Director, Performance Media

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee the activation and optimization of digital media campaigns across paid search, paid social, programmatic, retail media (e.g., Amazon, Walmart Connect), and video platforms.
• Drive strategy for campaign setup, pacing, and optimizations to meet KPIs such as ROI, CPA, ROAS, and other client-specific goals.
• Utilize tools for automated campaign management, bid optimization, and cross-platform scaling.
• Lead the implementation of audience targeting strategies, A/B testing, and dynamic creative optimization to maximize impact.
• Partner with the Director of Media Planning to align execution with high-level strategies and ensure campaigns achieve intended outcomes.
• Partner with our fellow Hearst teams to scale our SEM, Paid Social, and Influencer campaigns.

Ai-Driven Optimization and Innovation

• Leverage AI tools and automation platforms to improve campaign optimization, media planning, and real-time decision-making.
• Explore innovative applications of AI for bid optimization, audience segmentation, predictive analytics, and creative personalization.
• Champion the adoption of new technologies and data-driven methodologies that drive efficiency, improve outcomes, and future-proof the agency’s performance media capabilities.

Operations and Process Management

• Develop and oversee processes for trafficking, tagging, and QA to ensure campaigns are executed accurately and efficiently.
• Own the operational workflow for campaign launches, collaborating with internal teams to identify and resolve bottlenecks.
• Own the operational workflow for 3rd party ad serving through Google Campaign Manager 360 (CM360) and direct team members on best practices for the different applications of ad tags, QA, tracking, floodlight tagging and pixel implementation.
• Ensure accurate campaign tracking, measurement, and reporting by leveraging tools such as Google Tag Manager, DOMO and Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
• Identify opportunities for process improvements, tools, and technologies to enhance efficiency, scalability, and data integrity.

Performance Reporting and Insights

• Partner with strategy and analytics teams to monitor campaign performance, turning data into actionable insights that drive optimization.
• Serve as a subject matter expert, presenting findings and performance recommendations to both clients and internal teams.
• Use DOMO to deliver clear, real-time reporting and insights across media campaigns, ensuring data transparency for clients.
• Lead post-campaign analyses, delivering insights and optimization plans for future campaigns.

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead and mentor a team of media buyers, performance specialists, and operations staff, fostering a culture of collaboration and accountability.
• Develop team expertise across platforms (Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager, Amazon Ads, etc.) and tools like DOMO.
• Coordinate closely with our Hearst partners to manage buying and performance across the Google and Meta platforms.
• Act as a resource and coach for junior team members, helping them grow in their technical and strategic capabilities.

Industry and Platform Expertise

• Stay current with industry trends, platform updates, and emerging technologies to drive innovation in performance media execution.
• Partner with the VP, Integrated Media to evaluate and implement new tools, platforms, or strategies that advance client goals.
• Build and maintain relationships with key media, retail media, and ad-tech partners to bring new opportunities to clients.