Director of Paid Media

Avenue Z is the leading marketing and communications agency pioneering AI optimization driving influence across all channels—from ChatGPT to The Wall Street Journal to TikTok. With 30 years of leadership in search and content marketing, we apply strategic communications, high-impact PR, performance media, and AI optimization to help companies build reputation and grow revenue through our proprietary, technology-driven approach. We are the agency for influence.

As the Director of paid media, you will lead the paid media division across paid media and adjacent paid media channels, overseeing strategy, execution, onboarding, and performance across client accounts. This role builds on the existing paid media Manager scope by maintaining ownership of platform strategy and client results while expanding responsibility for department vision, team leadership, and cross-channel alignment. You will lead a team of marketers and creative strategists, support successful account onboarding, and ensure the team executes at a high level to deliver strong results for clients.

• Lead the development and oversight of paid media strategies across platforms such as Meta, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and other channels as needed, ensuring alignment with client goals and broader business objectives.
• Oversee the holistic strategy for all paid media accounts, guiding budget allocation, campaign direction, testing priorities, and performance optimization across the division.
• Serve as the senior strategic lead across client accounts, guiding high-level communication, navigating escalations, and ensuring work stays aligned with performance goals and client expectations.
• Ensure all new paid media accounts are onboarded successfully, with clear internal ownership, timelines, and execution plans that set the team up to deliver results from day one.
• Hold full accountability for the quality, accuracy, and effectiveness of the team’s output across client accounts, ensuring campaigns meet KPIs and deliverables meet agency standards.

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of paid media marketers and creative strategists, providing coaching, feedback, and training that supports strong performance and professional growth.
• Review team output, campaign strategy, reporting, and client-facing deliverables to maintain quality control and consistency across the department.
• Build and refine department workflows, standard operating procedures, and team structures to improve efficiency, scalability, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Assess team capacity, allocate resources effectively, and ensure the right mix of marketers and creative support is assigned across accounts.
• Set clear expectations and performance goals for direct reports, conduct regular reviews, and foster a high-accountability, high-support team culture.

• Oversee day-to-day execution standards across the department, ensuring campaigns are launched correctly, monitored consistently, and optimized based on performance data and best practices.
• Partner closely with creative strategy and other service teams to develop ad concepts and assets that support performance goals across channels.
• Monitor department and account-level KPIs, using performance insights to guide optimizations, improve outcomes, and identify opportunities for scale.
• Support case study development and internal knowledge sharing by documenting wins, insights, and learnings from campaigns across the paid media division.
• Stay current on platform updates, industry shifts, and emerging best practices, and translate those insights into smarter strategies and stronger execution across the team.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including creative, content, CX, and other media teams to align paid media efforts with broader client strategies and business goals.
• Contribute to department growth by helping shape hiring plans, onboarding processes, team structure, and long-term strategic direction for the paid media division.
• Help identify opportunities to expand client relationships through stronger strategy, better performance, and cross-channel recommendations that support overall account growth.
• Lead with a problem-solving mindset, addressing account and team challenges proactively to protect client satisfaction and maintain strong execution standards.

• 5+ years of paid media experience, with agency experience preferred.
• Deep knowledge of paid media platforms including Meta and TikTok, with strong familiarity across broader paid media channels and cross-channel strategy.
• Proven experience leading teams, mentoring marketers, and managing department-level performance and quality control.
• Strong communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills, with the ability to guide both internal teams and senior client relationships.
• Strategic, data-driven mindset with strong problem-solving abilities and a clear understanding of how creative, media buying, and performance work together to drive client results.