Senior Director - Paid Media Performance

Storytelling is, and will always be, the heart of what we do at Skydance.
Our vision is to build a thriving entertainment ecosystem where stories and worlds are imagined, brought to life and experienced. We create for every age and audience, anchored by the strength of our content and experiences and the depth of our connection with fans. We are creator-first, audience-focused, tech-forward, globally scaled.

Here, you’ll work with talented teams that move fast, think boldly and collaborate with purpose to deliver results. We aim high, champion the best ideas and win together, earning the trust of our employees, creators, partners and audiences every day.

If you’re energized by the opportunity to help build the next-generation global media and entertainment company powered by creativity and technology, we’d be thrilled to welcome you aboard. LET’S GO!

Overview:

Responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Develop and execute the paid media acquisition strategy across paid search, social (Meta, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, Reddit) and programmatic/DSP channels (e.g., DV360, Yahoo DSP, Amazon DSP, Samsung DSP), aligning channel and audience approach to the business goals across all genres.
• Own CPA and efficiency targets across the portfolio and across channels (e.g., sports, drama, reality, and service titles), continually optimizing tactics, media mix, and audience targeting to scale acquisition cost-effectively.
• Lead development of audience targeting and consolidation strategy across search, social and programmatic, including genre-level segmentation and cross-platform/cross-channel audience consolidation, to improve scale and efficiency.
• Lead activation of incrementality and platform/channel performance testing in partnership with internal testing teams.
• Provide feasibility guidance on the testing roadmap across social and programmatic, turning learnings into action.
• Own media recommendations and launch support for key title releases and seasonal tentpoles across channels, ensuring the full paid media mix is positioned to deliver against goals.
• Lead, coach, and develop the paid media team across social and programmatic disciplines, setting priorities, standards, and clear expectations to build a robust, high-performing function.
• Partner cross-functionally with internal marketing teams and senior leadership on budget, reporting, and strategic decisions, and represent paid search, social and programmatic in broader team planning.

Basic Qualifications:

• 12+ years of experience in paid media/digital performance marketing across paid search, social and programmatic channels, with 5+ years of people management experience leading teams.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.

Additional Qualifications:

• Proven ability to develop strategic recommendations and drive priorities for multiple large paid media programs across paid search, social platforms (Meta, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, Reddit) and programmatic DSPs (e.g., DV360, Yahoo DSP, TTD), with deep, hands-on channel expertise.
• Hands-on experience planning, executing, and optimizing programmatic campaigns within at least one major DSP. Experience with audience and inventory targeting, bid strategy, and PMPs/private marketplace deals.
• Deep track record owning CPA and efficiency targets and managing large media budgets across channels and formats to performance goals.
• Experience developing audience strategy, testing for incrementality, and platform/channel testing, and using measurement to inform decisions.
• Exemplary cross-functional leadership and communication skills. With experience partnering with marketing, strategy, and senior stakeholders.
• Sound judgment on decisions that carry business risk, and the ability to recommend resourcing and staffing to meet objectives.
• Solid data and analytics fluency, including comfort with platform/DSP reporting, BI tools, and experimentation or measurement frameworks to turn performance data into decisions.
• Hands-on platform experience across social and/or programmatic and a working command of the day-to-day execution the team performs, while now leading strategy rather than executing in-platform.
• Experience in entertainment, streaming, or media/subscription businesses.
• Experience with social ad management/ad-serving platforms (e.g., Sprinklr, Smartly, CM360) and/or programmatic DSPs beyond DV360, Yahoo DSP, Amazon DSP, and Samsung DSP (e.g., The Trade Desk, StackAdapt).
• Experience with project management tools (e.g., Asana).
• Relevant platform or DSP certifications (e.g., Meta Blueprint, DV360 Certification) or equivalent.

About SkydanceSkydance is a next-generation global media and entertainment company, comprised of three business segments: Studios, Direct-to-Consumer, and TV Media. Skydance's portfolio unites legendary brands, including Paramount, Warner Bros., HBO and HBO Max, Paramount+, Pluto TV, CBS, CNN, CBS Sports, TNT Sports, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, MTV, Food Network, BET, HGTV, and Comedy Central.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Hiring Salary Range: $140,000.00 - 175,000.00. 

In compliance with local law, we are disclosing compensation, or a range thereof, for roles where legally required. Actual salaries will vary based on a variety of job-related factors, including but not limited to geographic location, external market data, internal equity, skill set, experience, training, education, and/or performance. Base pay is just one component of our total compensation package. Other rewards may include annual bonuses, short- and long-term incentives, and program-specific awards.

This position is bonus eligible.  

What We Offer:

• Attractive compensation and comprehensive benefits packages. Check out our full list of benefits here.
• Generous paid time off.
• Complimentary subscriptions to HBO Max, Paramount+, and other Skydance streaming services and digital news products.
• Robust employee engagement opportunities, including access to exclusive screenings and events, speaker series, volunteer activities and more.

Skydance is an equal opportunity employer (EOE)

We embrace the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects a wide array of perspectives, backgrounds and experiences. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit. In line with the laws of the country or region in which the role is based, this includes consideration without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, religion or belief, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, physical or mental disability, genetic information, military or protected veteran status, union status or any other category protected by applicable law.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability, you may request a reasonable accommodation during the job application and/or recruitment process. You can request reasonable accommodations by calling 212.846.5500 or by sending an email to [email protected]. Only messages left for this purpose will be returned.