Associate Director, Paid Media

Earthjustice•San Francisco, CA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Earthjustice is seeking an Associate Director, Paid Media to oversee the development and implementation of paid marketing strategies and multi-million-dollar media investments to meet strategic growth goals. This role will guide the paid media agency in execution of integrated strategies and technology/platform partners. The position involves comprehensive planning, managing budgets, and analyzing campaign performance to optimize for maximum ROI. This is a supervisory position overseeing 2 full-time paid media strategists. The role requires a full-time (37.5 hours/week) schedule and offers a hybrid work arrangement from Earthjustice's offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, or Washington, DC.

Requirements

8-10 years of experience in paid media strategy, brand/performance marketing with experience managing substantial media budgets for nonprofits.
Proven experience in managing agencies and third-party vendors.
Deep expertise in full funnel media planning and large multi-channel paid media campaigns that deliver a cohesive supporter experience.
Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and drive decision-making.
Ability to translate complex issues into compelling, accessible communications.
Ability to prioritize, manage multiple deadlines, and respond quickly to new opportunities and developments.
Ability to work collaboratively with other staff to meet shared cross-team goals and give honest, constructive, respectful feedback.
Demonstrated commitment to Earthjustice’s values of Justice, Excellence, Inclusion, and Partnership.
Skill in leading diverse teams with emotional intelligence and cultural competence; fosters growth through mentorship, effective communication, and constructive feedback while hiring and developing team talents to align with organizational needs.

Responsibilities

Build and optimize full-funnel media strategies (prospecting, retargeting, conversion) and integrated media plans for a growing multi-million-dollar paid media program in partnership with fundraising/advocacy/brand teams.
Develop and manage large multi-channel paid media campaigns that deliver a cohesive supporter/donor experience.
Stay abreast of the evolving paid media landscape, trends and developments to ensure the paid media program leverages the market.
Regularly review and analyze the competitive landscape to differentiate our program.
Oversee the paid media agency relationship, ensuring execution meets brand and quality standards and the overall program delivers against goals.
Provide real-time communication with the paid media agency for rapid response moments, conducting weekly performance reviews, monthly and quarterly strategic discussions, and setting annual plans.
Translate team goals into integrated strategies, audience segmentation, and performance plans in line with institutional and departmental priorities, in partnership with brand/fundraising/advocacy teams (SMEs).
Work closely with content teams (social, public affairs, creative, email, etc.) to ensure the supporter/donor journey is engaging and compelling.
Collaborate cross-functionally with other teams, like Development, to identify opportunities for online-offline integration.
Produce accurate, quality, and timely work in an ever-shifting landscape of news, technology, politics, and law.
Adopt a flexible approach to meeting rapid response moments and pivot strategies where needed.
Analyze performance data and translate insights into actionable optimizations.
Oversee the development and maintenance of comprehensive paid media dashboards.
Build and scale a test-and-learn culture by advancing measurement, leveraging tools (including AI), and embedding data-informed audience strategies into action.
Manage and develop the in-house paid media team (currently 2 staff), providing training, mentorship, and growth opportunities.
Uphold Earthjustice’s mission and values by fostering a respectful, inclusive, and collaborative work environment, providing clear direction and feedback, and promoting a culture of learning.
Oversee relevant administrative, budgeting, and personnel management of direct reports, ensuring all organizational policies and standards are met.
Partner with Communications leadership on rolling out change management initiatives.
Actively pursue professional development and contribute to a culture of learning by building skills and sharing knowledge.
Pursue innovative, best-in-class approaches to communications work and share those learnings with colleagues.
Maintain an ongoing understanding of communications best practices and movement trends.