Fractional Director, Paid Media

About the Role

Walk West is seeking a Fractional Director, Paid Media who is equal parts practitioner and leader. This person must be able to run campaigns with precision and raise the ceiling of what our paid media practice is capable of. This role carries real accountability for client outcomes. We are looking for someone who questions what we are doing, challenges the status quo, brings the rest of the agency along, and proactively drives value for clients and for the business. Our current need is approximately 20 hours/week and may lead to a full-time role.

What You'll Own

Campaign Excellence

• Lead all aspects of paid media strategy, planning, buying, optimization, and reporting across client accounts.
• Manage and oversee ongoing campaign execution including pacing, optimization, insight implementation, and performance against client KPIs.
• Establish campaign goals, strategies, and performance benchmarks aligned to client business objectives.
• Oversee media audits, data analysis, and data visualization to surface actionable insights.
• Ensure creative assets align with media strategy; provide directional feedback to creative and production teams.
• Maintain advanced working proficiency across Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, programmatic platforms (managed service and self-serve DSP), and Google Analytics / GA4.
• Oversee monthly self-serve platform spend management and reconciliation of associated billing.

Client Growth & Opportunity Identification

• Proactively audit existing client campaigns to identify untapped channels, budget inefficiencies, and expansion opportunities, and bring those recommendations forward without being asked.
• Build strong client relationships and serve as a strategic advisor; anticipate client needs before they surface.
• Collaborate with the Account team to develop opportunity talk tracks and help client-facing colleagues articulate the value of paid media investments.
• Provide paid media support on RFPs, new business pitches, and agency presentations.

Department Leadership

• Mentor and develop the paid media team through regular coaching and performance feedback
• Institute a culture of critique within the department by regularly assessing what is working, what is not, and what the team should start, stop, or change.
• Own department-level education: run regular trainings, lunch-and-learns, or knowledge-share sessions to keep the team current on platform changes, industry shifts, and best practices.
• Collaborate with agency leadership to shape Walk West's overall strategic direction, agency positioning, and service offerings.
• Partner with Project Management and Account teams to ensure clear ad specifications, creative deadlines, and campaign scoping.

AI & Emerging Technology

• Serve as the department's lead voice on AI-driven advertising tools, automation, and optimization approaches, actively testing, evaluating, and integrating what works.
• Educate the team and broader agency on AI developments relevant to paid media, especially agentic commerce
• Proactively surface recommendations to leadership on how AI can improve campaign performance, departmental efficiency, or Walk West's competitive differentiation.
• Stay ahead of platform-native AI features (Google Performance Max, Meta Advantage+, etc.) and ensure the team is deploying them strategically, not reflexively.

Qualifications

• 5-7 years of experience in paid media planning and buying, including at least 2 years in a leadership or senior individual contributor role at an agency.
• Demonstrated ability to manage campaigns hands-on across Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, and programmatic platforms.
• Track record of proactively identifying and acting on growth opportunities within client accounts, not just executing against briefs.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to draw clear insights from data and communicate them to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• A genuine curiosity about AI and automation in the advertising space, with hands-on experience testing and deploying these tools.
• Exceptional communicator across channels: internal teams, clients, and executive leadership.
• Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, business, or related field; equivalent experience considered.