Director Paid Media

Job Summary

Optimum is seeking a strategic, collaborative, and results-driven Director of Media Planning to lead the development and execution of our paid digital media strategy. This leader will guide media planning across digital channels, manage agency partnerships, and support cross-functional marketing efforts that fuel customer acquisition, retention, brand equity, and local engagement. The ideal candidate combines deep media expertise with strong business acumen and a passion for connecting media investment to measurable impact.
 

Responsibilities

•    Drive cross-functional integration and collaboration both with teams within the organization as well as with external media and creative agencies.
•    Helps drive the development and execution of quarterly and annual paid media plans across all digital channels, supporting a range of business priorities such as Acquisition, Loyalty, Brand Building, Movers, etc.
•    Lead partnership with agency partners, building relationships and guiding them to align their efforts with the company's business goals.
•    Provide both regular and executive-level visibility into in-market media activity, investment strategy, and campaign performance.
•    Collaborate with the agency to track and maintain records of spend, impressions, and creative messaging on a weekly basis.
•    Manage and report on media activity and collaborate with agencies to implement optimizations that clearly improve business KPIs.
•    Lead strategic planning and assessment for brand sponsorships in coordination with the Local Engagement Team and the agency, serving as a liaison and project manager for local events.
•    Builds trust and earns respect from peers and internal/external partners.
•    Stay updated on industry and media channel trends, giving POVs to the team, including senior management, on insights and opportunities that affect the business.

Qualifications

•    12+ years of progressive experience in media planning, strategy, and activation across a wide range of channels, including digital, TV/OLV, social, OTT, and streaming audio.
•    Strong understanding of the media tech landscape, including media mix modeling, programmatic, ad serving, CDPs/DMPs, attribution, and measurement platforms such as GA4 and Adobe Analytics.
•    Excellent communicator – comfortable synthesizing media activity and communicating clearly how the media investment strategy supports the overall organizational goals in both written and verbal formats.
•    Strong agency management skills, with experience guiding strategy, execution, and optimization in collaboration with external partners.
•    Proven ability to manage teams with the ability to provide clear direction, coaching, and support to ensure team performance and professional growth.
•    Highly organized, analytical, and comfortable managing multiple complex projects in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.
•    Bachelor’s degree in marketing, Business, Communications, or a related field required; MBA is a plus.
•    A passion for media, innovation, and customer-centric marketing, along with a collaborative spirit and positive, can-do attitude.
•    The ability to spot opportunities or problems and act on them in a fast-changing business environment.
•    Previous experience with media planning for a technology, telecom, or subscription-based brand preferred.
•    Proven track record of growing and leading a team of media professionals.
•    Proficiency with Microsoft Excel (comfort with pivot tables and formulas) and PowerPoint.