Director - Paid Media

About Client: We are a leading Digital Experience Software and Services company dedicated to providing comprehensive solutions across all touch points that enhance customer engagement and drive business growth. We are on a mission to pioneer the distribution and visibility of content with an innovative platform that drives discovery, personalized experiences, and conversions powered by data and AI. We pride ourselves on our collaborative culture and commitment to excellence in everything we do, and we are certified as a Great Place to Work.

About Role

As Director, Paid Media, you will set the strategic direction for our paid media practice across a global client portfolio, owning business outcomes from investment to impact. You will build and lead a high-performing team in Bangalore, define the operating model for AI-driven campaign execution, and serve as the executive voice of paid media to clients and internal leadership.

This role demands equal parts visionary leadership, deep marketing science, and sharp business acumen — you will own P&L accountability, shape pricing and capacity decisions, and drive the commercial growth of the practice.

Problems We Area looking to Solve

How do we build a paid media practice that drives measurable business growth — not just campaign metrics — for clients across industries? How do we create a pricing and capacity model that scales profitably without linear headcount growth? How can AI-driven automation, predictive analytics, and smart tooling replace manual effort and free the team for higher-value advisory work? How do we position our paid media offering as a competitive differentiator that wins and retains enterprise clients?

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Vision & Leadership:
• Define and own the vision, operating model, and multi-year roadmap for paid media practice globally.
• Drive commercial growth of the practice — contributing to new business pitches, pricing strategy, and client retention.
• Translate enterprise client business objectives into paid media investment strategies that directly impact revenue, market share, and customer acquisition cost.

• Operational Excellence & Growth:
• Own P&L accountability for the paid media business unit — managing budgets, utilization, margins, and profitability targets.
• Establish governance frameworks, performance standards, and scalable operating processes across all client accounts.

• Innovation & Culture:
• Architect the AI and automation roadmap for the practice — identifying, evaluating, and deploying tools that deliver measurable efficiency gains.
• Stay ahead of platform innovations, algorithm shifts, and emerging ad formats; translate trends into practice-level opportunity.
• Build a culture of experimentation — establishing test-and-learn frameworks and AI agent workflows that compound performance over time.

• Cross-Functional Alignment:
• Act as the executive sponsor for key client relationships; partner with CSMs, Analytics, and Product to deliver integrated, business-aligned solutions.
• Lead C-suite and executive-level business reviews, presenting strategic performance narratives, competitive positioning, and forward-looking roadmaps.

• Customer Impact:
• Serve as the strategic advisor and executive point of contact for priority client accounts, connecting paid media outcomes to their broader P&L and growth goals.
• Leverage market intelligence, competitive benchmarks, and business analytics to craft recommendations that go beyond campaign metrics to boardroom-level impact.

• Talent & Empowerment:
• Recruit, develop, and retain a world-class paid media team in Bangalore; build career paths, succession plans, and a culture of excellence.
• Drive organisation-wide capability building in AI, analytics, and business acumen — elevating the team from operators to strategic advisors.

• Business Acumen & Commercial Leadership:
• Own the practice P&L — set revenue targets, manage costs and utilisation, track margins, and report business performance to senior leadership.
• Partner with Sales and Customer Success on new business proposals, pricing strategy, scope definition, and contract renewals.
• Apply competitive intelligence and industry benchmarks to identify market opportunities, refine the service proposition, and inform go-to-market positioning.
• Connect paid media investment to client business financials — framing recommendations in terms of customer acquisition cost, lifetime value, payback period, and incremental revenue.

• Ideal Candidate Profile
• You are a business-minded marketing leader who happens to be a paid media expert — not the other way around.
• You think in terms of revenue impact, margin contribution, and competitive differentiation as naturally as you think in ROAS and CPA.
• You have owned a P&L, built practices from the ground up, and know how to win trust in a boardroom.
• You lead with clarity, inspire with vision, and execute with rigour.
• You see AI not as a trend to follow but as infrastructure to build — and you have the credibility to bring clients and teams with you on that journey.

• Key Focus Areas
• Business Strategy and P&L Ownership
• AI-Powered Practice Development & Automation
• Enterprise Paid Media Strategy (Search, Social, Programmatic)
• Advanced Analytics, Attribution & Business Impact Measurement
• Executive Client Partnerships & Commercial Growth

• Capabilities
• Business acumen — P&L management, pricing strategy, and commercial decision-making
• Strategic paid media planning and practice leadership at enterprise scale
• AI and automation architecture for performance marketing operations
• Advanced analytics — translating media data into business and financial impact
• People leadership — building, developing, and retaining high-performance teams
• Executive stakeholder management and C-suite advisory
• Commercial growth mindset — new business development and client expansion

• KPI and Metrics
• Practice P&L: revenue, utilisation, margin, and profitability targets
• Campaign performance across portfolio: ROAS, CPA, CTR, Conversion Rate
• AI and automation efficiency gains; reduction in manual task hours
• Client satisfaction, retention, and NPS / CSAT scores
• Commercial growth: new business contribution and account expansion revenue
• Team performance, capability growth, and succession readiness
• Innovation velocity: AI tools deployed, new strategies piloted, and scaled
• Time-to-launch and campaign scalability metrics

• Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Analytics, or related field. MBA is an advantage.
• Google Ads certifications (Search, Display, Performance Max) required; Meta Blueprint certification preferred.
• Any AI/ML or data analytics certification (e.g. Google Analytics, Coursera, or equivalent) is a strong plus.

• Required Experience
• 12+ years of experience in Paid Media / Performance Marketing, with at least 4 years in a senior leadership or Director-level role.
• Demonstrated P&L ownership and business acumen — experience managing a practice, agency vertical, or client portfolio with revenue and margin accountability.
• Deep expertise in Google Ads (Performance Max, Smart Bidding, Search, Display, YouTube), Meta Ads, Bing Ads, and programmatic platforms.
• Strong business analytics capability — fluent in GA4, multi-touch attribution, LTV modelling, and connecting media investment to business financials.
• Demonstrated experience designing and deploying AI workflows, automation agents, and data-driven decision frameworks at scale.
• Executive presence and communication skills — proven ability to influence C-suite stakeholders, present strategic narratives, and lead high-stakes business conversations.
• Track record of growing client relationships, contributing to new business, and building practices that scale. Flexibility to work in US time zones as required.

• What We Offer
• Competitive salary and performance-based incentives.
• Comprehensive benefits package.
• Opportunity to work in a collaborative, AI-forward, and innovation-driven environment
• Career growth, AI-focused professional development, and a clear path to senior leadership in a global organization.
• A chance to be part of a global team that makes a significant impact in the industry.