A day in the life:As the Director of Paid Advertising, you are the leader of your pod, a hybrid of senior individual contributor, people manager, and product leader for your channel of expertise (Creative, Paid Media, Organic Search, or Social) within the division. Reporting to the Managing Director, you own two things above all else: the people on your pod, and the quality of the work that pod produces.
This is a player-coach role, not a purely operational one. You are arguably the best generalist on your pod, not necessarily the single best specialist at any one skill, but the person who has demonstrated enough judgment, craft, and consistency that the team's trust in you is real and earned, not assumed by title. You lead from the front, capable of sitting in a client meeting and explaining the strategy directly, and capable of getting your hands dirty on coverage and doing the work at an exemplary standard. You ask nothing of your team that you wouldn't do yourself, and couldn't do at least as well.
You protect your pod from unreasonable client pressure while holding the team to a high, non-negotiable bar of excellence. You are on the roadmap to Managing Director, using this role to build the people leadership, product judgment, and cross-functional fluency that role demands, while staying closer to the craft than an MD typically can.
Key Responsibilities- Lead and manage a pod of Strategists within [Channel], including direct ownership of hiring, onboarding, and day-to-day people leadership.
- Build and maintain individual development plans, coaching cadences, and mentorship for every member of the pod.
- Own team retention through positive team sentiment, psychological safety, and clear paths for growth.
- Drive performance management using the ARC framework; deliver timely, direct feedback and clear raise and promotion recommendations.
- Oversee capacity planning and staffing alignment across the pod as client books shift.
- Facilitate ongoing training and channel knowledge-sharing (platform updates, new tactics, competitive shifts).
- Provide executive-level oversight for client accounts within the pod, including direct, hands-on support for the pod's most complex or highest-priority accounts.
- Act as Account Director on a select number of the pod's single channel clients.
- Act as the primary point of escalation for client concerns within the channel, offering strategic guidance and resolving one-off issues directly.
- Support high-level strategy development, performance narrative, and internal audit or QA requests to ensure the pod's delivery is consistently exceptional.
- Track client churn and churn trends within the pod's book of business, and intervene early where risk signals appear.
- Quality: own product quality for the pod through consistent, accountable QA processes, catching errors before they become client-facing or revenue-impacting.
- Critical Error Management: intercept potential overspends and other revenue-impacting mistakes before they reach the client, and maintain rigorous adherence to planned spend and budget accuracy targets.
- MCC & Business Manager Hygiene: maintain clean MCC and Business Manager structures across the pod's book of business to prevent access issues, suspensions, and disapprovals.
- DI & MMT Quality: partner with the Data Intelligence team to ensure MMT implementation accuracy and drive ongoing optimization.
- Systems fluency: demonstrate full working knowledge of the Power Circuit and the nova ecosystem, adapt to evolving internal processes, and contribute to operational excellence.
- Innovation: lead channel-specific product development through structured innovation efforts, knowledge-sharing, and regular brainstorms; run and centralize the learnings from betas and tests.
- New Tool & Partner Vetting: evaluate new tools, platforms, and partners, and build the business case for adoption where they strengthen the pod's product offering.
- Partnership: collaborate with the Service Lead and key platform partners to stay ahead of channel trends and emerging opportunities.
- AI adoption: leverage AI tools to optimize workflows, surface insights, improve performance, and model that adoption for the pod.
- Ensure daily use of our proprietary technology (Omega and nova), Team Pulse cadence at 100%, and Power Circuit (our diagnostic system) compliance across managed pod.
- Case Studies: develop compelling case studies from the pod's work, and surface strong candidates to the Managing Director for the division's outcome-narrative pipeline.
- Audits & Pitches - contribute to new business efforts by supporting audits, pitches, and prospective client opportunity identification
- Service Expansion - identify and act on service expansion opportunities within the pod's existing book of business
- Drive pod growth by leading recruitment efforts for [Channel] conducting interviews, assessing channel-specific skill, and building the business case for new hires.
- Employ AI technologies to enhance and optimize business processes
- Utilize and leverage Power Digital's Nova ecosystem as it relates to your department
Role Requirements- 7-8 years of digital marketing experience, with 5+ years in an agency setting.
- Minimum 5 years of hands-on, expert-level experience in [Channel: Creative / Paid Media / Organic Search / Social].
- 5+ years of experience managing a team, including performance management and development planning.
- Demonstrated judgment and credibility that has earned the trust of a team of specialists.
- Expert knowledge of how the channel functions within the broader marketing funnel and business strategy.
Other skills required- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including direct client-facing presence.
- Strong organizational and project management skills.
- Self-motivated, with a strong desire to build something - both a team and a product - rather than simply maintain it.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and high emotional intelligence.
- Strong work ethic and the ability to learn quickly and independently.
- Genuine interest in a long-term relationship with a growing company.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)- Client Book Revenue per Employee $10K
- Pod Client Retention (bi-annual) 95%
- Pod Service Contribution Margin 60%
- Pod Revenue per Employee (RPE) Average $27K/ Person
- Team Retention (direct reports) 95%
Most Important Things (MITs)- Effectively manage the pod to create a positive team member experience aligned with company objectives.
- Deliver a top-tier, consistently excellent product for clients through the pod's work.
- Own the growth and evolution of the channel's product, not just its day-to-day delivery.
- Oversee the growth and retention of both the team and its clients.
Benefits & Perks:- Base salary + commission opportunities
- Robust Medical, Dental, Vision insurance plans with up to 100% employer contribution towards employee monthly premium
- 401(k) plan - 4% employer contribution matching
- Unlimited Time Off available on day one
- Up to 4 hours per quarter for paid Volunteer Time Off (VTO) towards philanthropic endeavors
- Fully flex work environment: full-remote, in-office, or hybrid
- A one time $100 USD Work From Home (WFH) stipend automatically added to your first paycheck
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- 12 observed United States national holidays + 2 mental health recharge days per year
- Unlimited opportunities for growth & leadership within a rapidly growing firm
- Ongoing employee development programs for personal and professional growth (Hedgehog and Vital 5s)
- Quarterly awards including prize money and recognition for outstanding performance
- Opportunities to be involved in company DEI initiatives
