Director, Specialist Activation, Performance Media

DIRECTOR, SPECIALIST ACTIVATION, PERFORMANCE MEDIA

Agency Vision

Be the destination for ambitious people who push for great work.

Department Vision (Activation)

Deliver high-impact, compliant, and scalable performance media that transforms strategy into measurable business growth.

Role Snapshot

The Director, Specialist Activation, Performance Media leads search and paid social activation across the agency, translating business objectives into compliant, high-performing programs within regulated healthcare environments.

What Will You Be Responsible For?

Performance Media Strategy & Leadership

• Own search and paid social activation strategy across multiple pharmaceutical and healthcare brands.
• Serve as the senior performance activation lead in client engagements and new business pitches.
• Translate brand and business objectives into scalable, compliant activation frameworks.
• Partner with Media Strategy to align performance channels to full-funnel media plans.
• Drive innovation across automation, bidding strategies, audiences, and platform betas.

Activation Oversight & Execution Excellence

• Oversee day-to-day activation across search (Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, healthcare search publishers) and paid social (Meta, TikTok, Reddit).
• Ensure flawless execution, pacing, and budget stewardship across all biddable media programs.
• Establish and enforce standards for naming conventions, taxonomy, tracking, and documentation.
• Guide teams on keyword, query, audience, pixel, and event strategies.
• Lead optimization across bidding, creative, placements, audiences, and conversion frameworks.

Compliance & Pharma Expertise

• Ensure all performance media programs adhere to FDA, OPDP, and internal MLR requirements.
• Partner with Legal and Regulatory teams on fair balance, ISI risk mitigation, and activation rules.
• Develop compliant approaches for branded, unbranded, disease education, and support programs. Support advanced measurement, attribution, and learning agendas.

Team Leadership & Operational Scaling

• Lead, mentor, and grow teams of search and paid social managers and specialists.
• Set clear expectations for quality, performance, and compliance.
• Build scalable activation processes to support growth across brands and therapeutic areas.
• Partner with Activation and Operations leaders to improve workflows, QA, and efficiency.

What Does Excellence Look Like? (KPIs)

• Sustained improvement in performance KPIs (efficiency, conversions, reach) across search and social.
• 100% compliance adherence with zero regulatory escalations.
• Consistent on-time launches and proactive pacing management.
• Clear, actionable insights delivered to clients beyond platform reporting.
• Strong client satisfaction and retention.
• High team engagement, development, and retention.

What Experience and Skills Do You Need?

• 8–12+ years of performance media experience (search and/or paid social), with strong agency background.
• 3+ years in a senior leadership role (Director or Associate Director).
• Deep experience managing pharma or healthcare clients.
• Expert knowledge of Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Meta, TikTok, and Reddit.
• Strong understanding of FDA/OPDP and MLR workflows.
• Proven ability to manage large, complex budgets across multiple brands.
• Executive-level client presence and influence.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills.

Nice to Have

• Experience with healthcare endemic partners.
• Exposure to automation, scripts, conversion APIs, or AI-driven bidding.
• Experience supporting new business pitches or account transitions.
• Familiarity with CM360, GA4, or advanced analytics frameworks.