Director, Paid Social And Search Starcom is the world's first standalone media agency, a storied innovator that continues to lead the way for many of the world's best brands. Starcom has long been the professional birthplace and proving ground for marketing leaders CEOs, CMOs, sales leaders, and technology pioneers and we continue to drive the industry with peerless talent and relentless innovation. From the start, we've known that achieving growth for our clients requires understanding and connecting with real people where they live and work, in ways they value. In an AI era, we remain "Guided By Humanity," a phrase that describes our foundational belief that human expertise must remain in the driver's seat, supported by the best processes and technology. With our proprietary capabilities and Publicis Media's industry-leading resources and clout, we create ideas that move people and drive transformative business outcomes for brands.

The Director, Paid Social and Search is a performance media leader responsible for setting the strategic vision and driving business impact across clients' paid search and paid social programs. This role owns end-to-end strategy, performance, and financial stewardship across search and social, while serving as a client advisor and people leader. You will guide teams through an evolving performance media landscapeshaping innovation, championing best practices, and ensuring search and social are fully integrated into holistic media strategies. This role balances strategic leadership, operational excellence, talent development, and accountability for business results.

Responsibilities

Lead, motivate, and develop high-performing paid search and paid social teams, ensuring campaigns meet or exceed performance, financial, and quality goals

Own paid search and paid social strategy across platforms, aligning activation and optimization to broader brand and business objectives

Serve as a trusted senior advisor to clients and internal stakeholders, fostering strong, long-term relationships

Define success frameworks, including KPIs, measurement approaches, testing methodologies, and optimization strategies across search and social

Guide teams in applying advanced optimization techniques, platform automation, and AI-enabled tools with sound strategic judgment

Champion the value of performance media by educating clients and internal teams on platform innovation, emerging capabilities, and industry best practices

Deliver clear, compelling presentations that communicate strategy, insights, performance results, and forward-looking opportunities

Own financial management for assigned accounts, including forecasting, staffing plans, and overall account health

Partner closely with cross-channel leaders (analytics, programmatic, paid social, search, and broader media teams) to deliver integrated solutions

Establish and reinforce best practices, quality assurance standards, and scalable processes across search and social operations

Develop a deep understanding of clients' businesses, categories, and objectives to proactively shape strategic recommendations

Drive thought leadership on emerging trends, technologies, and responsible AI usage to enhance performance, insights, and operational efficiency

Foster a culture of collaboration, curiosity, creativity, and continuous learning across teams

Coach, mentor, and develop talent through training, feedback, and performance management

Qualifications

7+ years of experience in performance marketing, paid search, paid social, or digital media with increasing responsibility

4+ years of people management experience, including leading managers and senior practitioners

Proven experience driving results across brand and performance objectives using paid search and paid social

Deep understanding of paid search and social platforms, optimization methodologies, and measurement frameworks

Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills with the ability to translate complex data into actionable insights

Executive-level presence with comfort presenting to and influencing senior client stakeholders

Demonstrated ability to lead through complexity while balancing strategic vision and operational detail

Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, with advanced Excel skills (e.g., formulas, pivot tables, data analysis)

Bachelor's degree preferred

Compensation Range: USD $121,315.00 – USD $174,300.00/Annually.