Darkroom

Associate Director, Paid Social

Darkroom

full-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Hybrid

Location: New York City • New York • United States

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Salary

💰 $120,000 per year

Job Level

Senior

About the role

  • Own and drive the overarching paid social strategy across a portfolio of high-growth U.S. brands, ensuring alignment between media investment, creative output, and business objectives.
  • Serve as the executive point of contact for senior client stakeholders — presenting quarterly business reviews, growth roadmaps, and performance forecasts to CMOs and marketing leadership.
  • Partner with the Managing Director to define team OKRs, capacity planning, and service delivery standards across the Paid Social practice.
  • Champion Darkroom's paid social point of view, staying ahead of platform changes, algorithmic shifts, and emerging formats to inform both client strategy and internal best practices.
  • Lead the development of annual and quarterly paid media plans, including budget allocation, channel mix, audience strategy, and creative roadmaps.
  • Oversee campaign architecture, optimization frameworks, and testing methodologies across 8–15 paid media accounts with aggregate monthly spends ranging from $500K–$5M+.
  • Drive best-in-class performance across Meta, TikTok, Pinterest, Axon, and CTV, with deep mastery of direct response principles and short-form video creative strategy.
  • Establish and enforce rigorous KPI frameworks — CPA, CAC, iROAS, nCAC, MER, aMER, CTR, TSR, and Hold Rate — ensuring data-driven decision-making at every level.
  • Architect and pressure-test attribution models in partnership with Analytics, ensuring clients have a clear and accurate view of cross-channel performance.
  • Proactively identify growth opportunities through competitive intelligence, audience expansion, and creative iteration — translating insights into actionable channel strategies.
  • Serve as the senior creative strategist on accounts, guiding clients and internal creative teams on hook construction, format selection, messaging hierarchy, and creative testing frameworks.
  • Develop scalable creative testing systems that connect production investment directly to performance outcomes.
  • Advise clients on creative budget allocation across UGC, motion, static, and short-form video to maximize return at each funnel stage.
  • Manage, coach, and develop a team of Paid Social Managers and Specialists, setting clear performance expectations and fostering a culture of accountability and craft.
  • Conduct structured performance reviews and build individualized growth plans for direct reports.
  • Establish internal quality standards for campaign builds, reporting, and client deliverables — and ensure consistent adherence across the team.
  • Act as an escalation point for complex performance challenges and client issues, providing senior-level guidance and resolution.

Requirements

  • 10+ years of paid media advertising experience, with at least 7+ years specializing in Paid Social and Meta in particular.
  • 7+ years managing paid social advertising for high-growth consumer brands with aggregate monthly spends of $1M+ across a portfolio.
  • Demonstrated experience leading and developing a team of 3+ paid media practitioners in a fast-paced agency or in-house environment.
  • Proven track record of scaling Meta ad accounts beyond $1M USD/month while maintaining or improving efficiency metrics.
  • Executive-level client management skills — ability to build trust with CMOs and senior marketing leaders, present strategic recommendations with confidence, and navigate complex stakeholder dynamics.
  • Expert-level command of Meta Ads Manager and deep familiarity with TikTok Ads, Pinterest, and emerging social commerce platforms.
  • Mastery of e-commerce performance metrics (CPA, CAC, iROAS, nCAC, MER, aMER, CTR, TSR, Hold Rate) and the ability to translate these into clear client-facing narratives.
  • Expertise in full-funnel creative strategy — from concept briefing to performance analysis — with a sharp eye for what converts.
  • Strong background in data-derived decision-making, budget forecasting, and spend projection modeling.
  • Comfort engaging with e-commerce P&Ls and financial performance metrics at the business level.
  • Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; able to distill complex data into compelling insights for both internal teams and senior client stakeholders.
Benefits
  • Unlimited PTO + US holidays: Rebooting is part of the work. Take the time you need to stay sharp.
  • Remote-First Culture: Many roles are fully remote. Employees based in or near our New York or Lisbon HQs are expected to work hybrid with weekly in-office time. Hub locations include Brazil and Spain.
  • Health & Wellness: Company-sponsored medical, dental, and vision coverage.
  • Finances, growth, and retirement: Darkroom offers a robust 401(k) program with company match and profit-sharing opportunities to help you save and grow as the company grows.
  • Parental Leave: Flexible parental leave to support new parents during this important transition.
  • Growth: Our interdisciplinary model gives every Darkroomer exposure far beyond their core role. Grow your skills, expand your influence, and stay at the forefront of the industry.
Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools
paid media advertisingpaid socialMeta Ads ManagerTikTok AdsPinterest Adse-commerce performance metricscreative strategydata-derived decision-makingbudget forecastingspend projection modeling
Soft Skills
executive-level client managementteam leadershipcommunication skillstrust buildingstrategic recommendationsstakeholder navigationperformance managementcoachingaccountabilityproblem resolution