Associate Director, Paid Social (CPG client)

Publicis Groupe Holdings B.V; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 97,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Spark Foundry, part of Publicis Groupe, seeks an Associate Director in Chicago to lead paid social strategy and optimization. You will partner with the Social Manager to drive innovative social programs that meet client objectives and manage tactical execution.

Experience in agency environments and strong leadership are essential. You will optimize paid social campaigns, analyze performance against KPIs, and mentor the social team while collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver

Qualifications

• 5+ years of full-cycle paid social media experience, preferably in an agency environment.
• Experience applying social marketing to brand-building and direct response initiatives.
• Demonstrated team management experience and leadership capabilities.
• Knowledge of syndicated research tools.
• Familiarity with third-party ad serving technologies.
• Strong quantitative skills, including analytical abilities and math proficiency.
• Demonstrated critical thinking and problem solving abilities.
• Solid verbal and written communication skills.
• Polished presentations skills are a must.
• Ability to work successfully with teams on multiple projects under tight deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement paid social campaign strategies (including budget management) for assigned clients for branded and direct response campaigns.
• Leverage social best-practices across all social tactics.
• Ensure all campaign billings are up to date and finance queries are followed up in a timely manner.
• Analyze paid social performance against client KPI's and report on trends and insights to key stakeholders.
• Support any new business pitches and related work as required.
• Responsible for managing and developing social team in day-to-day workflow and career progression.

Skills

Paid social

Budget management

Team leadership

Analytical skills

Communication

Presentations

Project management

Client collaboration

Tools

Syndicated research tools

Ad serving technologies

Job description

Company description

Spark Foundry was built during the most transformative time in the history of advertising and marketing. We deliver everything a traditional media agency has to offer and have grown into one of the world’s most successful agencies by helping brands evolve their marketing by leveraging identity, commerce, artificial intelligence, and more to connect with people. Transformation is part of our DNA. Spark Foundry’s start-up spirit delivers high-touch approaches and a never-ending desire to challenge the status quo. Combined with Publicis Media’s powerhouse soul leveraging connected data assets, advanced AI applications, and investment clout, we “Bring HEAT to Brands.” No other agency possesses the expertise that we do to address today’s most pressing challenges to drive business transformation through media.

Overview

The Associate Director requires the ability to apply social knowledge and expertise to actionable insights and recommendations. The Associate Director will partner with the Social Manager in driving strategic social expertise within the team, helping to develop innovative strategies to meet and exceed client business objectives, and leading tactical execution and optimization of social programs. They will be responsible for optimizing, implementing, and analyzing paid social activities.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement paid social campaign strategies (including budget management) for assigned clients for branded and direct response campaigns
• Leverage social best-practices across all social tactics
• Ensure all campaign billings are up to date and finance queries are followed up in a timely manner
• Analyze paid social performance against client KPI's and report on trends and insights to key stakeholders
• Support any new business pitches and related work as required
• Responsible for managing and developing social team in day-to-day workflow and career progression

Qualifications

• 5+ years of full-cycle paid social media experience, preferably in an agency environment
• Experience applying social marketing to brand-building and direct response initiatives
• Demonstrated team management experience and leadership capabilities
• Knowledge of syndicated research tools
• Familiarity with third-party ad serving technologies
• Strong quantitative skills, including analytical abilities and math proficiency
• Demonstrated critical thinking and problem solving abilities
• Solid verbal and written communication skills
• Polished presentations skills are a must
• Ability to work successfully with teams on multiple projects under tight deadlines
• Desire to work in an industry which is constantly evolving and presenting new and unique challenges
• Ability to sell ideas clearly and deliver valueSelf-driven to meet and exceed revenue and goals for our clients

Additional information

Our Publicis Groupe motto “Viva La Différence” means we’re better together, and we believe that our differences make us stronger. It means we honor and celebrate all identities, across all facets of intersectionality, and it underpins all that we do as an organization. We are focused on fostering belonging and creating equitable & inclusive experiences for all talent.

Publicis Groupe provides robust and inclusive benefit programs and policies to support the evolving and diverse needs of our talent and enable every person to grow and thrive. Our benefits package includes medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401K, as well as parental and family care leave, family forming assistance, tuition reimbursement, and flexible time off.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Compensation Range: USD $97,375.00 - USD $139,965.00/Annually. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and the Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. Temporary roles may be eligible to participate in our freelancer/temporary employee medical plan through a third-party benefits administration system once certain criteria have been met. For regular roles, the Company will offer medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401k, and paid time off. The Company anticipates the application deadline for this job posting will be 12/26/2026.