Head of Paid Media

Propellic is the AI-first digital marketing agency for travel and tourism brands. We pair cutting-edge performance marketing with a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and radical candor—so every teammate can do the best work of their career while shaping the future of travel.

The Head of Paid Media will lead, develop, and scale a high-performing paid media delivery team for a fast-paced travel digital marketing agency. 

This role requires a visionary leader who can define the agency’s paid media philosophy for travel, drive exceptional client outcomes, and develop proprietary competitive differentiators that set the agency apart. 

The ideal candidate will balance strategic oversight, team leadership, and rigorous accountability, ensuring that the department not only grows but does so in a way that optimizes profitability and product innovation. This role is critical in building a scalable, high-performing team of 20 within 18 months while refining pricing models and standardizing service offerings to maximize flexibility across platforms.

Leadership & Department Growth:

• Develop and implement a philosophy for paid media in travel, ensuring strategic alignment with evolving industry trends and agency objectives.

• Define and execute a roadmap for scaling the paid media department, aiming for a 20-person team in 18 months while maintaining efficiency, profitability, and quality.

• Establish a culture of rigor and accountability, setting clear expectations for performance, quality, and continuous learning.

• Own and optimize the department’s P&L, ensuring the right mix of efficiency, investment, and revenue growth.

• Lead the team in product development by refining and expanding service offerings, optimizing pricing models, and creating new solutions that differentiate the agency from competitors.

• Develop scalable processes for team resourcing, campaign execution, reporting, and automation to improve operational efficiency.

• Collaborate with HR to recruit, train, and retain top industry talent, ensuring the team is structured for long-term growth.

Client & Stakeholder Management:

• Serve as the strategic lead for paid media, ensuring seamless communication and execution between clients and the internal team.

• Establish strong relationships with clients, proactively identifying opportunities for growth, innovation, and differentiation.

• Partner with account management and sales teams to develop strategic media plans that drive business expansion.

• Present campaign insights, competitive analysis, and performance reports to clients and leadership teams, ensuring transparency and alignment with business goals.

• Guide teams in fixing pricing models and developing standardized service offerings to ensure profitability and flexibility across all platforms.

Strategic Oversight & Execution:

• Oversee and refine data science capabilities within the paid media function, leveraging data-driven insights to improve campaign performance and competitive positioning.

• Ensure the team delivers high-impact, ROI-driven paid media campaigns across search (Google Ads, Bing), social (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok), programmatic display, and emerging platforms.

• Provide strategic oversight on campaign execution, ensuring the team excels in audience targeting, bidding strategies, and campaign optimization.

• Implement continuous testing strategies to enhance performance and proactively address any campaign issues.

• Drive innovation by developing new competitive differentiators that position the agency as a leader in paid media for travel.

Required:

• 5+ years of experience in digital paid media, with at least 2 years in a leadership role.

• Proven expertise in scaling teams, managing budgets (P&L), and driving department growth.

• Strong ability to define and lead a paid media strategy, particularly within the travel industry.

• Demonstrated success in leading high-budget paid media campaigns ($1M+ annually) with a data-driven, performance-oriented approach.

• Deep knowledge of Google Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, TikTok Ads, DSPs, and other major advertising platforms.

• Experience in developing competitive differentiators, pricing models, and standardized service offerings.

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate data insights into strategic action.

• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred:

• Experience in the travel or hospitality industry, with a deep understanding of consumer behavior and seasonal trends.

• Expertise in marketing automation tools, CRM integrations, and audience segmentation strategies.

• Certifications in Google Ads, Meta Blueprint, or other paid media platforms.

• Experience with travel media advertising platforms including Sojern, Derbysoft, Expedia Media Group, and Adara.

• The paid media department grows to 20 team members in 18 months while maintaining a high standard of quality and profitability.

• The agency has a clearly defined and unique paid media philosophy for travel, differentiating it from competitors.

• Exceptional campaign delivery and client satisfaction drive revenue growth and retention.

• Pricing models and service offerings are optimized, allowing for greater flexibility and scalability.

• Data science and analytics capabilities are enhanced, improving campaign performance and strategic insights.

• Product innovation leads to new service offerings, driving additional revenue and market differentiation.

This role is for a leader who can blend strategic vision with execution, ensuring the agency remains at the forefront of paid media innovation for travel. If you are passionate about scaling high-performing teams, driving exceptional media performance, and developing industry-leading solutions, we want to hear from you!

• Remote-first flexibility with a high-performing global team.

• Medical, dental, and vision plans + 5 % 401(k) match (US employees).

• Generous PTO, company holidays, and an annual week-long destination company retreat

• Annual budget for professional development and industry conferences.

• A culture that values experimentation, autonomy, and radical candor.

• Reliable high-speed internet and comfort with virtual collaboration tools.

• Availability for core work hours around 9a-5p U.S. Central Time.

• Reasonable accommodations provided for qualified individuals with disabilities.

Propellic celebrates diverse perspectives and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Application Process:

• Initial screening interview

• Career-history interview

• Skill presentation

• Reference checks