Creative Lead, Influencer Marketing

About the Company

The Shelf is an influencer marketing agency that helps brands produce creator-led content that feels culturally current and performs against business goals. The team combines data, strategic thinking, and creative craft to shape campaigns that connect with audiences and deliver measurable results.

The agency works where social culture, storytelling, and performance marketing overlap. Its approach is built on making influencer content feel genuine to creators, interesting to viewers, and effective for brands.

Role Overview

The Creative Lead, Influencer Marketing will play a central role in shaping campaign creative from concept to execution. This position brings together creative direction, content strategy, and performance optimization to turn campaign objectives into clear guidance for creators, review concepts and deliverables, and strengthen content before it goes live.

Success in this role depends on both creative judgment and strategic thinking. You will need to recognize what captures attention on social platforms, give feedback that meaningfully improves creator work, and use performance learnings to continually raise creative quality.

As the primary creative lead on selected accounts, you will work closely with Account Management, Strategy, Insights, and creators to make sure every campaign starts with a strong creative foundation and is delivered at a high standard.

Creative Strategy and Content Development

• Design social-first creative approaches and content directions that support campaign objectives and platform-specific best practices.
• Turn brand goals into practical, creator-friendly briefs with clear creative direction.
• Facilitate ideation sessions and guide creative development for influencer campaigns.
• Develop content structures, narrative flows, messaging guidance, and creative guardrails that help creators deliver stronger work.
• Keep up with social trends, platform updates, and new content formats to shape better creative recommendations.

Review, Feedback, and Creative Improvement

• Assess creator concepts, plans, and submitted content to confirm they align with the campaign objective.
• Provide specific, useful feedback that improves storytelling, engagement, brand integration, authenticity, and relevance to the platform.
• Review content through both creative and performance perspectives, with attention to hooks, pacing, retention, entertainment value, and overall effectiveness.
• Guide creators through refinement so the final work is stronger while still preserving their individual voice.
• Spot repeat creative patterns, trends, and opportunities that can improve future campaign results.

Performance Insights

• Identify the creative elements that contribute to campaign success.
• Support reporting by examining content themes, storytelling styles, creator performance, and audience reactions.
• Convert campaign learnings into practical recommendations for future creative work.
• Help define and evolve the agency’s creative standards, frameworks, and performance benchmarks.

Account Collaboration

• Act as the main creative contact for assigned accounts.
• Work closely with Account Management, Strategy, and Paid Media teams throughout delivery.
• Explain creative recommendations and the reasoning behind them clearly in internal and external settings.
• Maintain creative quality, consistency, and strategic alignment across all deliverables.
• Assist with creator selection when needed by judging content quality, storytelling skill, audience fit, and brand compatibility.
• Join client discussions related to the creative function.

Process, Innovation, and Additional Expectations

• Help improve creative processes, tools, and workflows.
• Use AI and new technologies to make research, creative development, content analysis, and overall efficiency better.
• Manage several campaigns at once while keeping attention to detail and a high quality bar.
• Support special initiatives, agency projects, and new business efforts when required.

Qualifications

• At least 5 years of experience in influencer marketing, social media, creative strategy, content strategy, or a similar area.
• Agency experience is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to build creative briefs and direct creative for influencer or social-first campaigns.
• Strong knowledge of social content across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and emerging channels.
• Background in reviewing creator content with attention to storytelling, audience engagement, and platform performance.
• Ability to combine creative instincts with data-informed decision-making.
• Strong presentation and communication ability, especially in client-facing situations.
• Well organized, with the ability to juggle multiple priorities in a fast-moving environment.

Bonus Experience

• Direct experience working with influencers, creators, or content producers.
• Exposure to creative reporting, content analysis, and performance improvement work.
• Experience with humor-led, lifestyle, or entertainment-focused content.
• Comfort using AI tools to support creative work, research, and workflow efficiency.
• Working knowledge of Google Workspace, presentation tools, and project management software.

Success in the Role

• Clients and internal teams trust you as both a creative advisor and a strategic partner.
• You improve creative quality across the agency while helping refine processes and outcomes.
• Your feedback enables creators to make stronger content and helps campaigns perform better.
• Creators consistently deliver work that feels authentic, engaging, and aligned with the brief.
• Campaigns begin with strong creative direction and require fewer revisions.
• Your recommendations are grounded in performance insights and social-first creative best practices.

Additional Information

This is a full-time, onsite position based in Canada.