Associate Director, Paid Social

About the role

Darkroom is actively seeking an Associate Director, Paid Social to join our high-performing Paid Media team in New York. This role represents a pivotal leadership position where the hire will be responsible for architecting and executing sophisticated paid social strategies that directly influence revenue growth for a portfolio of premier e-commerce and DTC brands. The successful candidate will operate at the intersection of data, creativity, and executive communication, translating complex market dynamics into clear, actionable plans for senior stakeholders. They will be expected to leverage the full capabilities of Darkroom's proprietary technology, including the Shadow AI commerce layer, to enhance strategic decision-making and operational precision. This is a strategic, high-impact position that requires a blend of creative vision, analytical rigor, and the ability to lead by influence. The hire will be measured on their ability to build and scale high-performing teams while maintaining a relentless focus on profitable growth and client success.

Key facts

What you'll do

• 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 testable hypotheses.
• Mentor and develop junior media planners and strategists, fostering a culture of continuous learning, accountability, and excellence within the team.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Creative, Analytics, Brand, and Client Strategy to ensure cohesive and integrated campaign execution.
• Manage client expectations and communications with transparency and professionalism, building long-term trust and strategic partnerships.
• Identify and mitigate performance risks proactively, implementing contingency plans to protect key account metrics.
• Contribute to the development of sales materials, case studies, and thought leadership that demonstrate the impact of Darkroom's paid social expertise.

Requirements

Candidates must possess a proven track record of managing and scaling paid social campaigns for high-growth brands, demonstrating a history of success with significant budget responsibility. You must have direct experience managing ad accounts with a combined monthly spend exceeding $1M USD, showcasing the ability to handle large-scale budgets with precision. A deep expertise in Meta's advertising platforms is non-negotiable, including advanced knowledge of ad auction dynamics, audience targeting, and conversion optimization. You must have hands-on experience building, leading, and mentoring a team of paid media professionals, fostering an environment of growth and high performance. Demonstrated ability to serve as a strategic advisor to C-level executives is essential, requiring exceptional communication skills and the capacity to translate data into compelling narratives. You must have a strong command of performance marketing KPIs and be able to use data to drive decisions across the entire funnel. Experience working with high-growth DTC and e-commerce brands is a critical requirement, as is a history of driving measurable revenue outcomes in these environments. You must be comfortable operating in a fast-paced, dynamic environment where agility and adaptability are paramount to success.

Nice to have

Preferred candidates will have a background in emerging platforms and innovative monetization strategies, particularly within social commerce environments. Experience with connected TV (CTV) and over-the-top (OTT) advertising ecosystems is highly valued for this role. A demonstrated commitment to developing proprietary frameworks and playbooks for performance marketing will be seen as a significant advantage. Candidates with a history of contributing to the industry through public speaking, writing, or community engagement are encouraged to apply.

Practical notes

This is a full-time position based in New York. The role involves a significant level of travel to client sites and industry events as required. Due to the sensitive nature of client work and the strategic importance of this role, a longer notice period may be required. We are not actively hiring for this role at the moment; we are building a talent pool for future opportunities we anticipate opening soon. Strong candidates may be contacted proactively as our team continues to expand.