Director of Paid Media

Director of Paid Media

At The Influence Agency, we bring brands to life through 360° digital marketing elevation, uniting influencer marketing, social media, paid media, SEO, content strategy, email marketing, web services and more, all under one roof. Our integrated approach means our team members don’t just execute tasks - they own a meaningful piece of a holistic marketing strategy that drives real business outcomes for exciting brands across Canada and beyond.

Rooted in creativity and performance-focused execution, our award-winning team develops digital experiences designed to captivate, convert, and grow. We’re always looking for driven team members who thrive on pushing boundaries, trying new approaches, and elevating brand stories in ways that make an impact.

We’re looking for an experienced, process-driven and performance-obsessed Director of Paid Media to lead and evolve our Paid Media department. This is a department leadership role, not a hands-on media buying position. You’ll oversee a team of Paid Media Managers, establish departmental standards and processes, maintain accountability across client performance and budget pacing, and ensure TIA remains at the forefront of an increasingly fast-moving paid media landscape.

We’re looking for someone who lives and breathes paid media. Someone who understands where the industry is today, is constantly thinking about where it is going next, and can translate emerging platforms, technology, automation, AI, measurement capabilities and media strategies into scalable processes for our team and measurable outcomes for our clients. The Director of Paid Media reports to the Head of Performance and will have significant autonomy to shape the future of the department.

Team Member Traits

Personal Characteristics

● Cares greatly about their clients, coworkers, and self

● Highly empathetic, positive, respectful and competitive

● Open-minded, curious, inclusive and trustworthy

● Hard-working, prompt, organized, effective, detailed, and has meticulous follow-up

● A passion for learning and improving

● A natural problem solver that identifies solutions

● A strong leader who creates accountability while empowering their team

● Highly process-driven and constantly looking for ways to make the department better

● Comfortable making decisions and taking ownership

● Naturally curious about emerging advertising technology, platforms and strategies

● Ability to think quickly, prioritize effectively and learn fast

● Is a team player but also knows how to work independently

Abilities & Skills

● Deep knowledge of paid media strategy across Google Ads, Meta Ads, TikTok Ads, Microsoft Advertising/Bing Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Snapchat Ads and Programmatic

● Strong understanding of full-funnel paid media strategy across lead generation, e-commerce, brand awareness, customer acquisition and other business objectives

● Demonstrated ability to oversee significant paid media budgets, ideally $500,000+ per month

● Advanced understanding of performance metrics including ROAS, CPA, CPL, CPM, CPC, CTR, conversion rate, revenue and other client-specific KPIs

● Strong understanding of media planning, forecasting, budget allocation and pacing

● Ability to identify underperforming or at-risk accounts and work with Paid Media Managers to establish clear corrective strategies

● Strong understanding of attribution, measurement and analytics, including GA4 and related advertising and measurement platforms

● Experience with advanced advertising platforms and tools such as SA360 and DV360 is considered an asset

● Strong understanding of testing methodologies across audiences, creative, bidding, campaign structure, landing pages and media mix

● Ability to turn emerging paid media capabilities into repeatable processes, products and strategies

● Strong people-management, coaching and leadership capabilities

● Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to explain complex paid media concepts to internal stakeholders and clients

● Strong operational mindset with the ability to build processes, documentation, accountability systems and departmental standards

● Comfortable using AI and automation to improve analysis, workflows, media operations and team efficiency

Experience

● 5-7+ years of progressive paid media experience, with significant experience leading paid media strategy

● Previous experience in a Director, Associate Director, Paid Media Lead or comparable leadership position

● Agency experience is strongly preferred

● Demonstrated experience managing and developing paid media professionals

● Proven experience overseeing large and complex advertising budgets across multiple clients and platforms

● Demonstrated history of developing paid media strategies that drive measurable business outcomes

● Experience overseeing a diverse portfolio of lead generation, e-commerce and awareness-focused accounts is preferred

● Experience establishing departmental processes, standards, reporting frameworks and performance expectations

Key Responsibilities

The ebbs and flows of work at an agency mean your role will be rich with variety. The right candidate will embrace the diversity of this environment and view it as an opportunity to learn and try new things.

As Director of Paid Media, your core responsibilities will be:

Paid Media Department Leadership

○ Own the overall health, performance and evolution of TIA’s Paid Media department.

○ Lead, coach and develop a team of approximately 3-4 Paid Media Managers.

○ Establish clear expectations, accountability and performance standards across the team.

○ Ensure Paid Media Managers are effectively managing client portfolios, deliverables, budgets and performance goals.

○ Identify coaching opportunities and help team members develop stronger strategic, analytical and client-facing capabilities.

Performance & Budget Accountability

○ Maintain visibility across the performance of the entire Paid Media client portfolio.

○ Ensure at least 75% of client-specific paid media KPI goals are achieved each month. KPIs may include ROAS, CPA, CPL, CPM or other agreed-upon performance metrics.

○ Ensure the department deploys at least 90% of planned client media budgets while maintaining responsible pacing and performance.

○ Monitor budget pacing and identify potential over-spend or under-spend before it becomes an issue.

○ Identify accounts at risk of missing performance goals and ensure clear corrective strategies are developed.

