Group Director, Search

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We are looking for a strong, passionate, and energetic Search leader to drive growth and strategic oversight across the paid search department with a focus on working on our largest accounts and serving as an SME on LLM optimization for organic and paid synergy. We are looking for someone passionate about search-driven performance marketing and well-versed in both organic search and paid search. This individual should be a people-focused leader who enjoys hands-on, cross-functional collaboration and wants to join a fast-growing, innovative digital agency that is hyper-focused on client performance and ROI.

• Reporting to our SVP,  Head of Search, this role will serve as a people leader, inclusive of SEM channel specialists (Paid search, YouTube, Demand Gen, PMax, Shopping, and App) as well as Account Leads managing direct client partnerships, contract negotiations/renewals, client onboards, etc., in addition to SEO specialists.
• This role will serve as a Search thought leader prepared to respond to the changing landscape
• The ideal candidate will have recent experience in SEO/GEO or AEO/AIO, as well as direct experience optimizing for LLMs across paid and organic search
• This candidate should come with a strong POV regarding how to operationalize a GTM approach for LLM optimization
• Hands-on experience and knowledge of content and tech audits for organic search
• Comfortable working with SEO reporting and visibility monitoring
• Responsible for revenue driven from new business, client relationships, and client growth
• Will serve as an escalation point across a set of top clients and will be highly active in pitches, scoping, and working closely with our growth team
• Will present Paid Search and organic strategy, performance, and tactical priorities to the client and internal  stakeholders
• Partners with cross-channel leads on creating media plans, including forecasting, testing, tactical plans, and reporting
• Drives Search strategy, innovation & testing on your book of business while improving performance, developing quarterly or annual roadmaps to keep advancing accounts with the latest trends and opportunities
• Present QBRs, planning presentations, and testing plans regularly
• Lead client calls from a paid search perspective
• Forecasting, budgeting, and diminishing return analysis
• Manages others from Account Managers to Directors
• Accountable for team growth (training and mentorship) and retention
• Highly involved with hiring and onboarding new employees
• Manages a team with advanced SEM skills, multi-channel digital marketing strategy, and client management skills, including projections, analytics reporting, etc.
• Delivers feedback, performance reviews, support, and recognition in pursuit of achieving team goals
• Helps lead career pathing and coaching
• Serves as a senior sponsor on your team's accounts, developing senior client relationships and guiding holistic digital strategy
• Responsible for training for the team, department, and agency
• Contribute to team morale and culture through engagement, team building, and mentorship
• Contribute to overall department training, POVs, award submissions, and case studies
• Works closely with Google, Bing, and other vendor partners on alpha and beta opportunities, expansion opportunities, client strategy and planning, and best practices
• Responsible for operationalizing processes and helping gain adoption across team focus areas 
• Assist in creating a team culture across a hybrid working model

• 12+ years Paid Search experience
• Experience communicating with senior clients' points of contact from VPs to C-Suite
• Experience handling direct management of Paid Search budgets of  at least $1MM+ in monthly ad spend
• Recent experience optimizing to LLMs across paid and organic search and will have organic and paid search experience
• Experience directing strategy in D2C or Retail, B2B, and B2C digital advertising efforts across different verticals is a major plus
• Experience in YouTube, Performance Max, Demand Gen, and Value-Based Bidding, understanding of Offline Conversion Data, and CRM integrations with Google Ads a plus
• Advanced slide presentation making and Excel / Google sheet skills
• Experience presenting paid search strategy to marketing executives, large teams, and senior audiences
• Have 5+ years of management experience with at least 3 direct reports at Associate Director level and above
• Experience with a bid management platform is preferred, such as SA360, Skai, Marin, etc.
• 4-year college degree or equivalent work experience

At Monks, we believe in fostering an environment where a diversity of perspectives can thrive. We proactively work to design hiring processes that promote equity and inclusion while mitigating bias. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome and encourage qualified applicants, from all backgrounds, who are excited to contribute to our mission.  

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Benefits

• Excellent, full coverage medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Generous PTO and 15 company-wide holidays
• 401k with company contribution
• Paid parental leave
• Work-life balance with an emphasis on personal well-being
• Career growth in a disruptor space & entrepreneurial opportunities within the Monks network 
• A globally diverse & inclusive culture with employee resource groups such as S4 Melanin, Pride.Monks, Cultura.Monks, and more
• Authentic commitment to DEI efforts and sustainable growth. (Why Sir Martin Sorrell signed The Climate Pledge here)

This role is subject to our Return to Office (RTO) policy. If you reside within a commutable distance of one of our office locations, you will be expected to work from the office a set number of days per week. The specific details, including the number of required office days, will be in accordance with the company's then-current RTO policy, which is subject to change from time to time.

Monks has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what Monks may pay for the position at the time of posting. Monks may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on job-related factors, but not based on a candidate's sex or any other protected status.

About Monks

Monks is the global, purely digital, unitary operating brand of S4Capital plc. With a legacy of innovation and specialized expertise, Monks combines an extraordinary range of global marketing and technology services to accelerate business possibilities and redefine how brands and businesses interact with the world. Its integration of systems and workflows delivers unfettered content production, scaled experiences, enterprise-grade technology and data science fueled by AI—managed by the industry's best and most diverse digital talent—to help the world's trailblazing companies outmaneuver and outpace their competition.

Monks was named a Contender in The Forrester Wave: Global Marketing Services. It has remained a constant presence on Adweek's Fastest Growing lists , ranks among Cannes Lions' Top 10 Creative Companies and is the only partner to have been placed in AdExchanger's Programmatic Power Players list every year In addition to being named Adweek's first AI Agency of the Year (2023), Monks has been recognized by Business Intelligence in its 2024 Excellence in Artificial Intelligence Awards program in three categories: the Individual category, Organizational Winner in AI Strategic Planning and AI Product for its service Monks.Flow. Monks has also garnered the title of Webby Production Company of the Year , won a record number of FWAs and has earned a spot on Newsweek's Top 100 Global Most Loved Workplaces 2023.

We are an equal-opportunity employer committed to building a respectful and empowering work environment for all people to freely express themselves amongst colleagues who embrace diversity in all respects. Including fresh voices and unique points of view in all aspects of our business not only creates an environment where we can all grow and thrive but also increases our potential to produce work that better represents—and resonates with—the world around us.