Senior Director, Paid Search

Darkroom is a next-generation growth marketing firm founded in 2017, recognized as one of America's fastest-growing private companies (Inc. 5000) and a top performance media agency (Varos). The company combines executive-level strategy with proprietary AI technology (Shadow) to drive billions in attributable revenue across e-commerce, media networks, DTC, and social commerce platforms.

About the role

We are hiring a Senior Director, Paid Search to lead Darkroom's Paid Search practice. This executive leadership role owns strategy, performance, and commercial health across Google, YouTube, Microsoft Advertising, and emerging AI search platforms (Perplexity, OpenAI, Koah, Kontext). You will lead a team of 6+ (Associate Directors, Paid Search Managers, Specialists), report to the Managing Director of Paid Media, and sit on the Paid Media leadership team. The role demands a recognized search expert who has built and run a paid search organization, scaled Google accounts beyond $1M/month, led teams including people managers, and advised CMOs and founders. You will define best-in-class paid search at a moment when search is rapidly evolving, partnering across Paid Social, Programmatic, Creative, Analytics, Growth Strategy, and Shadow's product team.

Responsibilities

• Own the multi-year vision, strategy, and performance of the Paid Search practice across traditional search, Shopping, YouTube, and AI search.
• Sit on the Paid Media leadership team; partner with the Managing Director on practice OKRs, annual planning, budgeting, and headcount.
• Own the practice's commercial health: revenue, margin, client retention, account growth, team utilization; report to Darkroom leadership.
• Shape the paid search service offering, defining scopes, pricing inputs, and new service lines including AI search packaging.
• Lead Paid Search's role in new business: partner with Growth on pitches, audits, proposals; join final-round pitches for key prospects.
• Build, lead, and grow a team of 6+ across Associate Directors, Paid Search Managers, and Specialists (Associate Directors and Specialists report directly).
• Develop the leadership bench: coach Associate Directors into strong people managers, grow Specialists into future leaders, build succession plans.
• Own org design and hiring plan with Recruiting: leveling, role definition, final hiring decisions on leadership roles.
• Set career paths, leveling expectations, performance review process; ensure individualized growth plans for every team member.
• Build a culture of accountability, craft, and candor where high performers want to stay and grow.
• Serve as executive sponsor for largest, most strategic Paid Search relationships; lead executive business reviews and annual planning with CMOs, founders, leadership teams.
• Act as final escalation point for high-stakes client and performance issues; own retention strategy for at-risk accounts.
• Own key platform partner relationships with Google and Microsoft; secure beta access, support, early insight for clients.
• Lead Darkroom's AI search build-out: track and pilot new ad products, define testing approach, make Darkroom the go-to voice for clients on search's future.
• Represent Darkroom's paid search point of view externally through industry events, content, and partner programs.
• Partner with Shadow's product team to shape AI and agentic tooling; drive adoption for efficiency and effectiveness at scale.
• Set standards for campaign architecture, bidding strategy, optimization frameworks, testing methodology across 15+ accounts with $3M–$10M+ aggregate monthly spend.
• Own Shopping and Performance Max standards, including feed quality and Merchant Center best practices.
• Define creative standard for the practice: ad copy, landing page alignment, short-form video for YouTube; ensure consistent application.
• Lead measurement approach with Analytics: attribution, incrementality testing, brand search cannibalization testing, media mix modeling; set KPI framework (CPA, CAC, iROAS, nCAC, MER, aMER, CTR, CPM).
• Turn portfolio learnings into repeatable playbooks; stay close to the work to audit accounts, spot issues early, lead by example.

Requirements

• 10+ years paid media advertising experience, with 8+ years specializing in Paid Search and Google.
• 5+ years leading paid search teams, including 3+ years managing managers; experience leading a team of 6+ in a fast-paced agency or in-house environment.
• Proven experience building or scaling a paid search practice or department: org design, hiring, process, service delivery standards.
• Experience owning or directly influencing a practice/department P&L: revenue, margin, utilization, pricing.
• Track record overseeing paid search portfolios at $3M+ aggregate monthly spend; personally scaled Google ad accounts beyond $1M USD/month while maintaining or improving efficiency.
• Executive presence with CMOs, founders, internal leadership: build trust, present strategic recommendations confidently, navigate complex stakeholder dynamics.
• Expert-level command of Google Ads (Shopping, Performance Max, YouTube), deep familiarity with Microsoft Advertising and emerging AI search ad ecosystem.
• Mastery of the e-commerce marketing funnel from offer to ad to landing page to conversion.
• Mastery of e-commerce performance metrics (CPA, CAC, iROAS, nCAC, MER, aMER, CTR, CPM) and modern measurement approaches (incrementality, brand search cannibalization testing).
• Strong background in portfolio-level budget forecasting, spend projection modeling, data-derived decision-making.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; able to distill complex data into compelling insights for teams, clients, leadership.

Benefits

• Unlimited PTO plus US holidays.
• Remote-first culture; hybrid expectation for employees near New York or Lisbon HQs (weekly in-office time). Hub locations include Brazil and Spain.
• Company-sponsored medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Robust 401(k) program with company match and profit-sharing opportunities.
• Flexible parental leave for new parents.
• Interdisciplinary growth model: exposure beyond core role, skill expansion, industry forefront access.