Director, Digital Paid Media

We are looking for a digitally-sophisticated, performance-obsessed, and people-first Director, Digital Paid Media to lead an in-house paid media capability within one of our client's business lines. This is not a traditional media management role - it is a chapter leadership position within the company’s agile operating model, requiring both deep digital media craft and the organizational leadership to forward-deploy a team of paid media practitioners into cross-functional agile Squads.

As Chapter Lead for Digital Paid Media, you will be accountable for the capability, craft, career development, and culture of a team of paid media specialists - while ensuring those practitioners are embedded where business value is created: inside agile Squads working at the speed and specificity that a modern, client-focused business demands.

This role requires a leader who is equally at home in a DSP, a sprint planning session, and a senior stakeholder briefing - someone who can translate complex performance data into clear business decisions, and who builds teams that are as analytically rigorous as they are creatively curious.

What you will do:

• Lead Within the Agile Operating Model
• Drive Paid Media Strategy & Performance
• Drive Innovation & Industry Leadership
• Build & Lead a High-Performance Team

What you will bring:

Digital Paid Media Expertise (Required)

• 8–12+ years of progressive experience in digital paid media, performance marketing, or integrated digital marketing - with at least 5 years in a leadership role managing a team of practitioners
• Hands-on, expert-level experience managing paid media campaigns across Programmatic (DV360, The Trade Desk, or equivalent DSPs), Paid Search (Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising), and Paid Social (Meta, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, LinkedIn) - including direct platform execution, not just agency oversight
• Deep expertise in performance marketing disciplines: audience segmentation, bid strategy, creative testing, conversion optimization, retargeting, and attribution modelling
• Demonstrated experience managing significant paid media budgets (ideally $10M+ annually) with a track record of delivering measurable ROI and continuous performance improvement
• Strong working knowledge of the ad tech ecosystem - including DSPs, SSPs, DMPs, CDPs, ad servers, and brand safety/verification tools (e.g., IAS, DoubleVerify)
• Experience leveraging first-party data and CRM signals to build and activate audience strategies across paid channels
• Familiarity with privacy regulations and their implications for digital targeting (e.g., cookie deprecation, PIPEDA, CASL, consent management)

Analytics & Measurement (Required)

• Demonstrated ability to translate complex performance data into clear, actionable business insights and recommendations - with strong proficiency in campaign analytics, attribution, and reporting
• Experience working with marketing measurement frameworks, including multi-touch attribution, media mix modelling, and incrementality testing
• Proficiency with analytics and reporting platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or equivalent) and comfort working with data teams to access and interpret performance data
• Strong financial acumen - ability to build and manage media budgets, model ROI scenarios, and communicate performance in business terms to senior stakeholders

Agile Ways of Working (Required)

• Demonstrated experience working within or leading a team in an agile operating model - including familiarity with squad structures, sprint-based delivery, and chapter or guild leadership models
• Working knowledge of agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, or equivalent) and the ability to adapt traditional media planning and buying workflows into iterative delivery cycles
• Experience forward-deploying or embedding practitioners into cross-functional teams while maintaining a strong functional community of practice

Leadership & Stakeholder Management (Required)

• Proven track record building, developing, and retaining high-performing digital media teams - with experience managing both specialists and generalists across a range of digital disciplines
• Strong executive presence and communication skills - able to translate technical media concepts into clear business language for senior marketing and business stakeholders
• Experience managing agency and vendor relationships, including performance management, contract negotiation, and compensation frameworks
• Demonstrated ability to influence decisions and build alignment across cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders in a matrixed organization

What you should expect:

• High-visibility mandate with direct influence on the company's growth and marketing transformation
• Competitive compensation including base salary and performance bonus
• Comprehensive benefits, wellness programs, and flexible hybrid work arrangements
• Strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Professional development and coaching opportunities within a large, complex, and evolving marketing organization