Vice President of Paid Media (Remote US) at Directive

VICE PRESIDENT OF PAID MEDIA OVERVIEW The VP, Paid Media owns a ~$15M P&L spanning three pillars: Paid Media, Programmatic, and Creative. This role reports to the Managing Director, Performance, and is accountable for client outcomes, retention, and quality of work across all three pillars. The VP leads through Associate Directors who manage billable consultants executing day-to-day work. This is not a hands-on campaign role. Instead, the VP operates as a leader of leaders, ensuring quality at critical client moments while developing middle management to scale that standard. The role balances two responsibilities: direct inspection at key inflection points in client engagements, and operational leverage through Associate Directors. Success means being present where it matters most—and enabling the team everywhere else. The Job Inspect Work at the Moments That Matter The VP is present at critical points in the client lifecycle where quality directly impacts retention and growth. They review strategy, challenge thinking, and ensure output meets standards before reaching clients. Key moments of VP accountability: - Sales-to-Ops Handoff: Review key client handoffs to ensure clarity on business goals and scope - Kickoff: Validate alignment on success metrics and expectations for priority clients - Project Phase: Inspect early strategy and planning across Paid Media, Programmatic, and Creative - NSM Setting: Validate North Star Metrics for priority engagements - Weekly Updates: Spot-check patterns and coach on communication quality - Monthly Updates: Review output for clarity and linkage to business outcomes - QBRs: Pressure-test decks; attend priority or at-risk accounts - 6-Month Strategy Reviews: Ensure strategy evolves based on data, not inertia - ABRs: Support or co-lead for key accounts - Renewals: Partner on renewal strategy for priority clients The VP defines what “good” looks like and reinforces that standard consistently across teams. Drive Leverage Through Associate Directors The VP scales impact by developing Associate Directors into strong operators and quality owners. - Establish clear operating cadences (reviews, escalations, ownership) - Coach AsDs on how to evaluate work and give actionable feedback - Calibrate quality standards across teams - Hold AsDs accountable for client health and delivery quality—not just output Lead Across Paid Media, Programmatic & Creative The VP maintains cross-functional credibility and ensures alignment across pillars. - Operate with working fluency across all three areas - Ensure Paid Media, Programmatic, and Creative function as an integrated system - Apply appropriate quality standards by discipline - Contribute to broader Performance leadership discussions Commercial Ownership & P&L The VP owns a ~$15M P&L with focus on: - Client Goal Attainment - Net Revenue Retention (NRR) - Gross Profit Margin - Monthly Recurring Revenue Retention Responsibilities include: - Managing pricing, staffing, and resourcing decisions - Monitoring client health and proactively addressing risks - Supporting expansion opportunities across accounts - Tracking operational indicators that drive financial outcomes Client Relationship Ownership For priority accounts, the VP plays an active role: - Build relationships with senior client stakeholders - Participate in key meetings (QBRs, ABRs, renewals) - Act as escalation point when needed - Maintain strong understanding of client business models and goals Talent Development The VP is responsible for strengthening the leadership layer: - Develop Associate Directors into effective leaders and quality drivers - Maintain visibility into strategist performance and growth - Partner with People Operations on hiring and development - Build a pipeline of future leadership talent Key Performance Indicators Commercial KPIs - Client Goal Attainment - Net Revenue Retention (NRR) - Gross Profit Margin - Monthly Recurring Revenue Retention Operational Indicators - Inspection Coverage Rate - AsD Quality Calibration - Strategy-to-Execution Alignment - Client Escalation Resolution Time - Pilot-to-Contract Conversion Qualifications Required - 10+ years of paid media leadership experience, with demonstrated ownership of multi-channel paid practices at scale. - Experience managing middle managers (Associate Directors, Group Directors, or equivalent) with teams of billable consultants under them. - P&L ownership experience, including responsibility for gross margin and commercial outcomes. - Fluency across multiple paid channels (search, social, programmatic) with sufficient depth to inspect strategy and execution credibly. - Demonstrated experience developing middle managers into senior leaders. Preferred - Agency or consulting background with exposure to B2B, B2C, or performance-driven client portfolios. - Experience integrating Creative into Paid Media practices, or leading cross-functional teams including Creative talent. - Experience managing programmatic at scale, including DSP partnerships and first-party data strategy. - Track record of building inspection and quality control systems in organizations that previously relied on individual heroics. Who You Are You are a senior operator who leads through structure and presence at the decisive moments. You know that in a services business, the quality of the work is the product — and you have the judgment to see what others miss when you look at a strategy, a brief, or a plan. You lead through your Associate Directors, not around them. You develop them into real inspectors of work. You inspect how they inspect. You raise the floor on quality across your practice by teaching, calibrating, and holding standards. You are credible across Paid Media, Programmatic, and Creative without being the deepest expert in any one of them. You can read a paid search audit, a creative brief, and a programmatic plan and push back on each with substance. You understand that different work requires different evaluation criteria. You know the difference between a bottleneck and a leader. You are present where your presence matters and absent where your absence enables your team. You own a $15M P&L and you understand that every client outcome traces back to a moment where the work was inspected — or wasn’t. What We Offer: - Compensation for this role includes a competitive base salary + strong bonus package - 🙏 Medical, dental, vision plans, disability, and life insurance coverage for you and your family that fit your lifestyle - Including a 100% employer-paid plan for you and a 50% employer contribution for your dependents (US, CAD, MX) - Benefits to Support the Whole Person: - 🧠 Mental - Access to certified therapists through Spring Health, membership to Headspace - 💪 Physical - Physical therapy through Omada, thousands of Aaptiv virtual workouts, complimentary One Medical membership for primary and virtual care - 🛫 Time Off - Unlimited PTO (2-week minimum), Paid Company Holidays, Your Birthday Off, End of Year Recharge (Closed December 24 - January 1), Paid Parental Leave - 💰 Financial - Traditional and Roth 401(k) with a 3% company match - 🌟 Bonus - Annual bonus based on tenure, which scales in total amount over time - 🌴 Annual Company-wide Retreat Work Environment Requirements As a remote-first company, you’ll have the ability to work from your home office. For some positions, as posted, we will accommodate global opportunities where we have established businesses, including Canada, Mexico, and the UK. For global locations, you must have established and current work authorization and permanently reside in that country. This role has the opportunity to operate 100% virtually from your home office. We primarily collaborate with our colleagues through virtual meetings (Zoom), and Slack. In this role, you will be required to operate a laptop computer (PC or Mac available), computer software platforms, and other office productivity tools as necessary. Due to the nature of this role, you must be able #LI-CV1