Paid Media Associate Director
Description
We’re looking for a highly experienced and strategically-minded Paid Media Associate Director to play a pivotal role in driving exceptional results for our diverse portfolio of clients. In this role, you will not only lead the strategy and day-to-day execution of complex paid media campaigns across multiple platforms but also take ownership of a portfolio of accounts, ensuring each campaign meets and exceeds client goals.
Beyond managing client campaigns, you will also mentor and guide your team, helping them grow their skills and take their work to the next level. This position demands a deep understanding of paid media best practices, a strong analytical mindset, and a passion for leveraging data-driven insights to drive meaningful results. You’ll also be expected to proactively explore and implement innovative technologies, including AI-powered solutions, to optimize performance, uncover efficiencies, and shape the future of our paid media strategy.
This role is ideal for someone with a genuine love of marketing, a knack for understanding how different channels work together, and the initiative to take full ownership of clients, campaigns, and team development — all without requiring constant direction. You’ll thrive here if you’re a strategic thinker, a hands-on executor, and a collaborative leader who can balance client-facing responsibilities with internal team growth and innovation.
Put “Paid Media is cool” as the first line of your cover letter or subject line, or your application won’t be reviewed.
About Single Grain LLC
Single Grain is a fast-moving, AI-driven, award-winning digital marketing agency that has been helping top brands like Amazon, Uber, and Salesforce grow since 2009. We specialize in Paid Media, Performance Creative, SEO, Content Marketing, and more — and we practice what we preach: our blog attracts over 200,000 monthly visitors, our podcast has 100+ million downloads, and 140,000+ marketers subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Beyond client work, we also build and scale our own ventures, including ClickFlow (SEO experimentation platform) and Karrot.ai (AI-powered marketing automation).
We move fast, set high expectations, and leverage AI aggressively across paid media, creative, strategy, and execution. Our lean, elite team is focused on delivering smart, impactful work without bloated processes or hierarchy.
If you’re self-directed, collaborative, and relentless about your craft, you’ll fit right in.
What You'll Do
Independently manage and optimize paid media campaigns across Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, and TikTok Ads, ensuring campaigns are aligned with client goals, current best practices, and performance targets.
Implement and execute campaigns, including keyword research, audience targeting, ad copy creation, bid management, and budget allocation with meticulous attention to detail.
Design, implement, and analyze A/B tests across various campaign elements (ad copy, landing pages, creatives, audiences, etc.) to continuously improve performance and identify key drivers of success.
Stay abreast of the latest trends, algorithm updates, and emerging technologies within the paid media landscape. Proactively identify and implement new strategies and tactics to maintain a competitive edge.
Explore, evaluate, and implement AI-powered tools and strategies to automate tasks, enhance campaign optimization, improve audience targeting, unlock new efficiencies, and build new department processes.
Conduct thorough audits of existing paid media accounts to identify areas for improvement, ensure best practices are being followed, and develop actionable recommendations.
Contribute to the development of overall paid media strategies, providing strategy and recommendations based on performance data and industry trends.
Monitor campaign performance, generate insightful reports, and effectively communicate findings, progress, and recommendations.
Act as a paid media subject matter expert on sales calls, engaging with prospective clients to answer their questions and provide strategic insights and recommendations for their future paid media initiatives.
Work closely with other team members, including strategists, analysts, and account managers, to ensure seamless campaign execution and alignment across all marketing efforts.
You will be client-facing and need to be a strong communicator - able to communicate with both tactical and strategic clients - connecting marketing performance to revenue.
Lead a team of high-performing paid media professionals to deliver strategic plans to key stakeholders
Provide department process support and growth
Assist in Paid Media sales opportunities and audits
Lead department training sessions
Primary KPIs:
Meeting your clients’s key KPIs: Revenue, ROAS, CPL, new customer acquisition
Adoption and Impact of New Technologies (including AI)
Strategic Contributions & Recommendations: The Associate Director is expected to contribute to overall paid media strategies. The quality and impact of their strategic recommendations, based on data and trends, could be a qualitative KPI.
Client Retention & Satisfaction: As a client-facing role, the Associate Director's ability to maintain positive client relationships and ensure their satisfaction with campaign performance will be crucial.
Team Management & Coaching: growing your team’s book of business and guiding their strategies
Requirements
Minimum of 8 years of hands-on experience managing paid media campaigns across Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, and TikTok Ads. Bonus points for Pinterest, Snapchat, Reddit, X, and Amazon ads.
Proven track record of successfully managing medium to large-sized advertising budgets and delivering strong ROI.
Deep understanding of paid media best practices, platform-specific features, and optimization techniques.
Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, identify trends, and translate findings into actionable insights.
Experience in designing and implementing effective A/B testing strategies.
A proactive and curious mindset with a demonstrated interest in exploring and implementing new technologies, including AI-powered solutions.
Excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
Strong communication and presentation skills.
Strategic thinking capabilities with the ability to connect tactical execution to broader marketing objectives.
Proficiency in using relevant analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics) and reporting tools.
Leadership skills and a drive to uplevel everyone around you.
A Bad Fit Looks Like:
Lack of knowledge on Google or Meta
List checker not a problem solver
Radio silence or long communication delays
Waiting to be told what to do instead of initiating action
Needing constant direction or reminders
Generic AI usage (just ChatGPT for outlines or emails)
Benefits
Comprehensive Health Coverage – Medical, dental, and vision plans for you and your family.
Flexible PTO – Take the time you need to recharge and stay at your best.
Home Office Stipend – Set up your workspace just the way you like it.
Top-Notch Equipment – MacBook provided to ensure you have the tools to excel.
Learn from the Best – Collaborate with industry-leading experts who will keep you forward-thinking and ahead of the AI curve.
- Department
- Paid Media
- Locations
- Remote
- Remote status
- Fully Remote