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