Group Director, Paid Search (Remote)

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About the Role

We are looking for a strong, passionate, and energetic Paid Search leader to drive growth and strategic oversight across the paid search department with a focus on working on our largest accounts and serving as an SME on LLM optimization for organic and paid synergy. We are looking for someone passionate about search-driven performance marketing and well-versed in both organic search and paid search. This individual should be a people-focused leader who enjoys hands-on, cross-functional collaboration and wants to join a fast-growing, innovative digital agency that is hyper-focused on client performance and ROI.

Responsibilities:

• Reporting to our SVP, Head of Search, this role will serve as a people leader inclusive of SEM channel specialists (Paid search, YouTube, Demand Gen, PMax, Shopping, and App) as well as Account Leads managing direct client partnerships, contract negotiations/renewals, client onboards, etc.
• This role will serve as a Search thought leader prepared to respond to the changing landscape
• The ideal candidate will have recent experience in SEO/GEO or AEO/AIO 
• Responsible for revenue driven from new business, client relationships, and client growth
• Will serve as an escalation point across a set of top clients
• Will present Paid Search and organic strategy, performance, and tactical priorities to the client and internal  stakeholders
• Assists with client staffing and scoping
• Participates and leads new business pitches for Paid Search and/or SEO
• Partners with cross-channel leads on creating media plans, including forecasting, testing, tactical plans, and reporting
• Drives Paid Search strategy, innovation & testing on your book of business while improving performance, developing quarterly or annual roadmaps to keep advancing accounts with the latest trends and opportunities
• Present QBRs, planning presentations, and testing plans regularly
• Lead client calls from a paid search perspective
• Forecasting, budgeting, and diminishing return analysis
• Manages others from Account Managers to Directors
• Accountable for team growth (training and mentorship) and retention
• Highly involved with hiring and onboarding new employees
• Manages a team with advanced SEM skills, multi-channel digital marketing strategy, and client management skills, including projections, analytics reporting, etc.
• Delivers feedback, performance reviews, support, and recognition in pursuit of achieving team goals
• Helps lead career pathing and coaching
• Serves as a senior sponsor on your team’s accounts, developing senior client relationships and guiding holistic digital strategy
• Responsible for training for the team, department, and agency
• Contribute to team morale and culture through engagement, team building, and mentorship
• Contribute to overall department training, POVs, award submissions, and case studies
• Works closely with Google, Bing, and other vendor partners on alpha and beta opportunities, expansion opportunities, client strategy and planning, and best practices
• Responsible for operationalizing processes and helping gain adoption across team focus areas 
• Assist in creating a team culture across a hybrid working model

About You

The essentials:

• 10+ years Paid Search experience
• Experience communicating with senior clients' points of contact from VPs to C-Suite
• Experience handling direct management of Paid Search budgets of  at least $1MM+ in monthly ad spend
• Recent experience optimizing to LLMs across paid and organic search and will have organic and paid search experience
• Experience directing strategy in D2C or Retail, B2B, and B2C digital advertising efforts across different verticals is a