Associate Director, Paid Social

MINDGRUVE; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) with matching

Flexible spending account

Job summary

Mindgruve seeks an Associate Director, Paid Social to lead a team of paid social managers and drive client strategy across Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, and secondary platforms. You will translate client goals into full-funnel plans, develop recommendations, and mentor a 2–4+ person team, shaping the growth of the paid social practice.

You will collaborate with executives, participate in business development, and ensure QA across accounts while maintaining a strong client presence and strategic voice.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Advertising, Communications, Business, or related field.
• 7–9 years of progressive experience in paid social or digital advertising.
• Proven experience managing a team of paid social professionals.
• Deep expertise across Meta, LinkedIn, and TikTok; hands-on familiarity with Reddit, Snap, NextDoor, and X.
• Experience contributing to new business pitches and agency growth initiatives.
• Expert-level knowledge of primary and secondary paid social platforms and their ad ecosystems.
• Demonstrated team leadership and mentorship capabilities.
• Strong business acumen with understanding of agency operations and growth levers.
• Excellent client communication skills with executive presence in presentations.

Responsibilities

• Translate client goals into full-funnel paid social plans across multiple platforms.
• Build and own complete paid social strategies.
• Develop and present strategic recommendations and audience architecture.
• Provide insights on emerging platforms and ad formats.
• Support MB R/QBR storytelling and senior client presentations.
• Lead and mentor a 2–4+ Paid Social team members.
• Oversee process improvements, QA, and staffing plans.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams on integrated media initiatives.

Skills

Paid social leadership

Client communication

Strategic planning

Cross-platform expertise

Education

Bachelor's degree in Marketing/Advertising/Communications/Business

Advanced degree a plus

Tools

Meta

LinkedIn

TikTok

Reddit

Snapchat

NextDoor

X (Twitter)

Job description

We are a global digital agency comprised of strategists, creatives, media experts, data scientists, and engineers driven by one common purpose — accelerate business growth through marketing and digital transformation. Named a top 3% Google Premier Partner and recognized by Inc. 5000 and Adweek’s 75 Fastest Growing Companies, we’re constantly looking for “A” players to join our team.

The rapid growth is attributed to our strongest asset — our people. Our teams are highly collaborative and work closely with each client to set clear goals and objectives so that we can deliver exceptional results. Mindgruve is a place where every opinion is valued. Not only will you be empowered to contribute ideas, but you will also play a key role in the execution and driving success for brands across a variety of industries. Sound fun? Perfect — you’ll fit right in.

The Associate Director, Paid Social leads a team of paid social managers and specialists while serving as a senior strategic resource for clients. This role combines client-facing leadership with internal team development — overseeing execution quality, driving agency growth initiatives, and building a strong, forward-thinking paid social practice across Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, and secondary platforms including Reddit, Snapchat, NextDoor, and X.

What You'll Do Here:

• Serve as a senior client-facing lead — translate client goals into full-funnel paid social media plans across Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, Reddit, Snap, NextDoor, X, and others
• Build and own complete full-funnel paid social strategies without assistance
• Develop and present strategic recommendations, creative testing frameworks, and audience architecture
• Provide insights on emerging platforms, ad formats, algorithm changes, and industry trends
• Assist with MBR/QBR storytelling and senior-level client presentations

Team Management & Development (30%)

• Manage a team of 2–4+ Paid Social team members
• Provide oversight and ensure team members are proactive with ideas, recommendations, and insights
• Mentor Managers and Senior Managers on strategy, client management, and career development
• Ensure quality and consistency in client deliverables across all accounts in the portfolio
• Assist with staffing plans, hiring decisions, and onboarding of new team members

Operations, Process & Business Development (20%)

• Develop training materials and lead process and SOP improvements for the paid social team
• Ensure consistent QA and brand safety standards are upheld across all accounts
• Collaborate with the executive team on business development and pitch work
• Support new business RFPs in partnership with the sales/BD team
• Partner with other Mindgruve department leads (programmatic, search, strategy, creative) on integrated media initiatives
• Perform other related duties and projects as assigned

We Need a Person With:

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Advertising, Communications, Business, or a related field; advanced degree a plus
• 7–9 years of progressive experience in paid social or digital advertising
• Proven experience managing a team of paid social professionals
• Deep expertise across Meta, LinkedIn, and TikTok required; hands‑on familiarity with secondary platforms (Reddit, Snap, NextDoor, X) required
• Experience contributing to new business pitches and agency growth initiatives preferred
• Expert‑level knowledge of primary and secondary paid social platforms and their ad ecosystems
• Demonstrated team leadership and mentorship capabilities
• Strong business acumen with an understanding of agency operations and growth levers
• Excellent client communication skills with executive presence in presentations
• Ability to contribute to new business development and help grow agency revenue
• Highly organized and detail oriented, with the ability to handle multiple simultaneously
• Excellent communication skills, including verbal and written
• Professional demeanor with the ability to interface with poise and confidence with leadership and clients
• Ability to ensure confidentiality with business matters and employee privacy
• Ability to work a hybrid schedule (3 days per week) from one of our six US Office locations: San Diego, California, Los Angeles, California, Covington, Kentucky, Denver, Colorado, Nashville, Tennessee and Charleston, South Carolina.

Compensation:

Salary: $90,000 - $100,000 (Pay range is based on a market reference point and potential job offers may vary based on the skills, education, experience and geographic location of the individual candidate. The compensation range reflects base rate only.)

Compensation will be commensurate with experience. Additionally, for eligible full‑time employees, we offer a competitive benefits package including medical insurance, dental insurance, and vision insurance; a flexible spending account; voluntary life and accident plans; and a 401(k) retirement plan with matching. We have six office locations in the US: San Diego, California, Los Angeles, California, Covington, Kentucky, Denver, Colorado, Nashville, Tennessee and Charleston, South Carolina. We're seeking local candidates (or those open to relocation) who are able to work collaboratively with us in one of our office's; however, based on business needs and unique job functions, some roles may be eligible for remote work. (Bonus points if you’re bilingual in Spanish and/or Portuguese.)

Mindgruve is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

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