Senior Director, Search

Known•New York, NY

3d•$170,000 - $185,000

About The Position

Known's Media Science team uses advanced analytics, machine learning, statistics, and algorithms to plan and optimize advertising dollars. We partner with our clients to translate their business goals into meaningful metrics, and buy media across all channels to drive those target outcomes. As a Senior Director, Search, you own search performance across a portfolio of clients. You set the strategy, develop the team, and are the executive point of contact when clients need a senior voice in the room. You will lead paid search in daily account management, cross-channel strategy, and optimization, and you will bring a clear point of view on how generative AI is reshaping search behavior and paid media execution.

Requirements

A degree from a well-regarded college or university
8+ years of hands-on experience managing paid search strategy and execution in a digital agency or comparable environment
Demonstrated experience managing gen AI-powered search campaigns, including Performance Max, Responsive Search Ads, Smart Bidding and emerging generative ad formats across Google and Microsoft
Working knowledge of SEO, including technical SEO, content strategy, and the intersection of organic and paid search
Experience managing and growing a team of at least 4-6 people
Track record managing clients directly at a senior level
Experience in translating goals to KPIs
Ability to think creatively and question conventional platform or channel approaches when the situation calls for it.
Strong grasp of the math behind media buying: statistics, attribution models, and measurement frameworks, while also understanding and implementing the magic of translating insights into action.
Ability to evaluate and direct work across paid search and gen AI search in a single coherent strategy
In-platform fluency with Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising, including AI-powered campaign types
Experience with search audience strategies, keyword architecture, and budget scaling across verticals
Excellent communication and presentation skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical clients
Translates business problems into specific, solvable media questions and delivers high-quality work against them
Delegates effectively to a team with varying levels of experience
Holds a high bar for accuracy in reporting and analytics, for their own work and others'
Collaborative by default; builds trust across media, analytics, and client teams

Nice To Haves

Experience working with data scientists or technical teams on measurement and optimization problems is a plus

Responsibilities

Own performance and client relationships across your portfolio, meeting targets and delivering clear, data-grounded narratives
Set the overall strategy for paid search and generative AI search (including Performance Max, AI-powered Smart Bidding, and emerging gen AI ad surfaces), across multiple clients
Define and enforce best practices across the team, including testing frameworks, QA standards, and knowledge-sharing processes
Manage, develop, and hire direct reports; own the professional development of the full search team under you
Act as executive escalation point for client issues, coordinating resolution across disciplines
Translate client business objectives into search strategies, and connect search activity to broader channel plans
Oversee day-to-day management of advertising spend across paid search
Advise clients and internal teams on how machine learning, automation, and generative AI tools can improve search performance
Build and present media plans, performance reports, and strategic recommendations to client leadership
Build and grow search practice with an eye to the future, which may include changes in Search and AI landscape, evolution of overall paid media landscape, and other cross channel knowledge sharing.