Director of Search Engine Marketing

Aquent is proud to partner with a dynamic and innovative agency that empowers businesses to achieve their marketing objectives through cutting-edge strategies. This agency is dedicated to driving measurable results and fostering a collaborative environment where expertise thrives. Join a team committed to pushing the boundaries of digital performance and delivering significant impact for a diverse portfolio of clients.

Are you a visionary leader in paid search, ready to shape the future of digital advertising for diverse clients? We are seeking a highly experienced and strategic professional to spearhead search engine marketing initiatives, transforming business and revenue goals into impactful, scalable programs. In this pivotal role, you will not only drive performance and optimize campaigns but also play a crucial part in developing talent and fostering innovation across complex client engagements. Your expertise will directly influence client success, elevate brand visibility, and deliver significant ROI, making a tangible difference in the digital landscape.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and evolution of B2B Search Engine Marketing (SEM) strategy across major search platforms.
• Own overall paid search performance, ensuring strategies align with client business objectives, revenue goals, and media efficiency targets.
• Oversee campaign architecture, account structure, scaling strategies, and optimization frameworks across multiple accounts or lines of business.
• Manage SEM budgets, forecasts, pacing, and performance against key performance indicators (KPIs) including Cost Per Acquisition (CPA), Return on Ad Spend (ROAS), revenue, pipeline, conversion volume, and efficiency metrics.
• Translate business and client objectives into measurable paid search strategies, testing plans, and execution roadmaps.
• Lead advanced testing agendas across bidding strategies, audience segmentation, keyword expansion, creative messaging, landing page performance, and automation.
• Analyze performance trends and synthesize insights into clear strategic recommendations for clients, stakeholders, and internal leadership.
• Partner with analytics, strategy, creative, and marketing automation teams to improve measurement, attribution, audience strategy, and campaign effectiveness.
• Ensure tracking, attribution, tagging, and data integrity are accurate, scalable, and aligned with reporting needs.
• Provide strategic guidance to internal teams and clients on SEM best practices, platform changes, market trends, and growth opportunities.
• Lead, mentor, and develop SEM team members, providing coaching, quality assurance, and performance feedback.
• Establish processes, standards, and operating models that improve campaign execution, reporting, optimization, and team efficiency.
• Support new business, account growth, and client planning by contributing SEM strategy, audits, forecasts, and recommendations.

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of SEM / paid search experience, with demonstrated experience leading strategy across complex or high-budget accounts.
• Proven ability to manage, scale, and optimize high-performing paid search programs tied to business outcomes.
• Deep expertise in Google Ads and Microsoft Ads, including bidding strategies, automation, campaign structure, keyword strategy, audience targeting, and optimization techniques.
• Strong understanding of SEM measurement, attribution, conversion tracking, and performance reporting.
• Experience managing large budgets, forecasting performance, and making data-driven investment recommendations.
• Advanced analytical skills with the ability to interpret performance data, identify trends, and translate findings into actionable strategy.
• Strong client-facing and stakeholder communication skills, including the ability to present complex performance insights clearly and confidently.
• Experience working in an agency or client-service environment.
• Proven experience managing, mentoring, and developing team members.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across strategy, analytics, creative, and account teams.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Familiarity with CRM platforms, marketing automation systems, and downstream lead or revenue measurement.
• Experience supporting account planning, growth strategy, or new business efforts preferred.

About Skill:

Skill connects the best professional, IT, engineering, financial and administrative talent with the world's biggest brands. Our eligible talent get access to benefits such as health benefit contributions, retirement plans with match and flexible spending accounts.

Skill is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. We're about creating an inclusive environment-one where different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, and everyone can contribute, grow their careers, and thrive.