Associate Media Director - Paid Search & Social

Associate Media Director, Paid Search & Social

Job Description

Location: Minneapolis, MN

Job Type: Exempt

Reports to: Director of Media & Communications Strategy

Overview

We are seeking a strategic, performance-driven Associate Media Director to lead the development and execution of paid search and paid social programs. This role blends high-level strategic leadership with deep channel expertise, driving measurable business outcomes while fostering innovation and team growth.

The ideal candidate is both a forward-thinking strategist and a hands-on expert, with a strong command of performance marketing platforms and a passion for translating data into impactful media strategies. Experience across industries such as retail, CPG, travel, pet, and sports & entertainment is highly valued, though not required.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Planning

• Lead the development of integrated paid search and paid social strategies aligned to client business goals and KPIs




• Translate marketing objectives into full-funnel media approaches, including audience strategy, channel mix, and investment allocation




• Identify opportunities for growth through testing roadmaps, emerging platforms, and innovative activation strategies




• Collaborate cross-functionally with analytics, creative, SEO, and broader media teams to deliver cohesive, insight-driven strategies
  
  

Campaign Execution & Performance Optimization

• Oversee the execution, management, and optimization of campaigns across platforms including Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, and others




• Ensure campaigns are structured for scalability, efficiency, and sustained performance




• Provide guidance on bidding strategies, audience segmentation, creative testing, and conversion tracking best practices




• Maintain a strong focus on performance metrics such as ROAS, CPA, CTR, and conversion rate

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of media managers and specialists, fostering a high-performance culture




• Provide clear direction, constructive feedback, and ongoing coaching to support career growth




• Establish and uphold best practices, ensuring consistency and quality across all accounts
  
  

Client Partnership & Communication

• Serve as a senior strategic partner to clients, building trusted, long-term relationships




• Present strategies, performance insights, and recommendations with clarity and confidence




• Translate complex data into actionable insights for both technical and non-technical stakeholders




• Proactively identify opportunities to drive incremental growth and innovation
  
  

Data, Measurement & Insights

• Oversee reporting frameworks to ensure accuracy, transparency, and actionable insights




• Analyze performance data to inform optimizations and future strategy




• Partner with analytics teams on attribution models, tracking infrastructure, and measurement solutions




• Leverage insights to guide budget allocation and forecasting
  
  

Innovation & Thought Leadership

• Stay ahead of industry trends, platform updates, and emerging technologies




• Champion the adoption of new tools, automation, and beta opportunities




• Contribute to internal knowledge sharing and continuous process improvement

Qualifications

• 6–10 years of experience in digital media, with deep expertise in paid search and paid social




• Proven success managing large-scale, multi-channel campaigns and budgets




• Strong platform expertise 




• Demonstrated experience leading and developing high-performing teams




• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and strategic thinking skills




• Strong communication and presentation abilities, with client-facing experience preferred




• Agency experience strongly preferred




• Experience across industries such as retail, CPG, travel, pet, and sports & entertainment is highly valued, but not required




• Familiarity with advanced attribution models, measurement frameworks and Looker Studio




• Understanding of the broader digital ecosystem, including GEO, SEO and CRO

What we expect of each other

• Embrace our company values by seeing challenges as opportunities, welcoming diverse ideas and perspectives, creating new futures, and celebrating our successes.




• Build and maintain positive relationships with clients and colleagues.




• Accept direction openly and demonstrate a willingness to grow and learn.




• Take pride in our work by meeting deadlines and holding ourselves accountable.




• Bring a positive, solution-oriented attitude to the office each day.




• Mentor and support the growth of teammates who can benefit from our experience and perspective.