Director, Paid Media

Position Summary: IMG Academy is seeking an experienced and dynamic Director of Paid Media to lead our digital advertising strategy and execution across multiple verticals, including IMG Academy and NCSA College Recruiting. In this role, you will oversee the development, management, and optimization of paid media campaigns, driving customer acquisition, brand awareness, and revenue growth. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure that our paid media efforts align with overarching marketing objectives and deliver measurable results.

Position Responsibilities:
Strategic Planning & Leadership:

• Develop and implement comprehensive paid media strategies across multiple platforms (e.g., Google Ads, Facebook/Instagram , TikTok, display networks, etc.) to achieve business goals.
• Oversee paid media agencies and provide business insights, consumer trends, and challenging questions to strategy and performance
• Manage a paid media strategist, providing guidance, mentorship, and professional development.
• Collaborate with other marketing leaders (content, SEO, creative, web) to create cohesive campaigns and brand messaging.
• Stay updated with emerging paid media trends, tools, and best practices, ensuring that campaigns remain innovative and competitive.

Campaign Management & Optimization:

• Oversee the execution of paid media campaigns, ensuring they are on time, on budget, and delivering desired results.
• Continuously monitor, optimize, and adjust campaigns based on performance data (CTR, CPA, ROAS, etc.) to drive continuous improvement.
• Oversee agency optimization in areas like A/B testing on ad creatives, landing pages, bidding strategies, and targeting parameters to maximize performance.
• Implement audience segmentation strategies to ensure the right message reaches the right target at the right time.

Budget & Performance Tracking:

• Develop and manage the paid media budget, ensuring efficient allocation of resources across different channels.
• Prepare regular performance reports, analyzing key performance indicators (KPIs) and ROI, and provide actionable insights to senior leadership.
• Manage and negotiate relationships with paid media platforms and agencies to optimize ad spend.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Partner with the creative team to develop compelling ad creatives that align with the overall marketing strategy.
• Work with data analysts to assess campaign performance and derive actionable insights to refine strategies.
• Collaborate with product, sales, and customer support teams to align paid media initiatives with business objectives.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, or related field. Advanced degree (MBA or similar) preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in paid media management, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
• Proven track record of scaling paid media campaigns across multiple channels with a focus on driving growth.
• Expertise in managing large-scale paid campaigns on Google Ads, Meta and other digital advertising platforms.
• Strong understanding of digital marketing metrics, analytics, and optimization techniques (e.g., Google Analytics, SEMRush, Facebook Ads Manager, etc.).
• Experience with bid management and attribution models.
• Strong leadership and team management skills with a focus on mentoring and developing talent.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to present insights and recommendations to senior executives.
• Ability to work under pressure, juggle multiple projects, and meet deadlines.
• Proficiency in Tableau, Google Looker Studio and other reporting/analysis tools.
• Experience with marketing automation and CRM platforms (e.g., Marketo, Salesforce) is a plus.
• Familiarity with creative tools (e.g., Adobe Creative Suite) is a plus.