Director, Paid Media Planning

Bully Pulpit International

$120K — $135K *
Media
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 8-11 years of experience in digital media strategy and planning
  • Proven track record managing campaigns for corporate reputation or political clients
  • Comfortable with corporate and political accounts, including non-profit and advocacy
  • Strong analytical skills using tools like GWI and Google Analytics
  • Expertise in Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets
  • Ability to learn new media tech and tools quickly
  • Exceptional organizational skills to manage multiple projects effectively

Responsibilities

  • Manage end-to-end advertising campaigns with high accountability
  • Develop data-driven media plans that align with client goals
  • Present media strategies and performance insights to clients
  • Oversee campaign execution, optimization, and analysis
  • Foster relationships across various teams to set strategic goals
  • Identify workflow improvement opportunities and implement scalable solutions
  • Deliver innovative ideas to advance media offerings and contribute to agency growth

Benefits

  • 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • 401(k) program with employer match up to 4%
  • Generous vacation time
  • $50 monthly phone reimbursement
  • Unlimited sick time
  • 16 weeks paid leave for new parents
  • Focus on employee wellness and support for a diverse workforce
Full Job Description
The Impact You Will Make

In this position as Director, you will support the execution and management of paid media campaigns across numerous clients on the Paid Media team. The ideal contract candidate thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment and is capable of working independently, while navigating multiple projects.

  • Starting Salary Range: $120,000 - $135,000 (+ annual bonus)
  • Expectation to work from one of our offices (Chicago, DC, NYC, SF, LA) at least 3 days a week (Fully Remote candidates will also be considered)


What the Day-to-Day Looks Like

Media Strategy & Execution
  • Independently manage clients and end-to-end advertising campaigns from inception through completion with high accountability, quality, and results.
  • Develop comprehensive, data-backed media plans aligned with client goals; take the lead on paid media POVs for clients or internal teams with limited paid experience.
  • Regularly present sophisticated media strategies, reporting, and performance insights directly to clients, while providing off-the-cuff POVs and proactively anticipating issues or feedback.
  • Oversee how campaigns are executed, optimized, and analyzed across digital and traditional platforms, including partner negotiation and contracting.


Collaboration & Workflow Management
  • Foster strong working relationships across all client and internal specialty teams (Media Buying, Marketing Analytics, Insights, and Client Services) to set strategic goals around measurement, testing, and seamless execution.
  • Proactively identify areas for team-wide workflow and operational process improvements, partnering with senior leadership to implement scalable solutions.


POV & Industry Leadership
  • Bring new ideas to advance the agency's media offering to senior leadership, drive team priorities, and operationalize new processes across the broader team.
  • Serve as a senior agency contact for key partners, evaluate new vendor technologies, manage yearly vendor endeavors, and negotiate rate discounts to ensure planning utilization.
  • Conduct deep-dive media, industry, and competitor research to stay abreast of market trends, inform strategic advertising plans, and evangelize the agency's media vision.
  • Contribute to agency growth through budgeting exercises, pitch deck development, and participation in new business pitches as needed.


Team Management & Mentorship
  • Attract, retain, and elevate talent across the team through effective management, structured training, and empathetic mentorship.
  • Lead team pods and scale impact beyond immediate reports to the broader planning department, acting as a role model to elevate the work product of junior and mid-level planners.
  • Embody agency values and ensure all client work reflects the standards, perspective, and quality of the agency at large.


Requirements

What You Bring
  • 8-11 years of relevant work experience in digital media strategy, planning, and direct-IO buying (agency experience preferred).
  • Proven track record of independently running campaigns for corporate reputation, public affairs, and/or political clients.
  • Excitement to work on large corporate reputation accounts in addition to support of Democratic politics, non-profit, and advocacy opportunities as they arise.
  • Advanced analytical thinking capabilities, with strong hands-on experience utilizing media consumption tools (e.g. GWI, Comscore) and business intelligence/dashboard software (e.g. Datorama, Google Analytics, or Tableau).
  • Demonstrated ability to quickly learn and navigate new digital systems, emerging media tech, and specialized proprietary tools with minimal downtime.
  • Expert-level proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets for budget tracking, performance analysis, and data manipulation.
  • Exceptional organizational skills, rigorous attention to detail, and a demonstrated ability to manage multiple high-stakes projects simultaneously.
  • A readiness to work independently, think big, solve complex problems creatively, and scale leadership capabilities rapidly within a fast-paced environment.
  • Expectation to work from one of our physical offices (DC, NYC, SF, CHI, LA) at least 3 days a week (unless hiring under a fully remote arrangement).

Benefits

BPI offers a wide range of benefits to U.S.-based employees, including 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) program with employer match up to 4%, generous time off for vacation, $50 monthly phone reimbursement, unlimited sick time, and 16 weeks of paid leave for new parents. BPI's benefits prioritize employee wellness and progressive support to our diverse workforce.

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