Director of Paid Media (Remote US)

About the Role

We're looking for a Director of Paid Media who is exceptional at two things: managing people and managing client relationships. You'll lead a team of Associate Directors, own the health of our paid media accounts, and be the person clients trust when the stakes are high. If you're someone who thrives in the details, leads by example, and gets energized by building teams that perform consistently — we want to talk. Our paid media team is made up of the sharpest practitioners in performance marketing, who run sophisticated programs for the most recognized names in B2B. Our team members are senior, client-savvy, and deeply fluent in Directive's DiscoverabilityOS methodology. The Director of Paid Media creates structure, accountability, and systems in the day-to-day of Directive’s largest division so the team never misses a beat and clients always have a leader in their corner. If you lead by making others better, and you're energized by running a fast-moving team with zero ambiguity, this is the role. Revenue is growing, the pipeline is strong, and we're looking for someone who can lead at that speed. This role reports to the VP of Paid Media.

What You'll Do

Team Management:

• Lead and develop a team of Associate Directors — setting direction, aligning on priorities, and creating conditions where high-caliber practitioners perform at their ceiling.
• Translate executive direction into weekly priorities that are immediately actionable. No ambiguity about what matters most, no gap between strategy and execution.
• Foster a culture where accountability is structural and excellence is the baseline, not the aspiration.
• Invest in the growth of your Associate Directors and keep an eye on who's ready to join their ranks from the strategist team.

Account Health:

• Stay close enough to every account to catch friction before the client names it. We have proprietary, proactive sentiment analysis technology baked into our tech platform, Stratos
• Build a culture of early escalation and proactive communication across your team.
• Ensure every client engagement reflects Directive's methodology — LTV:CAC modeling, DiscoverabilityOS strategy, Share of SERP, and Functional Content.

Deliverable Quality:

• Own the standard for client-facing work before it leaves the department.
• Build the QA cadence and feedback loops that make quality consistent — not reactive.

Client Relationships:

• Show up for clients with the confidence and credibility of someone who has done this before. This will primarily be through monthly leadership meetings or on large accounts.
• When a client relationship needs senior attention, you're the first call — with a clear diagnosis and a path forward.

Capacity and Utilization:

• Own account assignments and team utilization. Match talent to account complexity in a way that supports both performance outcomes and department gross margin.
• Maintain clear visibility into capacity so resourcing decisions are proactive, not reactive.

Hiring:

• Own the candidate pipeline from sourcing through finalist presentations for roles within your team. The VP will support here in different stages of the hiring process.
• Hire for the ceiling, not just the role. You know the difference.

What You Bring

• 8+ years in paid media, with significant time spent as a Director or Associate Director at a B2B or SaaS-focused agency — you've been here before and you know what good looks like at scale.
• A track record of directing experienced practitioners — coaching strong ASDs, aligning them on priorities, and moving a high-performing team with speed and clarity.
• Deep fluency in paid search and paid social (Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn required); programmatic experience a plus.
• Mastery of B2B performance measurement — LTV:CAC modeling, pipeline attribution, SQL-focused goal setting.
• The operational instincts that come from experience — you've built the systems, you've lived without them, and you move fast because you've already learned the hard lessons.
• Financial literacy at the department level — P&L awareness, utilization management, and the ability to connect staffing decisions to margin outcomes.
• The kind of client presence that comes with seniority — calm, credible, and trusted in a room when the stakes are high.
• A genuine drive to stay ahead of where performance marketing is going, including the role of AI and automation in what excellent work looks like.

What We Offer:

• We have a set living wage at Directive; The annual base salary range for this position based in the United States is $125,000 - 150,000 USD with potential for bonus eligibility. This salary range is an estimate, and the actual salary may vary based on Directive's compensation practices, job related skills, and depth of experience.
• Medical, dental, vision plans, disability, and life insurance coverage for you and your family that fit your lifestyle
• Including a 100% employer-paid plan for you and a 50% employer contribu