Group Director, SEM

Monks
Los Angeles, CA

Who this role is best for

A natural match if you have 12+ years of Paid Search experience and a track record of managing high-value accounts.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with 12+ years of Paid Search experience and a history of managing large accounts
    — “12+ years Paid Search experience”
  • Leaders who have directed strategy across D2C, Retail, B2B, and B2C domains
    — “Experience directing strategy in D2C or Retail, B2B, and B2C digital advertising efforts across different verticals is a major plus”
  • Individuals with strong client communication skills and experience in senior-level client interactions
    — “Experience communicating with senior clients' points of contact from VPs to C-Suite”

Things to consider

  • This role requires adherence to Monks' Return to Office policy with in-office expectations
    — “This role is subject to our Return to Office (RTO) policy”
  • Candidates must be prepared to work in a hybrid model with potential in-office requirements
    — “Assist in creating a team culture across a hybrid working model”

How to stand out

  • Highlight your experience managing at least $20MM in annual ad spend across multiple clients
    — “worked across multiple clients overseeing a minimum of $20MM in annual ad spend”
  • Emphasize your leadership of at least 3 direct reports at the Associate Director level or above
    — “Have 5+ years of management experience with at least 3 direct reports at Associate Director level and above”
  • Demonstrate tactical leadership in YouTube, PMax, and Demand Gen campaigns
    — “Experience in YouTube, Performance Max, Demand Gen, and Value-Based Bidding”
  • Showcase your ability to operationalize processes and drive team adoption
    — “Responsible for operationalizing processes and helping gain adoption across team focus areas”
  • Demonstrate skills in creating advanced presentations and data analysis tools
    — “Advanced slide presentation making and Excel / Google sheet skills”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • driving growth and strategic oversight across the paid search department
  • managing multiple accounts across verticals
  • presenting paid search performance and tactical priorities to clients and internal stakeholders
Typical background
12+ years of Paid Search experienceexperience managing Paid Search budgets of at least $1MM+ in monthly ad spendexperience in D2C or Retail, B2B, and B2C digital advertising efforts

Skills & requirements

Required

SEMPaid SearchYoutubeGoogle AdsMicrosoft AdsPerformance MarketingClient ManagementCross-functional CollaborationPresentation SkillsExcel/google Sheets

Preferred

YoutubePerformance MaxDemand GenValue-based BiddingOffline Conversion DataCRM Integrations

Stack & domain

Paid SearchYoutubeDemand GenPmaxShoppingAppGoogle AdsExcelGoogle SheetsPresentation SkillsLeadershipCollaborationCommunicationMentorshipDigital MarketingPerformance MarketingClient Management

About the role

Original posting from Monks

Please note that we will never request payment or bank account information at any stage of the recruitment process. As we continue to grow our teams, we urge you to be cautious of fraudulent job postings or recruitment activities that misuse our company name and information. Please protect your personal information during any recruitment process. While Monks may contact potential candidates via LinkedIn, all applications must be submitted through our official website (monks.com/careers).

About the Role

We are looking for a strong, passionate, and energetic Search leader to drive growth and strategic oversight across the paid search department with a focus on working on our largest accounts and also serving as an SME across paid search and YouTube. We are looking for someone passionate about search-driven performance marketing who has a strong background in leading multiple accounts across verticals. This individual should be a people-focused leader who enjoys hands-on, cross-functional collaboration and wants to join a fast-growing, innovative digital agency that is hyper-focused on client performance and ROI.

Responsibilities:

Reporting to the Head of Search, this role will serve as a people leader, including SEM channel specialists (Paid Search, YouTube, Demand Gen, PMax, Shopping, and App) as well as Account Leads managing direct client partnerships, contract negotiations/renewals, client onboarding, etc.

