Associate Director, Social Programmatic Activation

Zenith; New York (NY); On-site; USD 97,000 - 127,000; Full time

Job summary

Zenith, a Publicis Groupe media agency with offices in New York, seeks an Associate Director to lead paid social activation and strategy across Meta, Reddit, TikTok and Pinterest. You will guide day-to-day campaigns, mentor teams, and build strong client relationships.

You will translate client goals into actionable social plans, ensure timely delivery within budget, and stay current with platform changes and AI-enabled workflows. Strong leadership and communication are essential.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of paid social media experience in a media agency or client org.
• Hands-on planning, launching, managing, and optimizing campaigns on Meta, Reddit, TikTok, and Pinterest.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and coach others.
• Strong client presence and ability to translate business needs into recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day development, launch, and optimization of paid social campaigns across Meta, Reddit, TikTok, Pinterest, and emerging platforms.
• Collaborate with internal teams to deliver high-quality work on time and within budget.
• Translate client goals into clear paid social strategies and activation plans.
• Communicate complex media topics clearly to clients and teams.
• Build trusted client relationships through proactive communication and follow-through.
• Partner with planning, strategy, creative, analytics, operations, and activation teams to align priorities.
• Coach and develop team members with regular feedback.
• Foster an inclusive, collaborative team environment built on open communication and accountability.
• Build productive relationships with platform partners and identify client-focused solutions.
• Develop training materials and best practices for paid social trends and platform changes.
• Support senior leadership with account growth and resource management.
• Contribute to cross-agency initiatives to strengthen social capabilities.
• Use AI tools to support recommendations and workflow improvements.
• Leverage AI to improve workflows and documentation.

Skills

Paid social strategy

Campaign management

Client communication

Team leadership

Platform knowledge

Cross-functional collaboration

Presentation skills

Meta Ads

Reddit Ads

TikTok Ads

Pinterest Ads

The Trade Desk

Tools

Meta Ads

Reddit Ads

TikTok Ads

Pinterest Ads

The Trade Desk

Job description

Company Description

Zenith is one of Publicis Groupe’s largest media agencies, spanning 95 markets globally with US offices in New York, Burbank, Chicago, Atlanta and Detroit. For more than 30 years, we have been at the forefront of media, helping to evolve and reshape the industry. We are highly regarded as a true agency partner by many high-profile brands for our expertise across numerous categories and wide range of capabilities that are unparalleled in the industry. Clients hire us for our track record of excellence in strategic planning, investment, and measurement. We also have specialist offerings, including content, commerce, multicultural and future-proofed data capabilities.

Company Description

Zenith is one of Publicis Groupe’s largest media agencies, spanning 95 markets globally with US offices in New York, Burbank, Chicago, Atlanta and Detroit. For more than 30 years, we have been at the forefront of media, helping to evolve and reshape the industry. We are highly regarded as a true agency partner by many high-profile brands for our expertise across numerous categories and wide range of capabilities that are unparalleled in the industry. Clients hire us for our track record of excellence in strategic planning, investment, and measurement. We also have specialist offerings, including content, commerce, multicultural and future-proofed data capabilities.

Overview

The Associate Director is a hands-on paid social leader who guides day-to-day activation, develops team talent, and builds strong relationships across clients, platform partners, and internal teams. This person brings practical experience across platforms such as Meta, Reddit, TikTok, and Pinterest, along with clear communication, sound judgment, and an approachable leadership style. Success in the role requires the ability to simplify complex topics, foster collaboration, and lead work from strategy through execution.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day development, launch, and optimization of paid social campaigns across Meta, Reddit, TikTok, Pinterest, and emerging social platforms
• Stay close to campaign execution, helping teams solve challenges, improve performance, and deliver high-quality work on time and within budget
• Translate client goals into clear paid social strategies, audience recommendations, content considerations, and activation plans
• Communicate complex media topics in a simple, confident, and actionable way for clients and internal teams
• Build trusted client relationships through proactive communication, thoughtful recommendations, active listening, and consistent follow-through
• Partner closely with planning, strategy, creative, analytics, operations, and activation teams to align priorities and move work forward
• Coach and develop team members through regular feedback, hands-on support, and clear expectations
• Create an inclusive, collaborative team environment built on open communication, accountability, empathy, and respect
• Build productive relationships with social platform partners and identify solutions that meet client needs
• Develop clear points of view, training materials, and best practices that help teams stay current with paid social trends and platform changes
• Support senior leadership with account growth, operational improvements, and responsible management of team resources
• Contribute to cross-agency initiatives that strengthen social capabilities and improve how teams work together
• Use AI tools to support Programmatic recommendations, marketplace evaluations, and agency enablement efforts
• Leverage AI to improve workflows, training materials, and documentation

Qualifications

• 5+ years of paid social media experience, ideally within a media agency, platform, publisher, or client organization
• Hands-on experience planning, launching, managing, and optimizing campaigns across Meta, Reddit, TikTok, and Pinterest
• Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to build trust and adapt to different audiences
• Proven ability to lead collaboratively, coach others, navigate challenging conversations, and bring cross-functional teams together
• Strong client presence, presentation skills, and a track record of turning business needs into clear recommendations
• Strong understanding of paid social strategy, audience development, creative best practices, measurement, and reporting
• Experience with programmatic media, including The Trade Desk or other demand-side platforms, is a nice to have
• Strong judgment and problem-solving skills, with the ability to balance strategic thinking and day-to-day execution
• Proactive, organized, and comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment
• A people-first leadership approach grounded in empathy, accountability, active listening, and clear expectations
• Commitment to continuous learning, creative problem-solving, and delivering strong outcomes for clients and teams

Additional Information

Publicis Groupe motto "Viva La Différence" 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.

If you require accommodation or assistance with the application or onboarding process specifically, please contact [e-mail].

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

Veterans Encouraged to Apply.

Compensation Range: USD $97,375.00 - USD $127,000.00/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 11/16/2026.