Chief Investment Officer

Chicago, IL (On-site)

Salary Not AvailableSenior Level20+ years expFull time

Posted 4 months ago

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Job Summary

Drive a CIO-level, full-funnel media investment platform focused on growth and measurable business outcomes.

  • 20+ years in media with leadership in investment and operations
  • Must-have: CIO-level experience translating strategy into scalable investment workflows
  • Standout: Ability to unify performance and brand investments into a single, accountable system

Job Description

Responsibilities

  • Own investment strategy and execution across: Search, Social, Retail Media
  • Lead investment and media operations at scale; Partner with Strategy, Planning, Analytics, and Finance; Remove friction across teams to improve speed, alignment, and execution
  • Serve as a senior advisor to key clients; Lead high-impact conversations around growth, media effectiveness, and investment allocation; Build trusted client relationships
  • Own the connection between media investment and business outcomes; Define KPIs tied to ROAS, CAC, revenue growth, and efficiency; Establish a consistent performance cadence
  • Bring financial discipline to investment decisions, optimizing marginal return and capital allocation
  • Build and lead a modern, performance-driven investment organization; Develop next-generation leaders with full-funnel expertise
  • Set the tone for accountability, speed, and ownership; Create an environment focused on outcomes over activity
  • Lead strategic relationships with key platforms and partners (Google, Meta, Amazon, CTV, publishers)
  • Negotiate for value, transparency, and performance; Drive innovation in measurement, attribution, and optimization
  • Act as a strategic partner to the CEO and executive team; Provide visibility into performance, risks, and growth opportunities

Requirements

  • 20+ years in media, with significant leadership in investment and operations
  • Experience as a CIO or senior investment leader (Head of Investment, Media, or Performance)
  • Proven success managing large-scale, full-funnel media portfolios
  • Deep expertise across performance media, programmatic/CTV, and traditional channels
  • Strong understanding of platform ecosystems (Google, Meta, Amazon, etc.)
  • Demonstrated ability to scale teams and drive measurable business outcomes
  • Strong financial, operational, and strategic acumen

Preferred

  • Hands-on and comfortable working directly with teams and clients
Empower Media logo

Empower Media

We are Empower®America’s largest woman-owned agency. A true growth partner for brands, we empower our clients to Grow Fearlessly, to abandon inhibitions and reach new heights. We deliver results. And if that means finding a new way or creating a new process, we do it. From the day we opened in 1985, Empower has challenged the advertising status quo. Empower is led by powerhouse CEO, Ashlee Clarke. With her uncompromising drive and unparalleled vision, she sets a new standard for world-class agency work. Ashlee has the tenacity that has broken many glass ceilings, and the business experience to break new ground to help clients go where others feared to go. Chris Clarke serves as Empower’s Executive Chairman. He is regarded as one of the most significant thought leaders in the advertising and marketing world. He is credited for revolutionizing marketing in the early ‘90s with the establishment of guerilla marketing, and innovating digital marketing in the early 2000’s. He continues to push the industry forward. With a finger on the pulse of cultural relevance, Ashlee and Chris offer a wider view of opportunities to connect with consumers. The Clarkes are Broadway producers with a remarkable 20 Tony nominations and 5 wins. Just this year, they also co-produced The Fabulous Four, a film starring Bette Midler and Susan Sarandon. Not only does Empower influence broader culture, our integrated team of experts in Media, Creative, Analytics, and Influencer Marketing outperforms expectations, leaving mediocrity in our dust. Some of our extraordinary client partners include Whataburger, Tempur Sealy, Jack Link’s, Jockey International, Sprouts Farmers Market, Weber Grills, GNC, Fifth Third Bank, JUST Capital, Bank of America and Freshpet. Empower is pure opportunity, for our clients and team members alike. Are you ready to challenge yourself, level up and work with an unstoppable team that’s building new ways to help brands Grow Fearlessly? Join us.

Founded in 1985
Chicago, Illinois, USA
208 employees (61 in marketing)

Traffic Signals

Monthly Visitors
3.6K
Monthly Google Ads Budget
$37
Traffic Source Mix
Search
37.7%
Direct
47.8%
Referral
5%
Social
8.4%
Paid
1%

Headcount Trend

Current headcount: ~208

Marketing Team

Marketing Team Size
49 (24% of company)
Marketing Roles Posted (Last 30 Days)
3

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