Paid Search Director (SEM)Chicago

Paid Search Director (SEM)

As Director of Paid Search, you'll be a hands-on leader and subject matter expert across enterprise-level accountsowning campaign strategy, team operations, and executive communications. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in in-platform optimizations, has experience building and mentoring paid search teams, and excels at fostering strong relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.

You know how to uncover insights from data and translate them into growth-driving strategies. You'll own end-to-end SEM execution, guiding account structure, budget and bid management, performance optimization, and reporting. Collaborating across multiple disciplines Search, Media, Analytics, Creative, Strategy, and Account Management you'll convert data into actionable insights, align SEM goals with client priorities, and keep teams up-to-date on the evolving search landscape. You'll define paid search standards, and ensure best practices are upheld across campaign setup, budget pacing, and continuous optimization to drive performance and client satisfaction.

You'll also play a critical role in shaping our paid search services and capabilities, scaling internal operations, and helping our clients achieve top-tier performance.

You Will :

• Own the definition, execution, and optimization of SEM strategies for enterprise brands with $1M+ annual budgets
• Translate business objectives into actionable SEM strategies across Google, Microsoft, and emerging AI platforms
• Manage complex, multi-market campaigns including account structure, targeting, bid strategy, budget pacing, troubleshooting, and conversion optimization
• Lead iterative testing initiatives (ad copy, audiences, bidding strategies, betas) to drive incremental performance gains
• Deliver insightful, visually compelling reporting with strategic recommendations rooted in data
• Conduct audits, competitive analyses, and market research to uncover growth opportunities
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver integrated search and media strategies
• Align paid and organic search strategies to maximize cost efficiencies and improve holistic search performance (e.g. incrementality testing, etc.)
• Build and nurture client relationships as a trusted SEM advisor; proactively share POVs on search trends, platform updates, and innovations
• Develop team members through coaching, feedback, and training; remove roadblocks to support performance and growth
• Establish and document operational workflows, best practice checklists, QA processes, onboarding, SOPs and playbooks to elevate SEM delivery across the agency
• Participate in new business pitches and agency initiatives
• Effectively convey SEM concepts and success stories in a concise and easy-to-understand manner

You Have :

What We Offer :

Our new hires & employees are the future of our organization, and we want to set you up for long-term success. In an effort to do so, we expect our team to work from an office a minimum of 3 days a week.

Salary Range $135,000 - $160,000 USD

Critical Mass is an equal opportunity employer.