Digital Specialist - Toronto

WHO WE ARE · Point Blank is the impact agency for Canada's progressive movement. Proudly values-first, purpose-driven, women-led and unionized, we partner exclusively with movement partners: unions, political parties and candidates, not-for-profits, charities, and public sector a ...

Job description

WHO WE ARE

Point Blank is the impact agency for Canada's progressive movement. Proudly values-first, purpose-driven, women-led and unionized, we partner exclusively with movement partners: unions, political parties and candidates, not-for-profits, charities, and public sector allies who are hellbent on being on the right left side of history. We're built for outcomes, not outputs, integrating research, strategy, creative, paid media, and organizing under one roof. The result? Campaigns that hit hard and incite impact where it counts: in the real world. Unconventional, unapologetic, and sometimes a little unhinged, we're here to make noise, make change—and make damn sure your campaign can't be ignored.

We work and live on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe and Coast Salish peoples, as well as the Coast Salish territory of the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen)/Songhees, Esquimalt, WSÁNEĆ Nations, including the territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Stó:lō, səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nations; in Treaty 6 territory, the traditional meeting ground and home for many Indigenous peoples, including Plains and Woodland Cree, Assiniboine, Saulteaux, Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), Métis, and Nakota Sioux peoples; in Treaty 13, the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and Huron-Wendat peoples, this land is also home to many diverse Indigenous, Inuit and Métis peoples.

POSITION OVERVIEW

Digital Specialists (L3) at Point Blank are experienced digital practitioners who can independently plan, execute, and optimize complex paid media campaigns across digital and traditional channels.

This is primarily a paid media role. You'll own campaigns from strategic brief to final report, translating complex platform mechanics into clear client-friendly language. While paid media is your core focus (representing the majority of your work), you'll need to be adaptable. During peak organizing periods, you may be called on to support email campaigns, texting programs, or other digital organizing work for days or weeks at a time.

You'll work as part of Point Blank's integrated Digital team, collaborating closely with Strategists, the Digital Director, other Paid Media specialists, Organizers, and Creatives to deliver campaigns that move people from first touch to meaningful action.

In this role, you'll:

• Translate strategic briefs into detailed media plans that connect audience insights, platform capabilities, and campaign KPIs, presenting these plans to clients in clear, jargon-free language that builds confidence and alignment
• Bring those plans to life by building, QA-ing, and launching campaigns across digital platforms (Meta, Google Ads, programmatic DSPs, LinkedIn, TikTok, and emerging channels) and, with training, traditional media (TV, radio, OOH, print)
• Optimize and report on active campaigns, monitoring performance, making data-driven adjustments, and communicating results to clients through written reports and virtual presentations, becoming a trusted face they can count on for clear answers and strategic recommendations
• Support your colleagues across the Digital team when priorities shift, stepping in to execute email campaigns, texting programs, and other organizing tactics during high-intensity periods
  

REPORTING

This position is part of Point Blank's Digital Team, and reports to the Digital Director. This role is to fill an existing vacancy. 

LOCATION

Point Blank is a remote-first work place, with offices in Toronto and Vancouver. For this role, we are looking for someone based in Toronto or the GTA. 

EQUITY

Point Blank is committed to equitable hiring, development, and promotion with recognition that equity-deserving candidates continue to face systemic barriers to employment. We see immense value in hiring, training and promoting professionals from a wide variety of experiences and backgrounds. Point Blank does not have a minimum requirement for education or training, as the entry requirements and barriers to education are historically discriminatory. We particularly encourage candidates from equity-deserving and under-represented backgrounds to apply. Point Blank does not use AI to review applications; every application is reviewed by a human to ensure that we attain a consistent and equitable hiring process. 

WHAT YOU DO 

1. Campaign Planning & Client Presentation

Collaborate with Strategists to interpret campaign briefs, translating strategic goals (audience insights, KPIs, messaging direction) into actionable paid media recommendations.

Develop comprehensive media plans with clear channel mixes, audience targeting approaches, budget allocations, timelines, and measurement frameworks—primarily across digital platforms with the ability to incorporate traditional media (TV, radio, OOH, print) where appropriate.

Present media plans to clients in clear, jargon-free language, walking them through your strategic rationale and answering questions with confidence.

Provide consultative guidance to Strategists and project teams on digital advertising approaches, including platform selection, audience strategies, budget optimization, and creative requirements.

2. Campaign Execution & Build

Act as the paid media lead for small-to-medium campaigns (typically under $150k net ad spend) and support senior Paid Media leads on larger or more complex buys.

Build, QA, and launch digital ad campaigns across platforms including Meta, Google Ads, YouTube, programmatic DSPs (StackAdapt, Quantcast, Hivestack, etc.), LinkedIn, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, and other relevant channels.

Set up campaign infrastructure including audiences, placements, tracking, budgets, creative rotation, and conversion events, ensuring high-quality, error-free launches.

Support the execution of traditional media buys by sending RFPs to vendors, comparing submissions, and collaborating with senior team members to negotiate buy details that align with media plans and client objectives.

Coordinate with the Finance team to ensure accurate spend tracking across digital and traditional channels, flagging potential issues early to avoid overspends or underspends.

3. Campaign Optimization & Reporting

Monitor active campaigns daily, identifying optimization opportunities and proactively recommending adjustments to budgets, targeting, creative, placements, and landing page experiences.

Develop and maintain clear, client-friendly performance reports and dashboards that summarize results, highlight key insights, and translate platform metrics into campaign impact.

Present campaign updates and results to clients in virtual meetings, becoming a trusted advisor who can explain what's working, what's not, and what you recommend doing about it.

Implement and troubleshoot marketing analytics and tracking (pixels, UTM structures, conversion tracking) in collaboration with senior Paid Media leads and technical support.

