Paid Digital Media Director

Primary responsibilities include overseeing McD Digital paid media operations from the company headquarters in Pekin, IL, recommending digital strategies for clients, and establishing and managing processes and personnel to execute and measure said programs. This position is a key leadership role for McD Digital. Lead paid digital media strategy for client accounts across Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, programmatic platforms, hotel/travel advertising platforms, and emerging digital channels.Oversee the planning, setup, execution, optimization, and reporting of pay-per-click and paid media campaigns to ensure client goals, budgets, timelines, and performance expectations are met.Manage, coach, and support a team of 2–3 Digital Marketing Specialists, including assigning workloads, reviewing campaign work, providing feedback, supporting training, and helping team members grow in technical and strategic capabilities.Establish and maintain paid media processes, quality control standards, naming conventions, tracking requirements, optimization routines, reporting expectations and documentation for the digital media team.Serve as the senior paid media strategist for clients, helping define campaign objectives, audience strategies, budget allocations, platform recommendations, media mix, testing plans and performance benchmarks.Partner with account managers and internal teams to align paid media strategies with broader client marketing goals, creative messaging, landing pages, SEO, content, analytics and business objectives.Review and approve campaign launches, major optimizations, budget shifts, ad copy, targeting structures, reporting narratives and strategic recommendations prepared by Digital Marketing Specialists.Monitor account performance across all managed platforms and proactively identify opportunities to improve return on ad spend, cost per lead, conversion rates, traffic quality, occupancy/direct bookings, brand awareness and other client-specific KPIs.Lead monthly or quarterly performance analysis for key accounts, translating data into clear insights, recommendations and next steps for both clients and internal teams.Maintain advanced knowledge of Google Ads, Google Analytics, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Campaign Manager, programmatic advertising, hotel advertising platforms, tagging/tracking tools and new paid media opportunities.Research, evaluate and recommend new platforms, technologies, beta opportunities, targeting capabilities, automation tools and digital advertising tactics that may benefit clients.Ensure accurate tracking and measurement practices are in place, including conversion tracking, UTM strategy, pixels/tags, attribution considerations, analytics reviews and coordination with web/SEO teams when needed.Support business development by contributing to audits, proposals, media plans, budget recommendations, presentations and strategic recommendations for prospective and existing clients.Help forecast staffing needs, capacity, profitability, service offerings, pricing considerations and operational improvements for the paid digital media department.Maintain strong client service standards by communicating campaign performance, explaining strategy, addressing questions and helping build confidence in the agency’s digital expertise.Stay current on platform policy changes, privacy updates, AI-driven campaign tools, industry trends, competitive benchmarks and best practices that affect paid media performance.Provide hands-on campaign support when needed, especially for complex accounts, new platform launches, major troubleshooting, advanced optimization or high-priority client initiatives.Collaborate with leadership on team performance reviews, department goals, digital revenue growth, profitability and service quality. Bachelor of Arts/Science degree in marketing, technology or related fieldMinimum 10 years of experience in digital marketing and analytics or related disciplineExperience in project management tools and techniquesExcellent communication skills (both written and verbal)Understanding and experience with web technologies, specifically content management systems and SEOAdvanced knowledge of digital marketing trends and techniquesExpertise in organic social mediaAbility to manage and motivate a team to achieve successInherently motivated and organized with a “can-do” attitude and ability to be flexible and creative The Paid Digital Media Director is expected to review the performance of the digital marketing specialists with support from the COO and President of McD