Associate Director, Media Buying

SimpsonScarborough•Alexandria, VA

5d•Remote

About The Position

At SimpsonScarborough, we spend our days building brands that endure, inspire, and elevate the all-important work of colleges and universities in shaping our future. Recognized as a leader in the higher education marketing industry, we are a fully remote team of approximately 70 employees working coast to coast. We’re looking for an Associate Director, Media Buying to lead the execution and optimization of paid media campaigns across the Activation team. This role is ideal for someone with strong media buying experience that includes campaign performance oversight, guiding buying best practices, and support the development of a high-performing media buying team. You will work closely with strategy, analytics, and activation teams to ensure campaigns are executed effectively, budgets are managed responsibly, and performance insights inform ongoing optimization.

Requirements

6–9 years of experience in digital media buying, campaign activation, or paid media management within an agency or marketing environment.
Solid experience managing or mentoring junior media team members.
Experience managing paid media campaigns across multiple platforms including social, search, display, and programmatic channels
Strong understanding of programmatic buying platforms and vendor ecosystems
Proven ability to manage campaign performance, budgets, and optimization strategies across multiple campaigns simultaneously
Bachelor’s degree and/or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience

Responsibilities

Oversee the execution of paid media campaigns across digital channels including social, search, display, and programmatic platforms
Manage and mentor a team of media buyers, supporting their day-to-day execution and professional development
Help shape internal approaches to media buying, platform usage, and optimization methodologies by establishing best practices for campaign setup, budget management, targeting strategies, and platform utilization
Lead relationships with programmatic platforms, vendors, and media technology partners
Evaluate new platform opportunities, beta programs, and emerging capabilities
Oversee campaign budgets across multiple platforms and ensure spend aligns with campaign strategy and performance objectives
Maintain strong communication across Strategy, Activation, and Analytics teams to support successful campaign execution