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 mostâand 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 âgoodâ 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 qualityânot 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 â 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.
directive