Director, Paid Search

Tinuiti is the largest independent full-funnel marketing agency in the U.S. across the media that matters most, with $4 billion in digital media under management and more than 1,200 employees. Built for marketers who demand growth and accountability, Tinuiti unites media and measurement under one roof to eliminate waste—the biggest growth killer of all—and scale what works. Its proprietary technology, Bliss Point by Tinuiti, reveals the truth around growth and waste, and how to capitalize on it. With expert teams across Commerce, Search, Social, TV & Audio, and more, Tinuiti delivers measurable results with brutal simplicity: Love Growth. Hate Waste.

We support 100% remote work for this role!

Research shows that while men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other marginalized folks tend to only apply when they check every box. So if you think you qualify, but don't necessarily meet every single point on the job description, please still get in touch.

As a Director, Paid Search, you will lead a portfolio of clients and be a senior, day‑to‑day owner of the client relationship and growth agenda in partnership with the Senior Client Partner and Pod Leader as appropriate. You will align account team recommendations to client goals, set clear expectations, and foster trust with senior stakeholders by proactively creating high‑value moments to meet, present, and influence decisions. You’ll partner with internal leaders to resolve escalations quickly, connect Search to other channels (Social, Commerce/Retail Media, TVAD, Creative), and translate platform, competitive, and Bliss Point insights into executive‑ready actions. You will also own the financial health of your team and channel(s) for your clients (e.g. margin, utilization/capacity, and forecast accuracy) working closely with your Pod Leader and Finance.

Key Responsibilities
 

Client‑Centric

• Own executive relationships and the client growth agenda: align strategy to P&L, inventory, and customer journey; frame trade‑offs and secure decisions in QBRs/steercos on options/trade‑offs., align full‑funnel Search plans to business goals

• Anticipate issues and drive escalations to resolution; ensure transparency and trust with senior stakeholders.

• Lead onboarding, transitions, escalations, renewals/expansion; support new business with clear narratives tied to impact.

Product‑Led

• Orchestrate automation and platform strategy (e.g., value‑based bidding, Performance Max) across accounts in the Pod; set guardrails and adoption standards.

• Integrate Bliss Point insights (Rapid MMM, Always‑On Incrementality, Brand Equity, Creative Insights, Forecasting, Customer Insights) into allocation and testing; close feedback loops with Product/Analytics.

Data & Measurement‑Driven

• Institutionalize hypothesis‑driven planning: set test roadmaps with powered designs (control/holdout where feasible), decision thresholds, and governance.

• Ensure data quality (tags, feeds, UTM/GA4) and communicate model caveats; require financial impact narratives (forecast vs. actual) for major decisions.

The Tinuiti Way

• Connect channel depth to cross‑channel growth; educate clients on measurement trade‑offs; codify reusable frameworks and playbooks; raise the craft bar across the Pod.

Owner Mindset

• Drive accountability for outcomes (Rocks/KPIs), eliminate process/spend waste, and accelerate adoption of effective practices; model speed and follow‑through.

People Leader

• Build and lead a high‑performing team: clear goals and Rocks, weekly 1:1s, timely feedback, skill development, and succession pipeline; coach managers.

• Install operating rhythm and governance (scorecards, QA, playbooks) that sustain performance and improve consistency across the Pod.

Ways of working and values

• Greatness attracts Greatness: Raise the craft standard, seek feedback, and embrace technology/AI.

• Clients grow, we grow: Anchor decisions in business outcomes with innovation, precision, and proof.

• Culture of ownership: Act with speed, reduce waste, and own results end‑to‑end.

Professional & Technical Qualifications

• Experience: 10+ years in Paid Search/Shopping with proven results at scale (>$1M monthly); executive client communications and decision facilitation.

• People leadership: 3+ years’ direct management required; experience leading managers and senior ICs; hiring, coaching, and performance management.

• Platform/tech: Google/Microsoft Ads, Merchant Center; SA360/Skai; competitive tools (Auction Insights, Adthena/SpyFu); comfort with scripts/workflow automation.

• Cross‑channel literacy: connect Paid Search to SEO, Social, Commerce/Retail Media, TVAD, Creative in simple executive narratives.

• Channel financial acumen: margin/utilization/capacity management, reliable forecasting with Finance and Pod Leadership; staffing aligned to priorities.

• Measurement/analytics: GA4; experiment design (sample size/power), forecasting, and financial modeling; can synthesize MMM/Incrementality and platform signals.

• Product/AI: Portfolio‑level orchestration of value‑based bidding/PMax with guardrails; integrates Bliss Point insights into planning; drives adoption and feedback loops.

• Communication and leadership: Executive‑ready narrative, risk framing, and change leadership across clients and internal teams. Concise storytelling and expectation setting with senior clients.

• Certifications: Google Ads Search and Shopping (or completed within first 60 days). Additional Google certifications are a plus.

KPIs

• Client growth and efficiency: Achieve planned efficiency KPIs while expanding revenue contribution; deliver validated reallocations driven by Bliss Point insights.

• Experimentation at scale: Maintain an innovative quarterly test roadmap with adoption and measurable business impact.

• Forecast accuracy and governance: Stay within agreed tolerances; document risks/mitigations; enforce decision thresholds.

• Financials: Margin/utilization on target; staffing aligned to priorities; forecast accuracy within tolerance.

• Data quality: Sustain high tag/feed integrity; prevent recurrences via controls and QA.

• Team performance and readiness: Improve engagement, retention, capability depth, and succession bench; ensure certifications and ongoing learning. Encourage / model contribution / knowledge sharing across the larger Search team at Tinuiti.

• Cross‑channel integration: Demonstrable lift from coordinated cross channel plans, and Shared Service / Strategic Planning & Investments as appropriate.

The hiring salary range for this role is $125,000 - $150,000. We also offer an incentive pay program (RevShare) comprising a monthly variable revenue payment opportunity and a discretionary annual performance bonus. 

Hiring salaries are determined through interviews and a review of education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities of the applicant, parity with other team members, and alignment with market data. We will provide more information on our benefits, incentive pay, and equity upon request. Disclosure as required by the Colorado Equal Pay for > Equal Work Act, C.R.S. § 8-5-101 et seq.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Unlimited PTO: At Tinuiti, we believe you deserve time to rest, recharge, and enjoy life unplugged. When you prioritize time for yourself, you're able to bring your best self to work. That’s why we offer unlimited paid time off, a fully remote environment, and flexibility to take the time you need, when you need it. On top of that, we provide 20 paid holidays, including multiple long weekends, to ensure you have dedicated time to step away and disconnect. We're proud to offer above-industry standard work-life balance, consistently rated as one of the most loved benefits by Tinuitians year after year.

Healthcare: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life & Disability, Flex Spending Accounts

Retirement: Match up to 4% of your contributions at 100% with immediate vesting

Perks and Wellness: Fringe, Forma, Unlimited Telemedicine and Teletherapy available at no cost, Thankful giving, Equity

Parental Leave: Birthing parents receive 16 weeks of leave with 100% pay (partners 12 weeks) after the birth or adoption of a child.

Learning and Development: On-demand learning (powered by LinkedIn Learning), mentorship program, leadership and management development programs and resources

Disclaimer: This description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this position. The actual duties, responsibilities, and qualifications may vary based on assignment or group. Tinuiti is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, marital status, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other protected status.