Associate Media Director - Paid Search

Job Title: ASSOCIATE MEDIA DIRECTOR, PAID SEARCH

Department: Consumer Engagement Group

Reports to (Position): Media Director

Supervisory Responsibilities (Y/N): Yes

FLSA Status (Exempt vs. Non-Exempt): Exempt

Travel (%): 0-20%

LOCATION: Austin

Job Overview:

GSD&M is searching for a highly motivated and passionate Associate Media Director specializing in Paid Search to join our growing team. In this role, you will lead our paid search strategies, driving brand awareness, customer acquisition, and overall digital performance. The Associate Media Director, Paid Search will collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop innovative campaigns and optimize our digital marketing efforts to achieve positive results, balanced by the ability to seamlessly integrate into a cross-functional media strategy team. Highly visible with clients and within the agency and Consumer Engagement Group, this role reports into the Media Director.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategy Development: Create and implement comprehensive paid search strategies aligned with overall marketing objectives, ensuring effective budget allocation, bid strategies, and resource management.
• Campaign Management: Oversee the planning, execution, and optimization of large-scale, complex paid search campaigns across various platforms (Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Bing Ads, etc.), ensuring maximum ROI.
• Performance Analysis: Analyze large sets of data and extract actionable insights. Identify which campaigns and keywords are driving the most leads and acquisitions and be able to make data-supported decisions to improve KPIs and drive growth.
• Real-Time Dashboard & Reporting Skills: Create meaningful, real-time dashboards and custom reports to help streamline weekly reporting for the client. The Associate Media Director, Paid Search should be well-versed in attribution modeling and able to ensure that conversions are accurately tracked and attributed.
• Team Leadership: Manage and mentor a team of digital media specialists, fostering a collaborative environment and promoting continuous learning and development.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with SEO, content, creative, and analytics teams to ensure integrated marketing efforts and alignment with overall brand strategy.
• Market Research: Stay informed about industry trends, emerging technologies, and competitor strategies to identify new opportunities for innovation and improvement.
• Budget Management: Monitor and manage paid search budgets, ensuring effective allocation of resources and tracking expenditures.
• Client Relations: Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders and clients, effectively communicating campaign performance and strategy adjustments.

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, or a related field; Master's degree preferred.
• Preferred 7+ years of experience in digital marketing, with a focus on paid search and PPC management.
• Strong analytical skills with hands-on-keyboard experience managing large, complex paid search accounts across multiple platforms (Google Analytics, Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, SA360)
• Deep knowledge & experience in the world of SEM with demonstrated ability to develop thought leadership POVs and bring forward innovation and new ideas; SEO experience is a plus.
• Proven experience developing and executing strategies for multiple business lines while understanding the nuances between paid search strategies based on business objectives for each.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to present complex, technical data in a clear and client-friendly way.
• Excellent leadership and team management abilities; experience managing a team and helping them grow in their own careers and goals
• Knowledge of and POV on current digital marketing trends and best practices.

BONUS IF YOU HAVE:

• Experience and knowledge of Healthcare industry; experience managing healthcare accounts and knowledge of OCR and HIPAA requirements
• Experience using Marin software

YOU ARE:

• A Paid Search expert with a deep understanding of the digital marketing landscape
• A natural leader and action-oriented
• Highly collaborative and adaptable to different situations, personalities and timelines
• Highly data-driven and analytical
• Believes business outcome is much more important than a KPI, and can help teams and clients navigate both
• Passionate about leading teams
• Organized and energetic
• Comfortable with multi-tasking and has an innate sense of urgency
• A skilled communicator, written and verbal
• Ability to speak in high technical terms when needed, or to simplify information for less tech-savvy audiences
• Eager to roll up your sleeves and do a little bit of everything
• Comfortable with a fast-paced environment
• Problem solver with high emotional intelligence and self-awareness
• Strong conceptual and analytical skills with the ability to turn findings into executable plans
• A self starter and naturally curious
• Operate with a high level of integrity and transparency
• Live our GSD&M Core Values: Curiosity, Restlessness, Integrity, Community, Winning, Freedom & Responsibility