Senior Director, Paid Search

Darkroom • New York, NY

1d • Remote

About The Position

Darkroom is hiring a Senior Director, Paid Search to lead its Paid Search practice. This executive leadership role owns the practice’s strategy, performance, commercial health, service offering, and team across Google, YouTube, Microsoft Advertising, and emerging AI search advertising platforms. The Senior Director reports to the Managing Director of Paid Media, serves on the Paid Media leadership team, and partners with Darkroom leadership on practice growth, margin, hiring, and service development. The role also collaborates with Paid Social, Programmatic, Creative, Analytics, Growth Strategy, and Shadow.

The position leads a team of at least six across Associate Directors, Paid Search Managers, and Specialists, with Associate Directors and Specialists reporting directly to the Senior Director. It includes responsibility for management development, succession planning, hiring, career paths, performance reviews, and team culture. The Senior Director serves as executive sponsor for strategic client relationships, leads executive business reviews and annual planning, and acts as the final escalation point for major client and performance issues.

The role sets paid search standards and measurement approaches across a portfolio of 15+ accounts with aggregate monthly spend of $3 million to $10 million or more. It also leads Darkroom’s AI search build-out, platform partnerships, external paid search thought leadership, and adoption of Shadow’s AI and agentic tooling. Darkroom describes its culture as fast-paced, high-accountability, remote-first, and focused on autonomy, accountability, strong performance, creativity, and ownership. Roles are often fully remote; employees based in or near New York or Lisbon headquarters are expected to work hybrid with weekly in-office time.

Requirements

• 10+ years of paid media advertising experience, including at least 8 years specializing in Paid Search, particularly Google.
• At least 5 years leading paid search teams, including 3 years managing managers, and experience leading a team of at least six in a fast-paced agency or in-house environment.
• Experience building or scaling a paid search practice or department, including org design, hiring, processes, and service delivery standards.
• Experience owning or directly influencing a practice or department P&L, including revenue, margin, utilization, and pricing.
• Track record overseeing paid search portfolios with at least $3 million in aggregate monthly spend and personally scaling Google ad accounts beyond $1 million USD per month while maintaining or improving efficiency.
• Executive presence with CMOs, founders, and internal leadership; ability to build trust, present strategic recommendations confidently, and navigate complex stakeholder dynamics.
• Expert-level command of Google Ads, including Shopping, Performance Max, and YouTube, and deep familiarity with Microsoft Advertising and emerging AI search ad platforms.
• Mastery of the e-commerce marketing funnel, from offer and ad through landing page and conversion.
• Mastery of e-commerce performance metrics, including CPA, CAC, iROAS, nCAC, MER, aMER, CTR, and CPM, and modern measurement approaches including incrementality and brand search cannibalization testing.
• Strong background in portfolio-level budget forecasting, spend projection modeling, and data-derived decision-making.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex data into compelling insights for teams, clients, and leadership.

Responsibilities

• Own the multi-year vision, strategy, and performance of the Paid Search practice across traditional search, Shopping, YouTube, and AI search.
• Partner with the Managing Director of Paid Media on practice OKRs, annual planning, budgeting, and headcount as a member of the Paid Media leadership team.
• Own the practice’s commercial health, including revenue, margin, client retention, account growth, and team utilization, and report results to Darkroom leadership.
• Shape the paid search service offering, including scopes, pricing inputs, new service lines, and packaging for AI search as it develops.
• Lead Paid Search’s role in new business through pitches, audits, proposals, and final-round prospect pitches in partnership with the Growth team.
• Build, lead, and grow a team of at least six across Associate Directors, Paid Search Managers, and Specialists.
• Develop the practice’s leadership bench through coaching, management development, succession planning, and growth plans for future leaders.
• Own practice org design and hiring plans with Recruiting, including role definition, leveling, and final hiring decisions for leadership roles.
• Set career paths, leveling expectations, and performance review processes, and ensure each team member has an individualized growth plan.
• Build a culture of accountability, craft, and candor that supports retention and growth.
• Serve as executive sponsor for strategic Paid Search clients, leading executive business reviews and annual planning with client leadership.
• Act as the final escalation point for high-stakes client and performance issues and own retention strategy for at-risk accounts.
• Manage key relationships with Google and Microsoft to secure beta access, support, and early insights for clients.
• Lead Darkroom’s AI search development by monitoring and piloting new ad products, defining testing approaches, and advising clients on the direction of search.
• Represent Darkroom’s paid search perspective through industry events, content, and partner programs.
• Partner with Shadow’s product team to shape AI and agentic tools and drive their adoption across the practice.
• Set campaign architecture, bidding, optimization, and testing standards across a portfolio of 15+ accounts with aggregate monthly spend of $3 million to $10 million or more.
• Own Shopping and Performance Max standards, including feed quality and Merchant Center best practices.
• Define and maintain creative standards for ad copy, landing page alignment, and short-form YouTube video.
• Lead measurement in partnership with Analytics, including attribution, incrementality testing, brand search cannibalization testing, and media mix modeling; set account KPI frameworks.
• Turn portfolio-wide learnings into repeatable playbooks, audit accounts, identify issues early, and lead by example.

Benefits

• Unlimited PTO and US holidays.
• Company-sponsored medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• 401(k) program with company match.
• Profit-sharing opportunities.
• Flexible parental leave.
• Growth opportunities through an interdisciplinary model and exposure beyond the core role.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed