Director, Paid Search & Social

Job Description

AUDIENCEX is seeking an experienced, strategic, and hands-on leader to oversee our Paid Search and Social team. This role requires a balance of strategic leadership, operational oversight, and hands-on execution , driving both client success and departmental growth. The successful candidate will be a seasoned performance marketing professional, highly skilled in client-facing engagements, adept at team leadership, and deeply enthusiastic about leveraging emerging technologies and AI-driven solutions to push the boundaries of paid media.

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Key Responsibilities:

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Strategic & Client-Facing Leadership

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• Own the strategic direction and performance of paid search and paid social across a diverse portfolio of clients, budgets, industries, and objectives.
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• Develop full-funnel media strategies spanning brand awareness, engagement, B2B and B2C lead generation, customer acquisition, eCommerce sales, and revenue/ROAS goals.
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• Guide campaign architecture, audience strategy, bidding, creative approach, channel mix, budget allocation, optimization, and performance forecasting.
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• Serve as a trusted senior advisor to clients; lead strategic discussions, executive presentations, and business reviews, and step into relationships to resolve challenges and support retention and growth.
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• Lead paid search and social audits for prospective clients , identify growth opportunities, and partner with business development on media plans, proposals, new business calls , and pitch presentations.
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• Collaborate with Account Management, Programmatic, Creative, Analytics, and Data Science teams to connect paid media execution with broader business outcomes.
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• Design and prioritize structured tests across audiences, creative, bidding, campaign formats, and emerging platform capabilities; translate learnings into actionable recommendations.
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Departmental & Team Oversight

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• Lead, coach, and develop Paid Search and Paid Social analysts/media buyers; cultivate accountability, collaboration, continuous learning, and strong execution standards.
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• Oversee staffing capacity, workloads, resource allocation, and account assignments; conduct performance reviews, provide actionable feedback, and support career development.
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• Own hiring and onboarding for additional team members, including interviews, candidate assessment, training, and knowledge transfer.
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• Establish and improve workflows , documentation, quality assurance, and departmental best practices; act as the senior escalation point for complex strategy, platform, and client issues.
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Hands-On Execution

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• Remain hands-on in key accounts , executing campaign builds, optimization, performance analysis, and troubleshooting while coaching team members through day-to-day execution.
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• Oversee budget pacing, bids, keyword and search-term strategy, audience segmentation, creative/ad copy testing, targeting refinements, and campaign QA.
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• Lead tracking and measurement strategy , including pixels, conversion tags, server-side tracking, Conversions API, offline conversion imports, GA4, CRM integrations, and analytics implementations.
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• Troubleshoot complex platform, tracking , and attribution issues with clients, technical partners, and internal teams; maintain reliable data capture and reporting.
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• Apply a sophisticated understanding of cross-channel attribution , incrementality, conversion quality, and differences between platform-reported results and business outcomes.
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• Oversee new client onboarding across Search & Social channels, including ad account creation, MCC/Business Manager structures, access permissions, billing coordination, audience and data integrations, tracking readiness, and campaign launches.
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Innovation & Emerging Technology

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• Champion the exploration and adoption of new platforms, tools, and AI-driven solutions, integrating them into client campaigns and departmental processes.
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• Evaluate and pilot emerging technologies , establishing AUDIENCEX as a leader in leveraging data, automation, and machine learning for Paid Search and Social excellence.
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• Share thought leadership internally and externally on how technology is reshaping the future of paid media.
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• Stay ahead of the curve by exploring emerging social channels and ensuring the team remains a first mover in adopting innovative opportunities for client growth.
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• Maintain deep, current platform expertise across Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, Reddit, Snapchat, X, and relevant video advertising formats.
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Qualifications

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• 8+ years of experience in Paid Search and Paid Social strategy and execution , with proven leadership experience overseeing teams.’
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• Minimum of 3–5 years of experience working in a digital marketing or advertising agency.
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• Demonstrated success in client-facing roles , including senior-level presentations, QBRs, and strategic workshops.
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• Experience supporting new business development through participation in pitches, proposals, and client acquisition.
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• Hands-on proficiency with major platforms (Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc.) and third-party tools.
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• Strong grasp of emerging ad tech, automation, and AI-driven solutions in digital marketing.
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• Familiarity with the influencer marketing space and its role in shaping broader paid media strategies.
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• Ability to articulate and leverage the correlation between programmatic, search, and social , driving holistic strategies that maximize client ROI.
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• Deep awareness of emerging social platforms and trends , with a passion for testing and scaling into new channels.
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• Exceptional ability to balance strategic leadership and tactical execution , while managing team development and operational improvements.
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• Proven track record of driving measurable performance outcomes and scaling department capabilities.
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• Strong communication , organizational, and interpersonal skills.
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Compensation & Benefits

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• Base Salary: Starting at $125,000 annually, with compensation determined by the candidate's experience, qualifications, and demonstrated expertise.
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• Performance-Based Commission: Strong commission structure tied to new business and client growth outcomes
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• Equity & Options: Robust options package providing long-term upside and alignment with company success
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• Benefits: Excellent health, dental, vision, retirement, and wellness benefits, plus generous PTO and professional development support
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Why Join AUDIENCEX?

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At AUDIENCEX, you’ll join a company that doesn’t just talk about innovation — we live it. Here’s what sets us apart:

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• Cutting-edge technology and AI leadership
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• We’re powered by AXi™, our proprietary AI-enabled data science platform. It enables privacy-safe predictive analytics, machine learning, and optimization across search, social, programmatic, creative, and analytics. You’ll have the tools to lead strategies that anticipate outcomes and drive performance.
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• Integrated, multichannel capability
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• We don’t silo the media. Our approach spans Search & Social, Programmatic Advertising, Creative, Analytics & Insights, and unified media across all platforms. You’ll get to shape strategies that connect the dots between channels, ensuring campaigns are smart, seamless, and higher-impact. 
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• Data-led & performance-oriented culture
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• Results aren’t just desired; they’re foundational. Whether it’s reducing CPC, increasing conversion, improving ROAS, or lowering cost per booking, we’ve proven what performance looks like for our clients. You’ll be joining a team that shares accountability and is laser-focused on outcomes. 
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• Growth, risk-sharing & innovation mindset
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• We offer solutions like PriceFix , shifting from CPM to CPA in a risk-free model. We embrace experimentation, emerging social channels, new ad tech, and constantly evolving media platforms so that our work—and your leadership—stay at the frontier. 
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• Collaborative & expert team environment
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• At AUDIENCEX, expertise isn’t just valued—it’s central. We thrive on collaboration: across media, creative, analytics and data science. You’ll be surrounded by smart people who are passionate, curious, and always pushing for better.
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• Culture built on curiosity, collaboration & continuous growth
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• At AUDIENCEX, we lean into our entrepreneurial spirit. We are relentlessly curious, embrace learning, foster creativity, and believe that our greatest strength comes from collaborating — with each other, with partners, and with our clients — to turn change into opportunity.
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• Impact & career leverage
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• You’ll shape how brands navigate the fast-changing landscape of digital advertising. With access to advanced tools, a full suite of media capabilities, and an expanding platform, you’ll be empowered to lead high-visibility work that advances both your and the company’s trajectory
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