Contribute to post-campaign analysis and lessons learned, documenting what worked to improve future planning and execution.

4. Digital Team Support & Collaboration

Step in to support email campaigns, texting programs (P2P and broadcast), and digital supporter journeys that move people to take action.

Build and QA email campaigns, forms, landing pages, and related assets as part of integrated campaigns.

Work with CRMs and related tools (Action Network, NationBuilder, Mailchimp, custom stacks) to support list segmentation, automation builds, and data quality maintenance.

Provide backup support on general digital tasks as needed, including email QA, social media scheduling, web updates, CRM implementation, and asset QA.

Share knowledge with the broader team about paid media platforms and best practices, helping build collective capacity across the Digital team.

Support and informally coach junior team members by answering questions, reviewing work when asked, and sharing lessons learned, escalating formal mentorship needs to senior staff.

Identify opportunities to expand or improve client work (new platform tests, creative optimizations, cross-channel integrations) and surface these ideas to Strategists, Team Leads, and the Digital Director.

5. Other duties as assigned

WHO YOU ARE

• A problem-solver who figures it out. You don't sit on your hands waiting for someone to fix things, when you hit a roadblock you Google, you test, you ask smart questions, and you find a path forward. You're digitally native and comfortable jumping into new platforms and tools with minimal hand-holding.
• A translator, not a technician. You can geek out on CPMs and conversion rates with the best of them, but you know that clients don't speak in ad platform jargon. You take complex digital advertising mechanics and explain them in clear, confident language that builds trust and makes clients feel informed, not intimidated.
• Politically engaged and values-aligned. You're motivated by the progressive movement and understand the stakes of the work we do. You don't need to have campaign experience, but you need to care deeply about the outcomes our clients are fighting for.
• Detail-obsessed in the right ways. You know that a misplaced pixel or a budget typo can torpedo a campaign. You build with precision, QA your own work ruthlessly, and take pride in launching campaigns that just work.
• Flexible and team-oriented. You understand that agency work has peaks and valleys. When organizing is slammed and paid media is quiet, you step in without complaint. When priorities shift mid-week, you adapt. You're low-ego, collaborative, and genuinely enjoy helping your colleagues succeed.
• Resilient under pressure. You can work under tight deadlines, juggle competing priorities, and maintain professionalism (and a sense of humour) when clients change their minds at the eleventh hour or campaigns need rapid pivots.
• Outgoing and affable, you've got great people skills. You know how to develop and maintain strong client relationships.  
• Persuasive and a confident negotiator, you know how to deliver bad news, work with difficult personalities, and bring people around to a different point of view.  

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

Required:

• Minimum 1 year of hands-on experience managing digital ad campaigns with regular platform use (at least weekly) OR 4+ years in a digital marketing role that included periodic paid media management
• Strong foundation in Meta Ads Manager (Facebook/Instagram advertising). You've built campaigns, managed budgets, optimized performance, and troubleshot issues independently
• Experience with at least one other digital advertising platform such as Google Ads, programmatic DSPs (StackAdapt, Quantcast, etc.), LinkedIn, TikTok, or other social platforms
• Demonstrated ability to translate strategic goals into media plans, including channel selection, audience targeting, budget allocation, and measurement frameworks
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills (English), with experience presenting to clients or stakeholders and explaining technical concepts in accessible language
• Politically engaged and aligned with progressive values. You understand the movement we serve and are motivated by impact, not just metrics
• Comfortable working independently and problem-solving on the fly. You're resourceful when you encounter unfamiliar platforms or unexpected challenges
• Exceptionally detail-oriented with strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple campaigns simultaneously

Preferred (but not required):

• Experience with traditional media buying (TV, radio, OOH, print), including sending RFPs, reviewing vendor submissions, and negotiating buys
• Familiarity with CRM platforms (Action Network, NationBuilder, Mailchimp) or email marketing tools
• Understanding of analytics and tracking implementation (pixels, UTMs, conversion tracking)
• Experience working with PHP, HTML, CSS, SCSS, and JavaScript
• An understanding of WordPress and WordPress theme structure and best practices
• Familiarity with WP Engine and GoDaddy
• Experience working in agency, political campaign, labor, or advocacy environments
• Professional fluency in French or other languages
  

WHY WORK WITH US?

• Our entire team is committed to social change. We work with causes and movements we believe in – and we have a great time doing it.
• We offer annual salary growth, as well as paid health leave and an extended benefits package – including a health and dental plan, an additional mental health spending account, and a group RRSP plan.
• Our team has access to an annual professional development budget and training and development opportunities throughout the year.
• We offer flexible, hybrid working arrangements. While some in person work may be required at times, you will be able to work remotely or from our offices as you choose.
• Our staff are proud members of UFCW 1518 and this position is included in the unit.

COMPENSATION

This role is in Grade 5 of our wage grid, with a starting salary range of $72,486 to $82,151. Compensation will be determined based on skills, experience, and equity amongst our team.

TO APPLY

Step 1: Apply by clicking the "Apply for this job" button. Submit your resume, along with a cover letter outlining why you believe you would be a great fit for this role. 

Step 2: Submissions will be reviewed, and top applicants invited for an interview. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Closing Date: Open until filled. Don't delay your application We are looking to hire immediately and will be conducting interviews on a rolling basis.

Please note, this position may require in person work at times. The successful candidate must be willing to comply with Point Blank's Communicable Disease Prevention Policy, which includes a requirement to adhere to any active public health mandates. 

Point Blank is committed to providing accommodations for people with disabilities. If you require an accommodation at any point during this process, please notify and we will work with you to jointly address your needs.

---

Location

Toronto, Ontario (Hybrid)

---

Department

Digital

---

Employment Type

Full-Time

---

Compensation

$72,486 to $82,151

---