Managing Director, Head of Paid Social

About this role

WHO WE ARE

Crossmedia is the global media independent. We’re committed to doing media and business the right way, guided by the principles of TRUST, REASON and the Pursuit of HAPPINESS. Crossmedia US was founded in NY in 2000 and is one of the largest minority-owned full-service media planning & buying agencies in the nation. We are 500+ Crossmedians worldwide with big ambitions to continue to grow with soul.

We focus on what media agencies should do: create innovative connections between brands and people regardless of channel or budget. And we do it in an honest way. We are and always have been a values-based organization. We earn our clients TRUST by ensuring media transparency in our business model and objectivity in decision-making. We apply REASON & logic to finding solutions to our clients' greatest business challenges. The Pursuit of HAPPINESS matters to us. Big time. We invest in each colleagues’ professional & personal wellbeing and growth. It’s why we have countless initiatives, clubs & cultural events dedicated to our people and why we have been the top ranked media agency named to Ad Age’s Best Places to Work for the past seven years in a row.

We have offices in the US, London and Germany. Our client roster includes U.S. Bank, Invesco, Newell Brands, NASCAR, Planet Fitness, American Cancer Society, Ricola, Herschend Family Entertainment, Zalando, Edible Arrangements, Citizens Bank, and more.

THE ROLE

Paid social is evolving rapidly, creating new opportunities for brands to engage audiences and drive business results. We are looking for a senior leader with deep expertise, a strong point of view, and a clear vision for the future of paid social.

Reporting to the Executive Director, Integrated Investment, the Managing Director, Head of Social will serve as Crossmedia’s senior paid social expert and strategic leader. This role will lead the agency’s paid social strategy, capabilities, and point of view across audience development, activation, optimization, measurement, platform innovation, and emerging opportunities.

You’ll advise senior clients, lead a team of 25+ social professionals, and partner across Planning, Analytics, Paid Search, Programmatic, Creative, and Investment to ensure social is integrated into broader media strategies. You’ll also help evolve CrossSocial, identifying opportunities to connect paid social with creators, influencers, content, and experiential capabilitie

YOUR OBJECTIVES

• Lead the practice: Set the strategic vision and standards for Crossmedia’s paid social offering and continuously advance its capabilities and point of view.

• Advise clients: Bring strategic perspective to complex business challenges and develop differentiated, audience-first strategies that deliver measurable outcomes.

• Develop talent: Lead and grow a high-performing team of 25+ people while fostering accountability, collaboration, curiosity, and continuous improvement.

• Drive growth: Strengthen client relationships, identify new opportunities, and contribute to retention, expansion, and new business.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Paid Social Expertise

• Serve as Crossmedia’s senior paid social subject-matter expert and strategic voice.

• Establish best practices across strategy, audience development, activation, testing, optimization, and measurement.

• Translate consumer behavior, data, creative, and platform capabilities into actionable media strategies.

• Evaluate emerging platforms, formats, technologies, and trends and determine their relevance for clients and Crossmedia.

• Partner across disciplines to ensure social strategies are integrated, data-informed, and connected to business outcomes.

Client & Business Leadership

• Build trusted relationships with senior clients and serve as a strategic advisor on social and broader media opportunities.

• Lead senior-level strategy, planning, presentations, and business reviews.

• Identify opportunities to strengthen client strategies, expand relationships, and drive growth.

• Develop appropriate team structures and staffing plans, scope work effectively, and align resources to client needs and budgets.

• Contribute to new business through differentiated social expertise and thought leadership.

Team & Practice Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of 25+ social professionals.

• Set a high bar for strategic thinking, client leadership, and execution.

• Strengthen capabilities through talent development, training, knowledge-sharing, and evolving best practices.

• Attract and retain exceptional paid social talent.

• CrossSocial

• Help shape the evolution of CrossSocial, with paid social as its core strategic and performance capability.

• Identify opportunities to integrate creators, influencers, content, and experiential capabilities when they add strategic value.

• Build scalable approaches and partnerships that expand Crossmedia’s social capabilities.

REQUIREMENTS

• 12+ years of paid social experience, including significant senior leadership experience within an agency, platform, or client-side environment.

• Deep expertise across paid social strategy, audience development, activation, optimization, testing, and measurement.

• Strong understanding of the social ecosystem, including platforms, consumer behavior, emerging technologies, and creator dynamics.

• Proven experience leading and developing high-performing teams.

• Ability to translate business objectives, audience insights, and data into sophisticated, audience-first strategies.

• Strong senior client relationships and a track record of serving as a strategic advisor.

• Understanding of how social connects with Paid Search, Programmatic, Planning, Analytics, Creative, and broader media.

• Commercial acumen and experience contributing to client growth, retention, expansion, and/or new business.

• Exceptional communication, presentation, and storytelling skills, with the ability to influence senior…