Director, Paid Social and Search (Performance Media)

Chicago, IL (Hybrid)

$121K/yr – $174K/yrSenior Level7+ years expFull time

Posted 1 month ago

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Job Summary

Own paid media leadership across search and social with 7+ years of performance marketing and a track record of leading teams and cross‑functional collaboration to hit brand and performance goals.

  • Ownership: define strategy and measurement for search and social, partner with analytics and broader media teams
  • Impact: drive optimization, platform automation, and AI‑enabled tools to improve outcomes
  • Stakeholders: advise senior clients and internal teams with clear storytelling and ongoing education on trends

Job Description

Responsibilities

  • Lead, motivate, and develop high‑performing paid search and paid social teams, ensuring campaigns meet or exceed performance, financial, and quality goals
  • Own paid search and paid social strategy across platforms, aligning activation and optimization to broader brand and business objectives
  • Serve as a trusted senior advisor to clients and internal stakeholders, fostering strong, long‑term relationships
  • Define success frameworks, including KPIs, measurement approaches, testing methodologies, and optimization strategies across search and social
  • Guide teams in applying advanced optimization techniques, platform automation, and AI‑enabled tools with sound strategic judgment
  • Champion the value of performance media by educating clients and internal teams on platform innovation, emerging capabilities, and industry best practices
  • Deliver clear, compelling presentations that communicate strategy, insights, performance results, and forward‑looking opportunities
  • Own financial management for assigned accounts, including forecasting, staffing plans, and overall account health
  • Partner closely with cross‑channel leaders (analytics, programmatic, paid social, search, and broader media teams) to deliver integrated solutions
  • Establish and reinforce best practices, quality assurance standards, and scalable processes across search and social operations
Starcom logo

Starcom

3.7 Glassdoor

With a history that dates back over 80 years, Starcom is a global communications planning and media leader. We are an agency still grounded in our founding principle that people are at the center of all we do. Each day, we apply this belief to harness the transformative power of data and technology to inspire and move people and business forward. With almost 7,000 employees in over 100 offices around the world, Starcom partners with the world's leading marketers and brands, including Bank of America, Best Buy, Kellanova, McDonald's, Novartis, Samsung, Visa, WK Kellogg Company and more.

Founded in 1936
Chicago, Illinois, USA
6.1K employees (2,084 in marketing)
66% recommend to a friend
59% CEO approval

Traffic Signals

Monthly Visitors
20.1K
Traffic Source Mix
Search
43.1%
Direct
41.6%
Referral
9.1%
Social
4.6%
Paid
1.1%

Headcount Trend

Current headcount: ~6.1K

Marketing Team

Marketing Team Size
1,983 (33% of company)
Median Career Experience
10 years
Median Tenure
4.5 years
Marketing Roles Posted (Last 30 Days)
34

Funding

Total Funding
$57.1M
Last Raise
$43.2M
Series A, 1 months ago

Funding History

  • Feb 2026
    Series A • $43.2M
  • Aug 2025
    Series A
  • May 2025
    Series A • $13.9M

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