Senior Director Paid Media

We Are Stellar; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

We Are Stellar is seeking a VP of Paid Media in San Francisco to lead its paid media strategies across various channels. This role demands a strategic leader with over 10 years of experience in paid media, particularly in consumer-facing digital brands.

The candidate will oversee the media investment to drive growth while aligning with broader marketing goals. Applicants must be willing to relocate or be based in San Francisco and demonstrate a passion for innovative paid media practices.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of paid media experience in senior roles.
• Experience with apps and marketplace businesses.
• Willingness to relocate to San Francisco, CA.

Responsibilities

• Lead paid media investment strategies across channels.
• Define measurement philosophy and reporting frameworks.
• Partner with cross-functional teams for media integration.

Skills

Paid media experience

Strategic leadership

Data-driven decision making

Multi-channel media planning

Communication skills

Tools

Google Analytics

Adobe Analytics

Job description

Our client is a high-growth, internationally recognized online marketplace specializing in second-hand commerce — connecting millions of buyers and sellers across the US and Canada through a seamless, mobile-first app experience. They are in a pivotal phase of expansion and are seeking an exceptional VP of Paid Media to help drive the next chapter of growth.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

As VP of Paid Media, you will serve as the senior-most leader overseeing the organization's paid media investment across performance and brand channels. Your core responsibilities will include:

Strategic Leadership

• Translate company-wide business objectives into actionable, holistic, and channel-integrated paid media strategies that span both performance and brand activity.
• Serve as a key stakeholder and strategic voice in executive-level discussions around growth, revenue, and marketing investment.
• Align paid media strategy with broader marketing, product, and commercial goals to ensure cohesive brand and performance outcomes.
• Lead, mentor, and scale paid media teams responsible for both performance marketing and brand-building campaigns across global markets.
• Set the strategy, channel architecture, and activation roadmap across Paid Social (Meta, TikTok, X, Pinterest, and emerging platforms), Search and Google Suite (SEM, Shopping, YouTube, DV360), Programmatic, Linear/CTV, and other key channels.
• Establish and continuously optimize a rigorous test‑and‑learn framework to drive innovation, efficiency, and measurable business impact.

Measurement & Performance

• Define and own the measurement philosophy and attribution approach across all paid channels, including advanced methodologies such as Media Mix Modeling (MMM) and incrementality testing.
• Build and maintain robust reporting frameworks that clearly connect paid media investment to revenue, growth, and business KPIs.
• Deliver regular performance reviews, forecasting, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership and cross‑functional partners.

Cross‑Functional Partnership

• Partner closely with creative, data/analytics, product, and finance teams to ensure paid media programs are fully integrated and operationally sound.
• Manage agency and vendor relationships, including direct publisher partnerships, RFP processes, and media planning workflows.
• Identify and champion opportunities for incremental investment and expanded media mix to capture new growth levers.

WHO YOU ARE

The ideal candidate is a strategic, data‑driven, and inspirational leader with deep hands‑on paid media expertise and a proven track record of scaling growth for consumer‑facing digital brands. You are someone with as much passion and drive as you are experienced, with a desire to implement a bold news approach to a holistic paid media program. You bring:

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of paid media experience, with significant time spent in senior or director‑level roles with full channel ownership.
• Demonstrated experience working with apps and/or marketplace businesses, with a strong understanding of the unique performance dynamics of these environments.
• Must be based in or willing to relocate to San Francisco, CA, with the ability to meet the role's in‑office requirements.

Skills & Expertise

• Hands‑on expertise across paid social, paid search/SEM, programmatic, and video/linear channels — with the ability to go deep when required.
• Strong command of advanced measurement approaches, including MMM, incrementality, and attribution modeling.
• Experience building and managing multi‑channel media plans inclusive of both digital and traditional media, as well as direct publisher partnerships.
• Proven track record of building, developing, and retaining high‑performing teams across ad operations, account management, and channel specialists.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to translate complex data and media strategy into clear, executive‑level narratives.
• Proficiency with leading analytics platforms (Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or equivalent) and a strong analytical mindset.
• Experience working in or closely alongside a two‑sided marketplace or e‑commerce platform is strongly preferred.