing to be managed. 

• Creator-fluent: You know the South African influencer landscape with depth and can bring insight to both strategy and execution. 

• Commercially aware: You hold deep structural knowledge of operational scope, track margin health, and flag out-of-scope requests before they become overservice. 

• Team-builder: You direct, review and upskill Associates and Executives daily. Mentoring is part of the job, not a bonus activity. 

• Client-trusted: You lead day-to-day client interactions with confidence and professionalism, escalating key decisions to the Unit Manager. 

• Accountable: You own your deliverables and your team's output. Readiness for Unit Manager is shown by running accounts as a business unit, growing clients, and leading people and strategy independently. 

• Demonstrate Dentsu leadership attributes through the eight ways model 

The following responsibilities apply as well:

• Team Direction: Direct Associates and Executives day-to-day, assigning tasks, reviewing output and enforcing quality standards. 

• Mentor and upskill junior team members through structured feedback and on-the-job coaching. 

• Escalate persistent performance issues to the Unit Manager with supporting evidence. 

• Campaign Oversight: Run the CSA 9-step Creator Selection & Onboarding Framework across all assigned accounts, and review campaign execution quality, pressure-testing delivery plans and creator integration. 

• Review audience engagement trends and ensure proactive amplification and engagement plans are in place. 

• Ensure all influencer activations are contracted before going live and tied to a confirmed PO. 

• Write and submit post-campaign case studies and performance reports within agreed timelines. 

• Track scope across assigned accounts, flagging out-of-scope requests to the Unit Manager immediately. 

• Ensure all team members comply with PO protocol, timesheet submission and scope sign-off requirements. 

• Submit timesheets weekly by Monday COB against correct job codes. 

• Support the Client Service Director on quarterly budget reforecasting and financial reconciliation. 

• Commercial & Compliance: Track scope across assigned accounts, flagging out-of-scope requests to the Unit Manager immediately. 

• Ensure all team members comply with PO protocol, timesheet submission and scope sign-off requirements. 

• Submit timesheets weekly by Monday COB against correct job codes. 

• Support the Client Service Director on quarterly budget reforecasting and financial reconciliation. 

CAPABILITIES: 

• Campaign delivery and quality review across multiple simultaneous activations 

• Creator relationship management, contracting and performance oversight 

• Day-to-day direction, task delegation and output review for Executives and Associates 

• Client communication, status reporting and presentation support at account level 

• Scope tracking, margin awareness and escalation of out-of-scope requests 

• Post-campaign reporting and case study development

• AI-assisted workflows: Embedding AI tools into team processes to reduce manual effort and improve quality across reporting, creator research and content tracking 

• Mentorship depth: Moving from directing junior output to actively developing the next generation of Executives for promotion readiness 

• Integrated strategy: Connecting influencer activity to broader social, content and brand strategy as a matter of course, not only when prompted 

• Commercial confidence: Building toward independent management of scope conversations, budget negotiations and client investment discussions ahead of Unit Manager transition.

REQUIREMENTS: 

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Media or related field.
• 3-5 years in influencer marketing, social media or digital account management within an agency or brand environment, including experience managing junior team members. 
• Influencer management platforms (Upfluence, Aspire, Grin or equivalent), social listening tools, Meta Business Suite, TikTok Creator Marketplace, MS Office Suite, agency management systems (Magnetic, Asana). Working knowledge of AI content and reporting tools. 

B-BBEE / EE 

Preference will be given to candidates from designated groups in line with Dentsu's Employment Equity Plan.