Director, Search | Growth Marketing Team

WHY DEPT®?

We are pioneers at heart. What this means, is that we are always leaning forward, thinking of what we can create tomorrow that does not exist today. We were born digital and we are a new model of agency, with a deep skillset in tech and marketing. That’s why we hire curious, self-driven, talented people who never stop innovating.

Our culture is big enough to cope and small enough to care. Meaning, that with people across 20+ countries, we’re big enough to provide you with the best tools, global opportunities, and benefits that help you thrive. While acting small by investing in you, your growth, your team, and giving you the autonomy to solve our clients' problems, no matter where you are in the world. 

This is a hybrid position with the expectation of 3 days on-site per week in our Chicago office. You must be located within 50 miles of Chicago, IL

About You

You have a true talent for paid search, seamlessly blending strategy, creativity, and leadership. Your extensive knowledge of SEM and DEPT standards ensures campaigns are flawless, enabling your team of experts to excel. As a subject matter expert, you lead by example, demonstrating best practices and facilitating knowledge-sharing. You work closely with your team daily, providing guidance and support to ensure that activations run smoothly and clients achieve their goals. 

You are committed to building a thriving team and fostering growth and development at every opportunity. Always up-to-date with the latest SEM updates, you bring innovation to your track and champion performance, holding yourself accountable to client partners and KPIs. With a keen eye for talent, you identify potential, cultivate development, and build succession plans, leaving a lasting legacy of success and empowerment.

PROFICIENCY EXPECTATIONS

We expect Directors to be experts in paid search activation strategy and be able to understand how it weaves within the integrated media ecosystem. They are responsible for technical expertise and delivery excellence across all search channels. They successfully oversee a team of paid search experts that operates towards DMUS standards and supports career growth plans and the satisfaction of all of their team members.

• Directors should be proper subject matter experts in paid search, understanding how it plays a role within the entire funnel amongst other channels and ensuring their teams are adhering to best practices and promoting knowledge-sharing
• They will lead paid search team members in daily account management, tactical creation, and implementation, tracking performance against goals, and adherence to deadlines
• Accountable to Client Partner(s) in delivering tactical plans that ladder up to overall brand strategy and agreed KPIs
• Support client partners in managing client relationships as related to paid search strategy, team, and performance
• Ensures effective collaboration of paid search strategy and implementation for flawless execution of search campaign strategy and activation towards client overall goals
• Stay up-to-date on all information disseminated across the agency from Growth Teams, Qontrol, and Operations to ensure their track is adopting best practices and testing recommendations prioritized by the agency
• Point of escalation for all activation team members within their track- understands when to step in and coach the team on any advanced strategy, optimizations, processes, or next steps to mitigate issues and drive search growth.
• Oversees their activation team resourcing, consistently updating tracking to ensure utilization numbers are accurate and the team is fully utilized towards targets. Understands when their team is open for bandwidth and ready to take on clients.

Consistently assess team/account fit, ensuring we have the right talent matched up to the right client search accounts based on complexity, size, and client needs.

• Ensures we have high-performing team members across the track and proactively identifies when someone is struggling.
• Provide coaching to both the employee and manager or implement a performance improvement plan to document progress on specific issues
• Set up skip levels with all team members to ensure managers follow all proper procedures and support their DRs appropriately.
• Complete all administrative requirements for your track: 
• Monthly Client Spend Review/QA for search-specific channels

Ensuring their team’s Harvest hours are being completed accurately each weekEnsuring communications dissemination from ELT/SLT are being shared promptly

• Review and approve expense reports according to company policy
• Manage ADP updates for team mobility and compensation
• Identifies succession plans for their team and cultivates talent development for upward mobility and planning for unplanned employee attrition 
• Proven track record of growing team members by at least two levels, successfully managing ALs, and managing/coaching management within the team – providing clear and timely feedback on performance to ensure employees understand their strengths and opportunities to improve
• Takes part in new business search audits & pitches
• Owns the relationship between DMUS and channel platform reps
• Works with reps to identify and vet new opportunities, drive the development of channel-specific innovation, thought leadership, best practices & training, and ensure that best practices are implemented regularly

QUALIFICATIONS 

• A minimum of 8 years’ paid search experience (spanning all core Google, Microsoft, and Apple products) and a minimum 3 years of experience in a client-facing marketing role
• Proven prior work experience managing a team of 3+ direct reports / team members and demonstrated ability to mentor and develop direct reports into more senior roles
• A deep understanding of Google Ad and Microsoft Ads managers and be skilled at effectively communicating paid search goals, targets, and tactics to clients and can get into the weeds when necessary.
• The ability to audit an account and present actionable insights to a client
• The ability to provide feedback and strategic guidance across search channels (search, shopping, PMax, YouTube, Demand Gen)
• To hold your own talking growth strategy, SEO, CRO, analytics and measurement with marketing managers and C-Level executives alike
• Experience acting as an escalation point for clients, evaluating team services levels and proposing improvements

Additional things that will impress us: 

• The ability to identify upsell opportunities across all agency offerings and execute on those opportunities to grow revenue on existing clients
• You are skilled at effectively communicating/teaching optimization tasks to multiple team members at once and have past experience managing managers
• Successful track record of crafting and participating in sales pitches and audits
• Proven prior work experience managing a P&L and hitting margin targets

WHAT DO WE OFFER?

We are a collaborative, open-door, best-idea-wins environment that fosters personal and company growth and has fun doing it. Here is a snapshot of our  benefits package:

• Healthcare, Dental, and Vision coverage
• 401k plan, plus matching
• PTO
• Paid Company Holidays
• Parental Leave

The anticipated salary range for this position is $125,700 - $182,300. Salary is based on a range of factors that include relevant experience, expertise, physical location, and organizational impact. This is based on a 40-hour workweek and leveling. Keep in mind, we're flexible. 

WE SUPPORT YOU BEING YOU: 

DEPT® is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). We believe our work is its best when our people feel safe and free to be themselves. We’re committed to an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment and selection process and workplace, regardless of anyone’s lived experience, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, and genetic information. So tell us about any accommodations you need. It’s totally confidential and only used to make sure you feel fully supported at every step.

DEPT® participates in E-Verify, meaning your Form I-9 information will be sent to the federal government to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S. 

We are a B Corp-certified company passionate about purpose-driven work.  Our hope is that you can feel good about the contributions DEPT® is making to the world and we always have an open door for your ideas in making the world a better place. 

DEPT® is a pioneering technology and marketing services company that creates integrated end-to-end digital experiences for brands such as Google, KFC, Philips, Audi, Twitch, Patagonia, eBay and more. Its team of 2,500+ digital specialists across 30+ locations on 5 continents delivers pioneering work on a global scale with a boutique culture. 

Learn more about DEPT®

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION

At DEPT®, we take pride in creating an inclusive workplace where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. We actively seek to recruit, develop, nurture, and retain talented individuals from diverse backgrounds, with varying skills and perspectives.

Not sure you meet all qualifications? Apply, and let us decide! Research shows that women and members of underrepresented groups tend not to apply for jobs when they think they may not meet every requirement, when in fact they do. We believe in giving everyone a fair chance to shine. 

We also encourage you  to reach out to us and discuss any reasonable adjustments we can make to support you throughout the recruitment process and your time with us.

Want to know more about our dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion? Check out our efforts here.

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