Paid Media Director

Who are we? 

A world where complexity is the only constant demands a new breed of company. Brave Bison is a different beast: a media, marketing and technology company purpose built for the digital era.  

Our universe is made up of award-winning business arms Brave Bison, Engage, SocialChain and MTM. And we’re underpinned by leading marketing training practice, MiniMBA, as well as our very own social-first media network who deliver monthly views in the billions for some of the biggest channels in sport and entertainment across YouTube, Snap, Meta and TikTok.  

We’re a global collective who live and breathe digital, working with some of the boldest brands in the world to capitalise on the complexity that defines the modern marketing landscape.  

Our mission

New platforms, new behaviors, new audiences, new trends, new technologies, new regulations—our clients’ worlds get more complex daily. Their agency partnerships shouldn’t. It’s our job to cut through the chaos, make the complex simple and navigate a clear path to growth for them.  

That’s why we make it our mission to capitalise on complexity for our clients—across consultancy, capability and execution—by crafting dynamic digital solutions that outpace tomorrow’s challenges.  

Our values

We’re a proudly diverse business comprised of deep specialists across media, marketing, training and technology. Although our skills, backgrounds and beliefs may differ, we are united by four core shared values: 

• Bold Curiosity.

We run at change and challenge convention because we love to push the boundaries of what the world thinks is possible. We champion discovery, go deep into our clients’ worlds and are always hungry to learn more about them, our specialisms and each other.  

• Connected Clarity.

We are focused in our collaboration — joining the right dots between our clients, our partners and our herd of experts to deliver agile solutions at speed and scale. We set a shared ambition from the outset, are transparent at every stage and always strive to make the complex simple. 

• Positive Encouragement.

We want to make working with us the best part of someone’s day. We lift one other up, find the fun in the day to day and are committed to ensuring everyone belongs. 

• Constant Impact.

We believe in outcomes over outputs. We’re goal orientated, results driven and data-led. We show up with passion every day. And we’re always honing our craft. 

The opportunity

Join Brave Bison as a Paid Media Director and take a leading role in shaping performance and growth for a portfolio of high-profile clients, including Tottenham Hotspur, Nature's Menu and Raja.

You'll work closely with senior client stakeholders and our Paid Search, Paid Social and Programmatic specialists to develop integrated media strategies that turn business objectives into measurable results.

We're looking for a commercially minded performance media leader who combines strong technical foundations with strategic thinking, confident client management and a collaborative approach to leadership. You'll bring specialists together, challenge thinking and help develop people, while providing the strategic direction and oversight needed to deliver great work. Our specialist teams own day-to-day activation, allowing you to focus on client strategy, performance and growth.

This role is designed as a step up. It would suit an Associate Director, Senior Paid Media Manager or Lead, or Head of Paid at a smaller agency, who already shapes strategy on key accounts and is ready to own a client portfolio, line manage a small team and build their commercial leadership, while contributing to the continued evolution of our paid media offering.

Why join us?

• Step up with support: take ownership of strategy and growth across an established client portfolio, with direct exposure to senior decision-makers and backing from agency leadership.
• Work with brilliant specialists: collaborate across paid channels, measurement, strategy, creative, commerce and technology to solve challenging client problems.
• Shape what comes next: Directly contribute to our paid media proposition, support new business opportunities and help develop the next generation of leaders.
• Enjoy a broader package: flexible working, private medical insurance, summer Fridays, occasional complimentary office lunches and supported development opportunities.

What you’ll be responsible for

Senior client and portfolio strategy

• Lead strategic client relationships, act as a trusted partner and take responsibility for performance direction across your assigned portfolio.
• Translate client business goals into integrated media strategies, investment priorities and clear measures of success.
• Lead strategic planning and business reviews, contributing to commercial conversations and making recommendations that connect media outcomes to business growth.
• Constructively challenge decisions with evidence, clear judgement and a collaborative approach.

Commercial performance and account growth

• Drive strong commercial outcomes, client retention and growth opportunities across your portfolio, identifying ways to increase client value.
• Oversee account-level forecasting and budgets, working with account and agency leadership on scope, resourcing and commercial risks.
• Support managers and specialist leads in making confident decisions on prioritisation, margin, scope and client value.

Cross-channel effectiveness, measurement and innovation

• Set joined-up strategies across Paid Search, Paid Social, Programmatic and related channels, drawing on specialist teams to lead technical delivery.
• Use platform, first-party and measurement insights to guide decisions on investment, testing and performance improvement.
• Partner with measurement, analytics, creative and commerce teams to strengthen attribution, experimentation and the connection to business outcomes.
• Championing commercially useful AI and automation opportunities, ensuring adoption is responsible and outcomes can be measured.

Leadership, quality and development

• Provide strategic leadership and accountability for delivery quality across the portfolio, without being responsible for day-to-day campaign builds.
• Line manage and develop a team of 2–5 Paid Media Managers and Leads, building stronger client, people and commercial leadership skills.
• Work with specialist leads to maintain delivery standards, identify risks and resolve performance challenges.
• Create a positive, inclusive culture focused on collaboration, learning and continuous improvement.

New business and agency growth

• Contribute paid media strategy to relevant pitches, working alongside senior leadership and specialists to turn client challenges into compelling recommendations.
• Help strengthen the agency’s proposition through useful case studies, thought leadership and practical examples of innovation and commercial impact.

What you’ll bring

Essential

• Experience shaping performance strategy and managing senior client relationships on complex accounts, with clear evidence of commercial impact. You don’t need to have owned a full portfolio before; this is the role where you will.
• Strong technical foundations in performance media, with real depth in at least one major discipline and sufficient breadth to lead integrated work and confidently challenge specialists across channels.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to engage senior client stakeholders and explain commercial value clearly.
• Sound commercial judgement across budgets, forecasting, account growth, scope and prioritisation.
• Experience line managing or formally mentoring team members, providing strategic direction and supporting their development.
• A data-led approach to decision-making, with a good working understanding of measurement, attribution and testing.
• A practical grasp of emerging media, AI and automation, with the judgement to identify applications that make commercial sense.
• Experience contributing to new business pitches or strategic client opportunities, working collaboratively with specialist teams.

Useful, but not essential

• Experience with global or multi-market client structures.
• Exposure to additional disciplines such as retail media, product feeds, commerce, programmatic trading or advanced measurement.
• Familiarity with platforms including Google Ads, SA360, Microsoft Ads, Meta, TikTok, YouTube and DV360.
• Experience developing propositions, industry content or new business opportunities.

What you’ll get

• Dynamic working with flexibility around where and when you work, and the option to work abroad for up to one month each year.
• 25 days’ annual leave, plus a Christmas closure that does not use your annual leave allowance, and your birthday off.
• Summer Fridays with a 3pm finish between June and August.
• Private medical insurance, income protection and a workplace pension with employer contributions.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption benefits.
• Wellbeing support including Calm, online coaching and mental health support through OpenUp.
• Discounted gym memberships, free eye tests and occasional complimentary office lunches.
• Opportunities for personal development and training, with support available for relevant learning.
• Performance and salary reviews twice per year.

Equal opportunities

We are committed to providing equal opportunities and creating an inclusive environment for all employees and applicants. We welcome people with different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences.