Director of Digital Marketing

Jim Ellis Automotive Group is seeking a highly analytical and performance-driven Director of Digital Marketing to lead digital marketing strategy and performance across the organization’s 22 dealership network.

This role oversees paid digital advertising, third-party automotive lead platforms, digital marketing analytics, and digital vendor relationships to ensure the organization maximizes traffic, leads, and vehicle sales across all dealerships. The Director will provide strategic guidance to dealership leadership, monitor campaign performance, and apply ongoing optimizations to improve marketing ROI.

The position also manages a team of digital specialists responsible for SEO, social media, reputation management, call tracking, email marketing, and CRM initiatives, ensuring all marketing channels work together to support dealership sales goals.

The ideal candidate thrives in a data-driven environment, is comfortable analyzing complex performance data, and has the ability to translate insights into clear marketing strategies that drive measurable results.

Key Responsibilities

Paid Digital Advertising Strategy and Vendor Oversight

Oversee and guide all paid digital advertising strategies for up to 22 dealerships within the Jim Ellis Automotive Group.

Responsibilities include:

• Serving as the primary liaison between dealership leadership and paid digital advertising vendors
• Assisting dealership leadership with monthly advertising strategy, budget planning, and ongoing optimization
• Monitoring advertising performance and identifying opportunities to improve campaign effectiveness
• Evaluating vendor performance and managing vendor transitions when necessary
• Participating in the selection and vetting of paid digital advertising partners
• Maintaining hands‑on knowledge of digital advertising platforms to effectively evaluate vendor strategies and results

Advertising channel examples include:

• Paid Search (PPC)
• Performance Max (PMAX)
• Vehicle Listing Ads (VLAs)
• CTV/Online Video
• Paid Social Media
• Display and Retargeting

The Director must be able to analyze campaign performance and clearly communicate results to dealership leadership while guiding vendors toward stronger performance outcomes.

Third-Party Lead Generation Platform Management

Manage the strategy, performance, and vendor relationships for all third-party automotive lead generation platforms used across the dealership group.

• Kelley Blue Book
• Cars.com
• CarGurus
• CarFax
• TrueCar
• Edmunds

Responsibilities include:

• Monitoring lead volume, cost-per-lead, and overall ROI
• Evaluating new vendor products and services
• Vetting new vendor opportunities and negotiating contracts
• Securing added value and maximizing vendor partnerships
• Ensuring dealership accounts are fully optimized and all services are being utilized
• Ensuring vendor services comply with OEM marketing guidelines
• Managing vendor relationships and vendor turnover when necessary

Maintain regular communication with vendor representatives and monitor account performance across all digital lead sources.

Responsibilities include:

• Conducting regular performance discussions with vendor representatives
• Generating monthly performance reports on each vendor and lead platform
• Tracking marketing spends across all digital vendors and platforms
• Ensuring spending is accurately tracked and reconciled
• Identifying reporting discrepancies and ensuring data accuracy

Lead Performance & Marketing Analytics

Develop and maintain reporting systems that track the performance of all digital lead sources.

Responsibilities include analyzing:

• Phone call leads
• Website form submissions
• Chat and messaging leads
• Third-party lead platforms
• Paid advertising performance
• Website traffic and engagement metrics

The Director must be able to:

• Identify performance trends
• Evaluate marketing ROI across multiple channels
• Recommend optimizations and strategic adjustments based on performance data

The ideal candidate is highly analytical and comfortable working with large data sets, identifying insights, and applying those insights to improve marketing performance.

Lead and manage the internal digital marketing team responsible for executing key marketing initiatives.

Direct reports may include team members responsible for:

• SEO
• Social Media
• Email Marketing
• CRM Management

Responsibilities include:

• Hiring and onboarding new team members
• Coaching and professional development
• Conducting regular performance reviews and check‑ins
• Setting goals and holding team members accountable
• Ensuring consistent marketing execution across all dealerships

Required Qualifications

• 7–10+ years of digital marketing experience with a focus on performance marketing and measurable ROI
• Experience managing marketing for multi‑location businesses or franchise organizations
• Proven leadership experience managing marketing specialists or teams

Strong knowledge of:

• Google Ads (the ability to run campaigns in‑house and manage vendor partners)
• Google GA4
• Creating, managing and optimizing paid digital advertising (PPC, PMAX, VLAs, display)
• SEO strategy and oversight
• Social media marketing (paid and organic)
• Call tracking and marketing attribution systems
• Email marketing and conquest campaigns
• Website performance and conversion optimization
• Expertise in Google Ads and Google Analytics (GA4)
• Experience managing third‑party marketing vendors and lead platforms
• Strong analytical and reporting skills with the ability to interpret marketing performance data and apply optimizations

Preferred Qualifications

• Automotive marketing experience strongly preferred
• Experience working with multiple dealership websites and automotive lead platforms
• Familiarity with CDP systems
• Familiarity with CRM systems and automotive lead management
• Experience overseeing website migrations or major website initiatives

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