Director of Performance Media

Position Summary

The Director of Performance Media is responsible for leading and overseeing Blue Wheel’s direct-to-consumer paid media investments across paid social, search, and programmatic channels. This role owns the strategic vision, execution standards, and performance outcomes for a growing DTC client portfolio.

The Director of DTC manages a team of 12–14 subject matter experts, drives innovation across service delivery, ensures operational excellence, and partners closely with senior leadership to scale and advance the DTC offering profitably in line with client and market demands.

Key ResponsibilitiesDTC Strategy & Leadership

• Own and implement best-in-class DTC advertising strategies across all paid media channels
• Audit existing methodologies, assess performance gaps, and enact improvements aligned with industry-leading DTC practices and platform best-practices
• Establish formal standards, frameworks, playbooks and mindsets that drive DTC performance excellence.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead and oversee the DTC Activation Team through regular meetings and 1:1s
• Manage workload, fulfillment, and account demands while maintaining a strategic and operational view
• Identify skill gaps and invest in team training, upskilling, and professional development especially as it relates to platform capabilities and tactics
• Allocate resources effectively against client scopes to ensure profitability and efficient headcount utilization

Service Line Performance & Effectiveness

• Ensure accurate, actionable reporting and analytics that effectively measure and optimize media performance within a DTC/performance media approach
• Maintain oversight of key performance indicators across clients and the DTC department; help establish workable KPI and metrics frameworks for business outcomes
• Collaborate with other departments to drive success and operational excellence across client portfolio

Financial & P&L Management

• Build, manage, and own revenue and cost-related P&L components for the DTC service line
• Ensure growth objectives are met while maintaining target profit margins

Client & Internal Escalation Management

• Serve as the senior escalation point for complex client or internal issues; establish senior relationships with key/top clients
• Drive timely, effective resolutions that strengthen client relationships and minimize attrition
• Hands-on approach in resolving issues and ensuring team demonstrate excellence in account management

Innovation & Industry Leadership

• Ensure service delivery reflects current and emerging digital marketing best practices, including AI and/or taking advantage of platform innovations
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation
• Maintain strong relationships with media partners, vendors, and industry leaders to drive early adoption of new opportunities. Manage a formal plan of on-going partner manage through cadence of meetings and agency benefits/demands.

Business Development & Growth Support

• Participate in sales calls, pitches, QBRs, and POAs for top-tier clients and enterprise agency initiatives
• Support growth of the DTC offering through thought leadership and strategic consultation – look to advance the practice through thought leadership and new channel strategies

Executive Visibility & Representation

• Represent the DTC department internally and externally
• Develop standardized reporting frameworks and cadences to provide the COO and executive team visibility into performance, strategy, and future direction

Accountability & KPIs

• Department revenue, budget adherence, and profitability
• Client retention and media spend pacing, client success metrics
• Forecast accuracy (media spend and ad performance)
• Department and individual performance KPIs

Qualifications & Experience

• 15+ years managing teams of 10+ paid media practitioners, preferably within a growing agency environment
• Proven experience leading and scaling enterprise level performance/DTC paid media engagements; preferably CPG related
• Strong performance marketing expertise with a clear POV on DTC growth and optimization; expertise in DTC marketing and media/creative analytics
• Expertise and in-platform knowledge of search (Google), social (Meta, etc.), and programmatic (DSPs), OTT/CTV and related video (YouTube). Familiarity with Skai or similar ad platforms. Demonstrated knowledge of adops, martech and related aspects of media-supply chain.
• High emotional intelligence with the ability to collaborate across diverse teams and leadership styles; track record of strong decision-making and leadership roles
• Ability to translate detailed client goals into scalable, strategic initiatives
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity, shifting priorities, and industry change
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to influence and build alignment across the organization
• Clear, forward-looking vision for the future of DTC advertising and platforms
• Strong strategic and financial acumen, including P&L management
• Demonstrated ability to motivate, develop, and retain top-tier talent
• Willingness to travel as needed
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to identify service inefficiencies and implement solutions that reduce client attrition and improve team processes or ways of working