VP of Paid Media, Strategy

Confidential Senior Leadership Opportunity

An exciting opportunity has opened for a senior Paid Media leader to step into a high-impact strategic role with a forward-thinking digital business operating at the intersection of performance marketing, AI search, behavioural insight, creative testing and commercial growth.

This is not a standard Paid Media management role. It is a strategic leadership opportunity for someone who wants to help shape the future direction of Paid Media, search, AI-led discovery and full-funnel digital performance.

The successful candidate will play a key role in developing Paid Media strategy across a diverse client portfolio, supporting senior client conversations, elevating team capability and helping build a more progressive, insight-led performance function.

The Opportunity

As VP of Paid Media, Strategy, you will lead strategic thinking across Paid Media, working closely with wider digital, search, creative, data and growth teams to deliver joined-up, commercially focused strategies.

You will be expected to look beyond platforms, campaigns and optimisation, helping clients understand how customer behaviour, search evolution, paid social, retail media, LLMs, answer engines and AI-driven discovery are changing the way brands are found, considered and chosen.

This is a role for someone who can combine deep Paid Media knowledge with broader commercial perspective, strategic confidence and a genuine interest in where the digital landscape is heading.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic direction of Paid Media across a client portfolio, ensuring recommendations are commercially strong, insight-led and future-focused.
• Support Paid Media account leads with strategic reviews, planning, client presentations and cross-channel thinking.
• Develop new Paid Media frameworks, testing approaches and strategic tools across areas such as AI optimisation, creative performance, audience insight, incrementality and full-funnel planning.
• Work closely with senior stakeholders across search, creative, data, content and growth to build more connected digital strategies.
• Contribute to new business activity, including proposals, pitches, scoping, forecasting and commercial recommendations.
• Identify opportunities for growth across Paid Media, search, creative, data, insight and wider performance marketing services.
• Help raise strategic standards across the team by coaching, challenging and supporting others.
• Stay close to developments in AI search, paid platforms, customer behaviour, LLMs, social discovery and emerging media opportunities.
• Represent Paid Media thinking credibly in senior client conversations and internal leadership discussions.

About You

• You will be an experienced Paid Media leader who is confident operating at senior strategic level.
• You may currently be working as a Head of Paid Media, Paid Media Director, Performance Marketing Director, Paid Search Director, Paid Strategy Lead or Senior Performance Strategy Consultant.
• You will bring strong experience across Paid Search, Paid Social and wider performance marketing, with the ability to connect channel activity to business growth, customer behaviour and commercial outcomes.
• You will be confident working with senior clients, leading strategic discussions, challenging thinking and turning complex digital ideas into clear, practical recommendations.
• You will be naturally curious about the future of search, AI, behavioural insight, creative testing and digital discovery.
• You will also be someone who enjoys developing others, improving team capability and helping build a high-performing, progressive Paid Media function.

What Makes This Role Different

• This is a rare opportunity to move into a role where Paid Media strategy is not treated in isolation.
• The successful candidate will be working within a highly collaborative digital environment where behavioural insight, search strategy, creative thinking, data and performance marketing come together to help brands grow.
• You will have the opportunity to influence direction, introduce new thinking, shape strategic frameworks and play an important part in how the business continues to evolve its Paid Media proposition.

Benefits and Working Environment

• The role offers a competitive overall package, flexible working, hybrid working, a 4-day working week, strong benefits, wellbeing support, ongoing training and genuine career progression.
• The culture is people-first, ambitious, collaborative and built around curiosity, quality and continuous improvement.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

• The hiring business is committed to building a diverse, inclusive and welcoming workplace. Applications are encouraged from people of all backgrounds.
• If you are excited by this opportunity but do not meet every single requirement, you are still encouraged to apply. The right mindset, strategic capability and leadership potential are just as important as a perfect career match.

Register Your Interest

For a confidential conversation about this opportunity, please contact:

John Fraser
Kaboodle Digital
jfraser@kaboodledigital.com

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