Group Director, SEM

monks; United States; Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

PTO & holidays

401k with company match

Parental leave

Work-life balance

Career growth

DEI culture

Job summary

Monks is seeking a seasoned Search Leader to drive growth across paid search and YouTube, overseeing a team and key accounts. You will partner with executives, manage substantial ad spend, and guide strategy across channels with a focus on ROI.

This role combines hands-on leadership with strategic planning in a fast-growing digital agency. Join a collaborative, hybrid team that emphasizes performance, innovation, and client success, working with major platforms and partners to push advanced

Qualifications

• 12+ years paid search experience.
• Managed direct client partnerships and complex contracts.
• Experience overseeing $20MM+ annual ad spend across multiple accounts.
• Direct management of paid search budgets of $1MM+ monthly.
• Experience leading cross-vertical D2C, Retail, B2B and B2C campaigns.
• Strong presentation skills to VPs and C-Suite.

Responsibilities

• Lead paid search team including specialists across channels.
• Present performance and priorities to clients and stakeholders.
• Develop media plans, forecasts, and testing roadmaps.
• Drive revenue growth and client expansion.
• Collaborate with cross-channel leads on overall media strategy.
• Mentor and develop team culture in a hybrid model.
• Engage with vendor partners on opportunities and best practices.

Skills

Team leadership

Client relationship

Strategic thinking

Communication & presentation

Excel proficiency

Cross-functional collaboration

Budget management

Paid search expertise

YouTube & DVPS knowledge

Tools

SA360

Skai

Marin

Google Ads

Job description

Please note that we will never request payment or bank account information at any stage of the recruitment process. As we continue to grow our teams, we urge you to be cautious of fraudulent job postings or recruitment activities that misuse our company name and information. Please protect your personal information during any recruitment process. While Monks may contact potential candidates via LinkedIn, all applications must be submitted through our official website ( monks.com/careers ).

About the Role

We are looking for a strong, passionate, and energetic Search leader to drive growth and strategic oversight across the paid search department with a focus on working on our largest accounts and also serving as an SME across paid search and YouTube. We are looking for someone passionate about search-driven performance marketing who has a strong background in leading multiple accounts across verticals. This individual should be a people-focused leader who enjoys hands-on, cross-functional collaboration and wants to join a fast-growing, innovative digital agency that is hyper-focused on client performance and ROI.

Responsibilities:

• Reporting to the Head of Search, this role will serve as a people leader, including SEM channel specialists (Paid Search, YouTube, Demand Gen, PMax, Shopping, and App) as well as Account Leads managing direct client partnerships, contract negotiations/renewals, client onboarding, etc.
• This role will serve as a Search thought leader prepared to respond to the changing landscape in paid search
• Responsible for revenue driven from new business, client relationships, and client growth
• Will present Paid Search performance and tactical priorities to the client and internal stakeholders; however, the main priority is to help lead a paid search team
• Partners with cross-channel leads on creating media plans, including forecasting, testing, tactical plans, and reporting
• Drives Search strategy, innovation & testing on your book of business while improving performance, developing quarterly or annual roadmaps to keep advancing accounts with the latest trends and opportunities
• Manage others from Account Managers to Directors
• Contribute to team morale and culture through engagement, team building, and mentorship
• Contribute to overall department training, POVs, award submissions, and case studies
• Work closely with Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and other vendor partners on alpha and beta opportunities, expansion opportunities, client strategy and planning, and best practices
• Responsible for operationalizing processes and helping gain adoption across team focus areas
• Assist in creating a team culture across a hybrid working model

About You

The essentials:

• 12+ years Paid Search experience
• Worked across multiple clients overseeing a minimum of $20MM in annual ad spend
• Experience communicating with senior clients' points of contact from VPs to C-Suite
• Experience handling direct management of Paid Search budgets of at least $1MM+ in monthly ad spend
• Experience directing strategy in D2C or Retail, B2B, and B2C digital advertising efforts across different verticals is a major plus
• Experience in YouTube, Performance Max, Demand Gen, and Value-Based Bidding, understanding of Offline Conversion Data, and CRM integrations with Google Ads a plus
• Advanced slide presentation making and Excel / Google sheet skills
• Experience presenting paid search strategy to marketing executives, large teams, and senior audiences
• Have 5+ years of management experience with at least 3 direct reports at Associate Director level and above
• Experience with a bid management platform is preferred, such as SA360, Skai, Marin, etc.

At Monks, we believe in fostering an environment where a diversity of perspectives can thrive. We proactively work to design hiring processes that promote equity and inclusion while mitigating bias. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome and encourage qualified applicants, from all backgrounds, who are excited to contribute to our mission.

#LI-OG1 #Hybrid

What We Offer

Benefits

• Excellent, full coverage medical, dental, and vision insurance - more about our coverage here !
• Generous PTO and 15 company-wide holidays
• 401k with company contribution
• Paid parental leave
• Work-life balance with an emphasis on personal well-being
• Career growth in a disruptor space & entrepreneurial opportunities within the Monks network
• A globally diverse & inclusive culture with employee resource groups such as S4 Melanin, Pride.Monks, Cultura.Monks, and more!
• Authentic commitment to DEI efforts and sustainable growth. (Why Sir Martin Sorrell signed The Climate Pledge here !)

This role is subject to our Return to Office (RTO) policy. If you reside within a commutable distance of one of our office locations, you will be expected to work from the office a set number of days per week. The specific details, including the number of req