This role will serve as a Search thought leader prepared to respond to the changing landscape in paid search

Responsible for revenue driven from new business, client relationships, and client growth

Will present Paid Search performance and tactical priorities to the client and internal  stakeholders; however, the main priority is to help lead a paid search team

Partners with cross-channel leads on creating media plans, including forecasting, testing, tactical plans, and reporting

Drives Search strategy, innovation & testing on your book of business while improving performance, developing quarterly or annual roadmaps to keep advancing accounts with the latest trends and opportunities

Manage others from Account Managers to Directors

Contribute to team morale and culture through engagement, team building, and mentorship

Contribute to overall department training, POVs, award submissions, and case studies

Work closely with Google,  Microsoft, OpenAI, and other vendor partners on alpha and beta opportunities, expansion opportunities, client strategy and planning, and best practices

Responsible for operationalizing processes and helping gain adoption across team focus areas 

Assist in creating a team culture across a hybrid working model

About You

The essentials:

12+ years Paid Search experience

Worked across multiple clients overseeing a minimum of $20MM in annual ad spend

Experience communicating with senior clients' points of contact from VPs to C-Suite

Experience handling direct management of Paid Search budgets of  at least $1MM+ in monthly ad spend

Experience directing strategy in D2C or Retail, B2B, and B2C digital advertising efforts across different verticals is a major plus

Experience in YouTube, Performance Max, Demand Gen, and Value-Based Bidding, understanding of Offline Conversion Data, and CRM integrations with Google Ads a plus

Advanced slide presentation making and Excel / Google sheet skills

Experience presenting paid search strategy to marketing executives, large teams, and senior audiences

Have 5+ years of management experience with at least 3 direct reports at Associate Director level and above

Experience with a bid management platform is preferred, such as SA360, Skai, Marin, etc.

At Monks, we believe in fostering an environment where a diversity of perspectives can thrive. We proactively work to design hiring processes that promote equity and inclusion while mitigating bias. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome and encourage qualified applicants, from all backgrounds, who are excited to contribute to our mission.  

#LI-OG1 #LI-Hybrid

What We Offer

Benefits

Excellent, full coverage medical, dental, and vision insurance - more about our coverage here!

Generous PTO and 15 company-wide holidays

401k with company contribution

Paid parental leave

Work-life balance with an emphasis on personal well-being

Career growth in a disruptor space & entrepreneurial opportunities within the Monks network 

A globally diverse & inclusive culture with employee resource groups such as S4 Melanin, Pride.Monks, Cultura.Monks, and more!

Authentic commitment to DEI efforts and sustainable growth. (Why Sir Martin Sorrell signed The Climate Pledge here!)

This role is subject to our Return to Office (RTO) policy. If you reside within a commutable distance of one of our office locations, you will be expected to work from the office a set number of days per week. The specific details, including the number of required office days, will be in accordance with the company’s then-current RTO policy, which is subject to change from time to time.

Monks has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what Monks may pay for the position at the time of posting. Monks may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on job-related factors, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.

Salary Range: $155,000—$210,000 USDAbout Monks

Monks is the global, digital-first, data-driven, unitary operating brand of S4Capital plc, where our culture centers on how we show up for the work and for one another. That begins with the commitment to strive for mastery—taking deep pride in our craft and creating work that sets the bar. In everyday execution, we drive momentum by choosing bold action rather than waiting for certainty. Above all, our teams are stronger together, bringing diverse perspectives into a unified team that communicates with clarity, trust, and mutual respect.

This commitment to craft and innovation translates directly into widespread industry acclaim: Monks was named a Contender in The Forrester Wave™: Global Marketing Services and a leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Global Digital Marketing Agencies. It ranks among Cannes Lions' Top 10 Creative Companies (2022-25) and remains the only partner featured in AdExchanger’s Programmatic Power Players list every year (2020-24). Named Adweek’s first AI Agency of the Year (2023) and The One Show’s inaugural AI Pioneer Organization (2025), Monks was also awarded Business Intelligence Group’s 2026 Excellence in Artificial Intelligence Award in the Human-Machine Interaction Team category. Additionally, Monks.Flow earned AI-based Marketing Solution of the Year at the 2026 AI Breakthrough Awards and a 2026 Global Generative AI Award in the Agentic Marketing Innovation category. Finally, Monks achieved a record-breaking number of FWAs and continues to hold the most of any partner.

We are an equal-opportunity employer committed to building a respectful and empowering work environment for all people to freely express themselves amongst colleagues who embrace diversity in all respects. Including fresh voices and unique points of view in all aspects of our business not only creates an environment where we can all grow and thrive but also increases our potential to produce work that better represents—and resonates with—the world around us. 

Source: Monks careers

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