Digital Director / Client Lead (FT, Brisbane based)

Digital Director / Client Lead (FT, Brisbane based) smL is an independent, fast scaling digital marketing agency focused on clarity, strategy and meaningful commercial outcomes. We work with ambitious challenger brands and high growth SMBs, delivering performance solutions that remove jargon, reduce complexity and create measurable impact.

We operate as strategic partners rather than vendors. We value high quality delivery, operational discipline, commercial thinking and a genuinely low ego environment. Our agency network operates across five offices: two in Australia and three overseas.

Our Brisbane office is based in Eagle Street, with a hybrid model and requirement for hot desking at the client (based in Sunshine Coast) up to twice a fortnight (initially more during onboarding).

Purpose of the Role As Digital Director / Client Lead for a key digital account, you are the senior point of accountability for a complex, high-value client, coordinating the work and leading the team to deliver outcomes. Your responsibility is to ensure strategy, communication and delivery stay aligned; that internal teams are briefed with precision; and that work lands accurately, on time and in line with client expectations.

You will lead internal specialists across Paid Search, Paid Social and Analytics, and partner closely with the Strategy team to translate smL’s strategic direction into structured, high quality execution. This role owns overall account performance and is responsible for the operating rhythm, governance, and internal stakeholder alignment within the client organisation, while coordinating effectively with the wider agency village.

Key Responsibilities 1. Strategy, Planning and Delivery Own the annual digital plan, ensuring all activity directly supports the agreed commercial outcomes, customer behaviours and brand objectives.

Lead planning and prioritisation across always on performance and planned consideration activity, ensuring effort matches commercial opportunity and seasonality.

Translate strategy into clear, actionable briefs for internal team (channel, creative, landing pages, tagging, conversion events, lead handling), and ensure specialists execute to standard.

Maintain a clear view of objectives, KPIs and targets, and lead structured monthly planning that is outcomes led (not deliverable led).

Ensure the strategy is grounded in operating realities, including confirmed budget constraints, market‑by‑market allocations, and any changes to the overall investment envelope.

2. Internal Delivery Coordination Brief channel specialists with clarity on objectives, data requirements, deadlines, outputs and dependencies (incl. media, creative, tracking, approvals).

Run disciplined workflows across the account: tasking accuracy, documentation, QA, change control and escalation paths.

Track delivery against timelines and ensure prioritisation is understood across teams, particularly in peak months.

Identify risks early (for example, tracking gaps, creative delays, changes in lead quality, publisher performance swings, or franchise‑level issues) and propose solutions before they become escalations.

Coordinate delivery across service lines in scope, including Paid Search, Paid Social. Partner with relevant agencies across SEO, Content, and website / CRO support where required.

3. Account and Stakeholder Management Act as the primary day to day contact for the client with proactive, professional communication.

Own the operating rhythm: weekly performance check‑ins, monthly performance and planning sessions, quarterly strategic alignment (or as agreed).

Maintain alignment across stakeholders: client leadership, internal specialists, franchise stakeholders (where relevant) and external partners.

Manage relationships with publishers and key partners alongside channel teams (e.g., Google, Meta, programmatic/BVOD partners, REA etc.), ensuring accountability and performance transparency.

Manage scope and expectations tightly, ensuring delivery remains aligned to agreed outcomes and available resourcing.

4. Technical Excellence and Performance Stewardship Be commercially accountable for digital performance and optimisation quality across the channel mix, including (where in scope):

Always on Search (protect leads and sales; protect brand coverage; maximise generic/bottom‑funnel coverage within monthly constraints)

Meta performance activity (website conversions and, where appropriate, instant forms and traffic for engaged sessions)

Google performance products (Search, Performance Max, Demand Gen) aligned to lead and mid‑tier conversion actions

Consideration activity anchored in online video (BVOD/SVOD/programmatic) and premium placements

REA activity including sponsored content, native placements, and social audience extension to re‑engage qualified property audiences

Use GA4, Google Ads, SA360 (or equivalent) and Meta Business Manager to interrogate performance, diagnose issues and drive optimisation.

Ensure reporting frameworks deliver clarity, accuracy and forward‑looking recommendations with a consistent “what happened, why it happened, what we are doing next” structure.

Maintain measurement discipline across:

Business impact (sales tracking via client systems)

Brand impact (consideration movement via brand health tracking)

Media impact (leads; planned vs delivered reach and engagement; booked vs delivered where relevant)

Ensure tracking foundations and event quality are fit for purpose (key events, lead attribution, CRM integrations where applicable), and upscale gaps quickly.

Who You Are You bring the capability, judgement and discipline required to lead a high governance, multi‑market account in a fast‑moving environment.

You have:

Minimum 6 years in digital media agency, consulting or in‑house digital roles (account lead, client partner, group account lead, or equivalent)

Strong SEM expertise, and confident cross‑channel literacy (paid social, programmatic video / BVOD, SEO, analytics), with the ability to lead specialists

Proven ability to run delivery teams, manage workflows and keep complex programmes on track

Excellent brief writing and prioritisation skills; you simplify complexity and create momentum

Strong commercial acumen, strategic thinking and hands‑on problem solving, particularly in lead‑gen environments with long consideration cycles

High standards in documentation, QA, stakeholder management and performance narrative

Confidence communicating up, down and across stakeholders, including senior client stakeholder

Engagement Structure Dedicated to one client.

Brisbane based; hybrid first with scheduled in‑person client hot desking (Sunshine Coast).

Works closely with: Performance leadership, channel specialists (Paid Search, Paid Social, Analytics) and agency village (SEO, Analytics, Content).

Interview Process

Introductory conversation to align on experience, expectations and ways of working

Practical case exercise to assess clarity, judgement, prioritisation and problem solving

Partner discussion to confirm capability fit and stakeholder leadership style

Client introduction and meeting

Working at smL smL is redefining what high performance digital looks like for high‑growth small and medium businesses. You will join a capable, collaborative and low‑ego team that values:

High quality, structured execution

Commercial and strategic thinking

Ownership, accountability and precision

Candour, collaboration and strong judgement

Real commercial impact over marketing theatrics

Annual remuneration will be reviewed based on KPI performance. From the end of Year 1, you will be eligible for an additional incentive of up to 10% of base salary (OTE), subject to achieving agreed KPIs.

Your work will directly influence the growth of ambitious brands and contribute to smL’s broader reputation as one of Australia’s most effective independent performance agencies.

Unlock job insights Salary match Number of applicants Skills match

Your application will include the following questions:

Which of the following statements best describes your right to work in Australia?

How many years' experience do you have as a Client Lead?

Do you have experience with Search Engine Marketing (SEM)?

Do you have lead generation experience?

Marketing & Communications 11-50 employees

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