Director of Paid Media

HMH

. Own end-to-end media planning, sponsorships, placements, and ad buying across paid search, paid social, programmatic display, online video/CTV, retargeting, and third-party publisher and industry media .

Posted 10/12/2026full-timeRemote • United StatesLead💰 $110,000 - $145,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in paid media strategy, including media planning, ad buying, and budget management across multiple platforms. Proven ability to lead teams, optimize campaign performance, and leverage AI tools for enhanced media effectiveness.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Paid Media StrategyMedia PlanningGoogle AdsAnalytical FluencyLeadership Skills

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills

Ad BuyingCampaign OptimizationBudget ManagementIncrementality TestingAccount-Based MarketingCreative TestingPerformance AnalysisKPI TrackingMedia MeasurementDigital Marketing

Soft Skills

Communication SkillsCollaboration SkillsProject ManagementAttention to DetailMentoring Skills

Tools & Technologies

GA4BI/Reporting ToolsAI ToolsDesign PlatformsProgrammatic DSP

Industry Keywords

Paid SearchPaid SocialProgrammatic DisplayOnline VideoThird-Party PublishersSponsorshipsAd ProductionBrand SafetyPerformance MaxB2B Attribution Models

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Own end-to-end media planning, sponsorships, placements, and ad buying across paid search, paid social, programmatic display, online video/CTV, retargeting, and third-party publisher and industry media
Oversee platform, publisher, and agency execution across the brand portfolio
Translate business and funnel targets into channel, audience, placement, and budget plans prioritizing targeted accounts and ABM strategies
Own paid content strategy and direct day-to-day ad production
Partner with Design on modular templates and format specifications; build and adapt creative variations when needed
Build and run hypothesis-driven creative testing roadmaps
Review weekly performance and optimize in-flight campaigns, reallocating budget to improve ROAS and cost per acquisition
Manage paid media budgets, allocation, pacing, forecasting, and executive reporting
Own paid media measurement and reporting, including KPIs, tracking, attribution, incrementality testing, campaign wrap-ups, and executive readouts
Apply AI across paid media strategy, creative production, optimization, and measurement while following governance and brand-safety guardrails
Manage the paid media agency relationship, including scope, SOWs, budget pacing, campaign QA, performance reviews, and KPI accountability
Collaborate with Demand Generation, Customer Marketing, Marketing Operations, Sales, Design, Brand, and Business Unit marketing teams
Ensure paid creative meets brand, tone-of-voice, legal, claims-review, and accessibility standards
Manage, coach, and develop the Digital Marketing Manager (Paid Media)
Monitor platform changes, competitor advertising, and AI-driven discovery trends; recalibrate channel mix

Requirements

What you’ll need

8+ years of marketing or advertising experience, including 5+ years focused on paid media
Experience managing or mentoring at least one direct report
Demonstrated success shaping ad creative that performs and owning channel performance and optimization
Hands-on depth in media planning, placement, and ad buying across Google Ads (Search, Performance Max, YouTube), Meta, LinkedIn, programmatic/DSP buying, and third-party publishers and industry media partners
Ability to negotiate, execute, and oversee agency-managed buys
Experience owning annual paid media budgets of $1M+, ideally across multiple brands or business lines
Experience developing and executing paid media strategies for targeted-account and account-based marketing (ABM) programs
Strong analytical fluency with GA4, B2B attribution models, incrementality testing, and BI/reporting tools
Demonstrated use of AI tools for paid media strategy, creative production, optimization, or measurement
Comfort with AI-assisted content tools and design platforms; ability to build or adapt ad variations within reusable templates and brand systems
Proven experience managing an external media agency
Effective leadership and managerial skills, with experience developing direct reports
Excellent communication, presentation, and collaboration skills, including presenting performance and recommendations to executive audiences
Ability to operate in a complex, matrixed, multi-stakeholder environment
Strong project management skills, attention to detail, and prioritization