Job description
WE HAVE CREATED A WORLD WHERE ART AND SCIENCE ARE BEST FRIENDS
Known is a modern marketing company engineered for the unprecedented opportunities and challenges facing marketers today. We are about 200+ people strong, pairing PhD data scientists with award-winning creatives, strategists, engineers and expert research teams to produce some of the most innovative and cutting-edge creative work in culture. We believe that when creative truly collaborates with science, strategy, and technology, amazing things can happen.
Ad Age touted that “Known may be the ultimate example of a full-service agency,” and honored us with two prestigious recognitions this year: #3 on The A-List as one of the top agencies in the world, and Ad Age’s Data & Insights Agency of the year for the second year in a row. Without our incredible partnerships with our clients, spanning across the leading brands in finance, technology, entertainment, media, CPG, real estate, and many other categories, honors like this could not be possible, and also have helped us earn additional awards and recognitions over the years like: Emmys, Clios Entertainment and Sports Awards, Effies, Cannes Lions Awards, ProMax Agency of the Year, and Digiday’s Most Innovative Media Agency to name a few.
We couldn’t create this award-winning work without seeking out and hiring the best talent. What does it mean to be a Knowner? We are curious innovators, knowledge-hunters who are constantly challenging ourselves to do better and be better for our clients, for our team and for our world at large. Our offices around the U.S. are open and while most of our people work in a hybrid setting, we are a distributed workforce with a number of Knowners working remotely.
BUT ENOUGH ABOUT US, LET’S TALK ABOUT YOU
About the role:
We’re seeking a visionary and results-oriented Vice President of Biddable Media to lead our agency’s Paid Search, Paid Social, and Programmatic teams. This is a pivotal leadership role, reporting to the Chief Media Officer, that demands both strategic acumen and a forward-thinking mindset. You’ll be instrumental in unifying our biddable media efforts, championing innovation through AI and emerging technologies, and ensuring we remain at the cutting edge of the ever-evolving digital advertising landscape in order to continuously improve performance for our clients. The ideal candidate is an exceptional leader, a compelling communicator who can make the complex simple for clients and prospective clients, and a strategic partner who can inspire teams, collaborate seamlessly across departments, and represent our deep expertise to clients and prospects.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
As the VP of Biddable Media, you will:
Lead & Develop High-Performing Teams:
- Provide strategic leadership, mentorship, and oversight to our Paid Search, Paid Social, and Programmatic media teams, fostering a culture of excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Integrate teams and champion cross-training across biddable platforms to enhance resource flexibility, build a more comprehensive knowledge base, and foster a more holistic approach to biddable media.
- Mentor the next generation of leaders within your teams, ensuring they develop into strong managers, trusted client partners, and impactful contributors in new business pitches.
- Manage resources and allocation across new business pitches and clients.
Drive Innovation & Future-Proofing with AI:
- Collaborate closely with our data scientists and engineers to identify, evaluate, and implement cutting-edge automation and innovation tools, with a strong emphasis on leveraging AI technologies and ensure that the tools are consistently used across all clients..
- Anticipate future trends and shifts as AI becomes increasingly integrated into the user experience on key platforms like Google and Meta, ensuring the agency remains at the forefront with proactive strategies and capabilities.
Optimize Cross-Channel Strategies:
- Work collaboratively with overlapping channel teams (e.g., Digital Direct Buying, Local and National TV Buying, Digital OOH Buying) to analyze and rationalize how we determine the optimal route to market for client campaigns, ensuring maximum efficiency and impact.
- Understand the ever growing media partner direct platforms (Disney Campaign Manager, etc.) and determine how we leverage these platforms while still understanding the integrated impact across all channels, evaluate effectiveness holistically and optimize based on like-for-like performance metrics.
Champion Growth & Thought Leadership:
- Serve as the agency’s lead biddable media expert in new business pitches, effectively conveying our deep knowledge, strategic vision, and innovative approaches to client challenges and briefs.
- Act as a key internal and external thought leader, shaping the agency’s perspective on biddable media and contributing to industry discourse.
WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU HAVE
Experience:
- 15+ years of experience in biddable media (Paid Search, Paid Social, Programmatic), with at least 5 years in a senior leadership or VP-level role within a media agency.
- Proven track record of successfully managing, integrating, and developing large teams across multiple biddable channels.
- Extensive knowledge of major biddable platforms (e.g., Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager, leading DSPs) and industry-standard analytics and ad tech tools. Must have strong relationships with these vendors.
- Demonstrated experience in leveraging and integrating new technologies, particularly AI/machine learning, into media strategies and operational workflows.
- Strong background in new business development, including presenting compelling strategies to C-suite executives and contributing significantly to pitch wins.
Skills:
- Exceptional leadership, team-building, and mentoring abilities, with a passion for fostering talent and career growth.
- Deep analytical prowess, capable of interpreting complex data sets, extracting actionable insights, and translating them into clear strategic recommendations.
- Outstanding communication and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate complex concepts clearly and persuasively to diverse audiences (internal teams, clients, prospects).
- A highly strategic and forward-thinking mindset, coupled with a proactive approach to anticipating industry changes and seizing new opportunities.
- Strong collaboration skills, adept at building consensus and driving synergy across different departments and functions.
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Advertising, Business, or a related field. Master’s degree preferred.
ONE LAST THING TO ASK YOURSELF
All this might sound great, but you’re probably still wondering, “Would I be a good fit for Known?” or “Would Known be a good fit for me?” Our culture is propped up by four values that we aspire to every day: We are one team. We see the good. We never stop learning. There’s always a better way. At Known we are setting out to build something more than just a company. We are building a legacy filled with exceptionally talented people with a kaleidoscope of backgrounds, experiences, and origin stories who feel encouraged and empowered to bring their whole selves to work, and to partner with us in molding and shaping our culture through our values.
Known is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against employees or qualified job applicants on the basis of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or locally protected class.
The base salary for this position is $200K-$225K.
This range is posted in compliance with state and municipal Pay Transparency laws. In addition to base compensation, this role is eligible to receive additional Known benefits.
#LI-RR1
