Digital Media Director (Social + Prog + Search)

• Company Type: Full Service Media Agency

• Location: Melbourne

• Role: Digital Media Director

• Work Model: Hybrid (3 days in the office, 2 days WFH)

• Team: 2 direct reports

• Account Load: 4 brand accounts ~ Travel, e-commerce, Health & Fitness

Channels

• Paid Social: Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat.
• Programmatic Media: Display, Video, Native, Audio, Connected TV (CTV), Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH), Publisher Partnerships, Digital IOs, and High-Impact Formats.
• Paid Search: Google Ads (Search, Performance Max, YouTube), Microsoft Ads, and broader search engine marketing (SEM) strategy.

The Opportunity

You will take strategic ownership of 3 to 4 of Australia's most recognised brands, with full accountability across Paid Social, Programmatic Media, and Paid Search. The breadth of channel responsibility at this level is uncommon in the Melbourne market.

Reporting to the Head of Digital, you will operate across four distinct leadership dimensions: senior client counsel, team development, commercial growth, and applied technical expertise. The agency is well-regarded for the quality of its client relationships and the rigour of its media thinking. The people here are serious about the work, and the environment reflects that.

What You Will Be Doing

Client Leadership

• Serve as the primary strategic counsel for 3 to 4 tier 1 accounts, engaging at the CMO and senior marketing leadership level
• Lead strategy, planning, and executive-level presentations that directly shape client business outcomes
• Identify and convert commercial growth opportunities within existing accounts, bringing forward recommendations proactively and with a clear commercial rationale

People and Team Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of two, establishing clear performance expectations and investing meaningfully in their professional growth
• Elevate team capability across Paid Social, Programmatic Media, and Paid Search, ensuring best-in-class strategic thinking and execution.
• Maintain rigorous quality control across all client deliverables, ensuring strategic integrity at every stage of execution

Media Strategy and Expertise

• Architect and oversee full-funnel paid media strategies across Paid Social, Programmatic Media, and Paid Search channels.
• Develop integrated media investment strategies across social, search, and programmatic environments, informed by audience insights, performance data, and market intelligence.
• Stay at the forefront of emerging platforms, technologies, and media opportunities to create a competitive advantage for clients.

Commercial and Performance Accountability

• Maintain full commercial accountability across all accounts, including budget governance, accurate forecasting, and delivery against agreed outcomes
• Drive incremental revenue through proactive scope expansion, strategic innovation planning, and disciplined identification of new commercial opportunities within each account
• Define measurement frameworks that connect media activity to client business outcomes, moving beyond activity reporting to genuine performance intelligence

What You Bring

Experience Required

• Minimum 7+ years in paid digital media, with some demonstrated tenure at the director level within an agency environment
• A track record of managing tier 1 accounts with multi-million dollar annual media budgets across multiple paid digital channels
• Demonstrated people leadership experience, including the ability to develop direct reports and hold a team to a high standard of strategic and executional output
• Current or recent agency experience is a non-negotiable requirement. Applications from in-house or client-side backgrounds will not be progressed

Technical Skills Required

• Demonstrated experience planning and activating campaigns across Paid Social, Programmatic Media, and Paid Search channels.
• Advanced proficiency across Meta Ads Manager and at least one enterprise DSP, specifically DV360 or The Trade Desk
• Working knowledge of programmatic buying, including audience architecture, inventory strategy, and brand safety governance
• Proficiency in campaign measurement, attribution modelling, and performance reporting, including GA4 and relevant third-party analytics tools

What You Get in Return

• 4 tier 1 accounts, 2 direct reports, and the full channel remit most director roles in Melbourne do not offer
• A flat enough structure that your decisions reach clients quickly, without layers of sign-off slowing you down
• Professional development budget to spend on training, certifications, or industry events of your choice
• Hybrid 3+2, premium inner Melbourne office, and a team that holds the work to a genuinely high standard

A Note on Fit

This role is built for a senior paid digital specialist with 7+ or more years of experience and a track record of leading accounts and people in an agency environment. Agency experience is a firm requirement. Candidates without a current or recent agency background will not be progressed. This is a confidential search managed by Touch of Talent.