Associate Director - Paid Social

Dept Agency; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading digital marketing agency is seeking an Associate Director - Paid Social to lead a hybrid team in innovative digital marketing solutions. This role focuses on maintaining senior client relationships, delivering complex projects with excellent communication, and overseeing campaign strategies. Ideal candidates will have substantial media experience, capable of inspiring teams and managing cross-functional collaboration.

Benefits

Flexible working policy

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Company pension scheme

Medical healthcare options

Buddy program for new employees

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in media roles servicing clients, preferably in an agency environment.
• Experience managing complex campaigns across creative, media, and consultancy.
• Strong client relationship skills with C-level executives.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate and oversee the development and delivery of paid media campaigns.
• Lead long-term relationships with C-Level stakeholders.
• Support Client Business Directors to develop annual strategies.

Skills

Client relationship management

Project management

Team leadership

Media strategy

Problem-solving

Effective communication

Job description

Associate Director - Paid Social

London, Manchester, hybrid

This position sits in our Creative & Media craft. We combine data, technology, creative content, and paid media to crack brands’ business problems & drive revenue through innovative digital marketing solutions. We plan, create and execute a variety of world class campaigns, from culture lead, social first content to award-winning integrated creative campaigns that have been built from data lead strategies and insights. Our clients include Just Eat Takeaway, Victoria's Secret, TikTok, The White Company, Meta, Pepsico, EasyJet and many more.

JOB PURPOSE

The Associate Director - Paid Social will ensure their teams are set up to deliver work to the highest standard and ensure our relationships are structured both commercially and operationally to be profitable for the business. The Associate Director will be responsible for owning senior client relationships, overseeing complex projects and leading teams with excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Due to us onboarding a new and exciting client here in the UK, we are looking for a talented Associate Director to lead the team and paid social for the account.

Candidates must have experience delivering commercial success on complex clients in an integrated agency. They must have experience managing teams and have demonstrated ways of managing cross-functional teams both laterally and vertically.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Strategic Initiatives
• Facilitate and oversee the development and delivery of paid media campaigns
• Provide senior level guidance on client media strategy and execution within the media planning & buyers team. Work collaboratively with the Head of Media Strategy / Lead strategist on the account.

Clients

• Lead long term relationships with C-Level stakeholders for a key client. Understand their personal and professional drivers and thus help position Dept as a key partner to help meet those goals
• Support Client Business Directors and Head of Media Strategy to develop annual strategies for the existing client
• Support with driving growth, uncovering upsell and cross sell of services within the client
• Work in partnership with Business Directors and Account Heads to manage the current client relationship

Commercial & Finance

• Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of wider commercial context beyond profitability on projects (e.g wider business overheads, investment, 3rd party costs and client commercial issues that may affect Dept relationship.)
• Support accounts team on improving processes and systems with Finance and Operations to maintain client profitability at all times
• Oversee revenue forecasting and ensure appropriate trackers are up to date across the teams, reflecting the current status of projects as accurately as possible

Team Leadership

• Direct line management of members of the team
• Mentor the team and act as a final escalation point on a set of specific clients
• Actively initiate programmes to train, upskill, and develop the talent on the team
• Partner and work closely with other department leads (i.e. Creative, Tech, Media, Design) to align the best team configurations, strategies and processes in order to achieve the best quality of work, while maintaining revenue targets.
• Support with demand and capacity management, help predict skill-set capacity or shortages and implement strategies to mitigate foreseen risks amongst pods

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Extensive experience in media roles servicing clients, preferably in an agency environment
• Experience working in a cross-functional management team
• Experience managing large client and agency teams
• Experience managing complex campaigns across creative, media and consultancy
• Inspiring and able to create a proactive and energised team culture
• Strong client relationship management skills, including experience working directly with director and C-level clients on strategy development
• A solid understanding of the industry and changing client needs
• Excellent project management skills, able to find the most efficient ways of working
• Brilliant written and verbal English communication skills
• Advanced problem-solving skills
• Excellent organisational skills and high attention to detail
• Excellent time management skills
• Excellent presentation skills
• Ability to react quickly within a fast-paced environment
• Ability to remain focused under pressure and work under tight deadlines

WE OFFER

• A flexible, hybrid working policy
• The choice of medical healthcare providers (Bupa or Medicash)
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays and your birthday off each year
• Company pension scheme
• EAP scheme
• Ride to work scheme
• Enhanced family friendly policies
• Buddy Program: You will be paired with a ‘Buddy’ to help you through your first weeks’ at DEPT.
• A reputation for doing good. DEPT has been a Certified B Corp since 2021 and named ‘Agency of the Year’ at both The Lovies and The Webby Awards.
• Awesome clients. Whether big or small, local or global — at DEPT you’ll get the opportunity to work with clients of all sizes and across all industries. And we celebrate all of our successes together!
• The opportunity for possibility. We want to enable you to do what you do best and help you develop your skills further with training, development and certifications.
• Global annual DEPT Cares Month in which employees come together and donate their skills to support local charities.

WHO ARE WE?

We are pioneers at heart. What does that mean? We are always looking 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 30+ 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.

DEPT is committed to making a positive impact on the planet and since 2021 has been Climate Neutral and B Corporation certified.

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.