Associate Director, Paid Search

About Darkroom:

Darkroom is the leading next-generation growth marketing firm engineering the brands of tomorrow. Founded in 2017, we set out to redefine what a modern agency could be, by replacing the inertia of legacy advertising behemoths with a model built for speed, intelligence, and measurable impact.

At our core, Darkroom is a human services company powered by Shadow, a universal AI commerce layer that integrates executive-level strategy with proprietary agentic technology.

About the Role:

We are hiring for our Paid Media team, looking for an Associate Director, Paid Search: a senior performance leader who combines deep mastery of paid search advertising systems with strategic vision, team leadership, and executive-level client management. You will architect full-funnel paid search strategies across Google, YouTube, Bing, App Install, and the emerging AI search ecosystem, lead a team of practitioners, and drive measurable revenue outcomes across a portfolio of high-growth brands.

You'll report to the Managing Director of the department and serve as a senior leader within the Paid Media practice, owning the strategy, performance, and growth of a portfolio of key accounts. You'll collaborate closely with Creative, Creator, Analytics, Brand, and Client Strategy teams, and will be responsible for developing the next generation of paid search talent at Darkroom.

What you'll do:

• Own and drive the overarching paid search strategy across a portfolio of high-growth U.S. brands.
• Serve as the 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.
• Lead the development of annual and quarterly paid search plans, including budget allocation, channel mix, keyword and audience strategy, and creative roadmaps.
• Oversee campaign architecture, bidding strategy, optimization frameworks, and testing methodologies across key paid media accounts with aggregate monthly spends ranging from $500K to $5M+.
• Establish and enforce rigorous KPI frameworks (CPA, CAC, iROAS, nCAC, MER, aMER, CTR, and CPM).
• Architect and pressure-test attribution models in partnership with Analytics.
• Serve as the senior creative strategist on accounts, guiding ad copy, landing page alignment, short-form video creative, and creative testing frameworks.
• Manage, coach, and develop a team of Paid Search Managers and Specialists.
• Conduct structured performance reviews and build individualized growth plans for direct reports.
• Establish internal quality standards for campaign builds, reporting, and client deliverables.
• Act as an escalation point for complex performance challenges and client issues.

What you'll need to be successful:

• 7+ years of paid media advertising experience, with at least 5+ years specializing in Paid Search and Google in particular.
• 5+ years managing paid search 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.
• Proven track record of scaling Google ad accounts beyond $1M USD/month while maintaining or improving efficiency metrics.
• Executive-level client management skills.
• Expert-level command of Google Ads and deep familiarity with YouTube, Microsoft Advertising (Bing), and the emerging AI search ad ecosystem.
• Mastery of the e-commerce marketing funnel and e-commerce performance metrics.
• Expertise in developing, testing, and optimizing ad copy and short-form video creative.
• 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.

What It's Like to Work at Darkroom:

Darkroom is not a typical agency. We are looking for A players who want to build something great. We move fast, think deeply, and expect every team member to bring insight and rigor to everything they touch.

• Unlimited PTO + US holidays.
• Remote-First Culture, with hybrid expectations for employees based in or near New York or Lisbon HQs.
• Health and wellness coverage including medical, dental, and vision.
• Robust 401(k) program with company match and profit-sharing opportunities.
• Flexible parental leave.
• Growth through an interdisciplinary model.

Compensation:

The base salary range for this role is $120,000 per year for candidates based in New York, including New York City. Actual compensation within this range will be determined based on experience, skills, and qualifications. This role is also eligible for performance-based compensation.

Equal Opportunity Statement:

Darkroom is an equal opportunity workplace and is dedicated to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national orientation, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.