○ Maintain visibility into opportunities to responsibly scale budgets when performance supports additional investment.

Department Operations & Accountability

○ Lead a weekly Paid Media L10 meeting with the Paid Media team.

○ Review client KPI performance, budget pacing, accounts at risk, strategic recommendations and upcoming priorities.

○ Maintain clear accountability for departmental Rocks, goals and initiatives.

○ Participate in a weekly L10 with the Head of Performance to report on departmental performance, priorities, risks and opportunities.

○ Oversee monthly reporting standards and ensure reporting translates performance data into clear insights and recommendations.

○ Continuously improve Paid Media processes, documentation, workflows and quality-control standards.

Strategy, Innovation & Product Development

○ Stay deeply connected to changes across paid media platforms, advertising technology, AI, automation, privacy, measurement and consumer behaviour.

○ Evaluate emerging strategies, tools, platforms and capabilities and determine which should be adopted by TIA.

○ Translate new opportunities into repeatable strategies and processes that can be implemented across the department.

○ Push the Paid Media team to continually test, learn and evolve rather than relying on established tactics.

○ Develop new Paid Media products, packages and service offerings alongside the Head of Performance.

○ Establish a regular cadence for reviewing and evolving TIA’s Paid Media offering.

Client Growth & Retention

○ Maintain strong visibility into the health of Paid Media client relationships.

○ Support client retention by ensuring accounts receive proactive strategy, strong performance oversight and continual recommendations.

○ Identify opportunities to expand successful client programs through increased budgets, additional platforms, new campaign strategies or complementary Paid Media services.

○ Ensure the team consistently brings forward proactive recommendations rather than simply maintaining existing campaigns.

○ Support senior-level client conversations when strategic leadership or escalation is required.

○ Partner with Client Success and other Performance departments to identify broader growth opportunities for clients.

What Success Looks Like

Within the first 6-12 months, the successful Director of Paid Media will be autonomously managing the Paid Media department, with the Head of Performance operating primarily as an escalation point, strategic partner and departmental leader rather than managing its day-to-day operations.

The department should have a predictable operating cadence, clearly defined KPIs and accountability, disciplined budget pacing, proactive client strategy, strong retention, consistent development of its Paid Media Managers and an ongoing pipeline of new ideas, processes and service offerings.

● 75%+ of client-specific KPI goals achieved monthly

● 90%+ of planned Paid Media budgets deployed

● Strong client retention against TIA’s departmental retention target

● Departmental Rocks completed consistently

● At-risk accounts identified early with documented action plans

● Consistent proactive strategic recommendations across the client portfolio

● Continued development and adoption of new Paid Media strategies, processes and products

● Responsible growth of existing client budgets where performance supports additional investment

About US

TIA is a team of passionate digital marketing professionals specializing in custom, performance-driven campaigns. We are excited by the fast pace of the digital world and show up each day with energy, creativity, and a commitment to delivering exceptional results.

Culture

At TIA, creativity, collaboration, and bold thinking thrive. Our team is passionate, energetic, and committed to excellence in both strategy and execution.

You’ll find:

● A vibrant office with a fun, social vibe

● A culture of recognition where individual contributions are celebrated

● A team that values laughter, out-of-the-box thinking, and curiosity

● A true sense of ownership over your clients and your work

● A genuine community bound by mutual respect, shared experiences, and a high care-factor

If you prefer tight oversight and a corporate environment, this isn’t the right fit. We embrace self-starters who appreciate mentorship, autonomy, and collaborative support.

We continue to strive to have a workforce that is representative of the diverse population in the GTA. Respecting all cultures and backgrounds is at our core and is integral to doing our best work.

Holistic Compensation

A great workplace isn’t defined by one thing, it’s the full package. We offer a holistic compensation experience designed to elevate both how you work and how you live:

Here’s a snapshot of what comes with joining our team:

● TIA reasonably expects to offer a compensation package between $100,000-130,000 for this role. The actual offer is based on experience, skills, and role alignment.

• An annual bonus structure.

● Ongoing professional development: up to $1,000/year for industry education, plus internal continuous learning initiatives

● A transit-accessible office with free onsite parking (first come, first serve!)

● Comprehensive health benefits through RBC after probation (health, dental, paramedical, massages etc)

● Hybrid work model: three days in-office, Tuesday through Thursday

● Catered lunches three days per week, plus lots of snacks at the office

● A generous time off package: 20 vacation days + a paid holiday cooldown period + extended long weekends + Summer Fridays

● A Work From Anywhere policy that gives you the opportunity to work outside of the GTA for up to two weeks per year

● A vibrant, people-first culture where your ideas matter

AI Usage Disclosure

We support transparent and human-centred hiring, while championing the efficient use of AI tools and technologies to enhance our workdays.

● We do not use AI to screen or shortlist resumes or make hiring decisions.

● AI tools may be used during the interview process for note-taking and summarization to ensure clarity and accuracy in how we review candidate conversations.

The Influence Agency is committed to equal opportunity employment. We welcome candidates of every race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, and ability. Diversity strengthens our team, and we proudly create a workplace where everyone can thrive.