Performance Marketing Director

Digital Tonic | Digital, eCommerce & Marketing Recruitment; Bath; Hybrid; GBP 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Pension provision

Health cash plan

Gym discounts

Employee discounts

Gym contribution per month

Job summary

Digital Tonic is partnering with a leading international eCommerce group to appoint a Performance Marketing Director in a newly created role. You will own the group’s paid and organic acquisition across SEA, SEO and affiliates, leading three channel teams and a wider UK/EMEA team.

The role requires strategic P&L ownership, strong SEA/SEO expertise, and the ability to drive change and AI-driven optimisation across markets. Hybrid work with regional collaboration is expected.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in performance or digital marketing with senior leadership at Head of or Director level.
• Strong expertise in paid search and multi-channel performance leadership.
• Strong knowledge of SEO and AI-driven discovery and GEO.

Responsibilities

• Own the blended acquisition P&L and set investment priorities across SEA, SEO and affiliate marketing.
• Lead three specialist teams and direct reports to drive cross-channel performance.
• Shape and execute an AI-enabled, scalable performance marketing strategy across EMEA.
• Partner with regional marketing leads and agencies to align with broader trading priorities.
• Lead organisational and technological change to build a robust acquisition function.

Skills

Senior leadership

Paid search

SEO & organic

Affiliate marketing

Team leadership

Change management

Budget management

Acquisition strategy & P&L

ROAS & attribution

EMEA markets

AI in marketing

Executive communication

Job description

Digital Tonic are working with a leading international eCommerce group as they appoint a Performance Marketing Director into a newly created role. This is a significant leadership opportunity, bringing together three established acquisition teams and shaping how the business responds to changing consumer behaviour, evolving search habits and the rapid impact of AI.

The Role

Reporting to the VP of eCommerce, you’ll take strategic ownership of the group’s paid and organic acquisition engine across SEA, SEO and organic discovery, and affiliate marketing. You’ll unite three specialist teams under one performance strategy, with direct reports comprising the leads of each channel and a wider team of approximately 15 people across the UK, Germany and remote locations.

The scale is considerable, with an annual media budget reaching nine figures and activity operating across multiple EMEA markets. You’ll own the blended acquisition P&L, setting investment priorities and ensuring spend, customer acquisition, ROAS, contribution and long-term commercial value are considered collectively rather than channel by channel.

Paid search depth will be particularly important. The strongest candidate is likely to have developed their career within search before progressing into broader leadership across multiple performance channels. You don’t need to have personally managed SEA, SEO and affiliates throughout your career, but you must be able to challenge channel leaders, understand the relationship between paid and organic discovery, and make confident commercial decisions across the complete acquisition mix. Affiliates will represent the smallest part of the remit, while SEA and SEO will remain central.

A major priority will be leading the function through change. Competition, consumer demographics and search behaviour are evolving quickly, particularly among younger audiences, while AI is reshaping how people discover and engage with brands. You’ll help the business respond by advancing its approach to automation, AI-led search, AI SEO and GEO, working closely with senior colleagues responsible for AI and automation to turn emerging developments into practical commercial opportunities.

This role extends beyond channel performance. You’ll build a cohesive leadership structure across the three teams, strengthen accountability and develop the capability of your direct reports. You’ll need to bring people with you, communicate a compelling direction and demonstrate how you have previously led teams through meaningful organisational, technological or commercial change.

You’ll partner closely with regional marketing leads, CRM, brand, social media, retention, PR and eCommerce teams to ensure acquisition activity supports wider trading priorities. Paid social sits within a separate specialist function, so your focus will remain firmly on SEA, SEO and affiliates while maintaining close alignment across the broader marketing organisation.

You’ll also oversee senior relationships with agencies, platforms and technology partners, holding them to clear commercial standards while determining which capabilities should sit internally and where external expertise can add value.

Skills & Experience

• Extensive experience within performance or digital marketing, including senior leadership at Head of or Director level
• Deep expertise in paid search, ideally developed before progressing into broader multi-channel performance leadership
• Strong strategic knowledge of SEO and organic discovery, including the changing impact of AI, AIO and GEO
• Experience overseeing affiliate marketing would be beneficial, although this is the lowest-priority channel within the remit
• A proven track record of leading multiple specialist teams through experienced channel heads
• Strong examples of leading organisational, technological or commercial change
• Experience managing or overseeing annual paid media budgets of at least £20 million
• Proven ownership of acquisition strategy, channel investment and a blended performance marketing P&L
• Strong commercial knowledge of ROAS, customer acquisition, contribution, attribution, incrementality and channel economics
• Experience operating across multiple international markets, ideally within EMEA
• The ability to balance short-term revenue performance with sustainable customer and business growth
• Experience implementing or developing automation and AI-assisted approaches within performance marketing
• Confidence challenging specialists and making strategic decisions without needing to be the hands-on expert in every channel
• Exceptional executive communication and stakeholder-management skills

• Very competitive salary that reflects your level of seniority
• Annual bonus scheme
• Comprehensive pension provision
• Health cash plan
• Gym discounts
• Monthly contribution towards a gym of your choice
• Generous employee discounts
• Complimentary family password-management account

More importantly, this is an opportunity to shape a newly created function within a major international eCommerce business. You’ll inherit established specialist teams, operate with a genuinely significant acquisition budget and have the backing to develop how the organisation approaches search, discovery, automation and AI at scale.

The company operates a hybrid model requiring three office days per week. Candidates must be comfortable committing to this working pattern.