Associate Director, Investment

Position Summary

As an Associate Director, Investment, you will help lead the strategic development and stewardship of KSM’s local Video & Audio investment practice, while also supporting broader local investment initiatives including Out-of-Home. This is a leadership role for someone who can confidently guide investment strategy, raise the standard of execution, and create clarity across complex client and marketplace dynamics. You will partner closely with planning, client leadership, and media partners to develop performance-driven recommendations, build scalable frameworks, and identify opportunities that strengthen outcomes for clients while advancing KSM’s investment capabilities.

Key Responsibilities and Impact

• Lead local investment strategy across assigned business, with a focus on Video & Audio and support for Out-of-Home, ensuring recommendations are aligned to client goals, audience insights, and market opportunity.

• Partner with planning, client leadership, and activation teams to translate strategy into clear investment direction, practical frameworks, and high-quality execution.

• Provide leadership across pre- and post-buy stewardship, schedule analysis, proof-of-performance, and optimization recommendations to ensure investment rigor and accountability.

• Help advance pricing standards, negotiation strategy, and investment governance to improve consistency, value creation, and scalable ways of working across the discipline.

• Build trusted relationships with media partners and internal stakeholders to identify new opportunities, solve challenges quickly, and support smarter investment decisions.

• Coach and develop team members through hands-on leadership, clear feedback, and ongoing capability building that strengthens both individual growth and team performance.

• Stay fluent in marketplace shifts, emerging partners, and evolving local media opportunities to bring fresh, forward-looking thinking to clients and KSM teams.

Qualifications and Experience Required

• 7+ years of local media buying, investment, or related experience within a media agency or similar environment, with strong depth in Linear Video & Audio and additional exposure to Streaming and Out-of-Home a plus.

• 3+ years of people leadership experience, with a demonstrated ability to coach, motivate, and develop high-performing teams.

• Strong expertise in local media strategy, investment stewardship, negotiation, and performance analysis, along with the judgment to make smart, balanced decisions in a fast-moving environment.

• Established relationships with vendors, partner management teams, and media representatives preferred.

• Hands-on experience with media buying systems such as Mediaocean (Spectra OX and Prisma) and common industry tools including Nielsen, SQAD, and SRDS.

• Strong analytical and mathematical aptitude, with the ability to interpret performance data, uncover insights, and translate findings into actionable recommendations.

• Excellent communication, organization, and cross-functional collaboration skills, along with proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and monday.com.

Benefits

• Talent Enablement: Career pathing, integrated learning ecosystem, mentorship, and employee recognition
• Financial: Competitive compensation, 401(k) with company match, pre-tax programs, referral rewards, and a remote work reimbursement
• Wellness: Comprehensive health insurance (medical, dental, vision, pet, and life), onsite fitness center covered 100%, discounted membership rates at partner gyms and access to virtual fitness classes, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and curated opportunities to nurture your breaktime
• Balance: Personalized Paid Time Off (i.e., “Unlimited PTO”), remote work flexibility, paid parental leave (maternity, paternity, and adoption), and a variety of Employee Resource Groups
• Giving Back: Volunteer opportunities and corporate donation matching through KSM Cares Outreach, our Corporate Social Responsibility program