Director, Video Investment Job at Starcom in Chicago

Company Description

Starcom is the world's first standalone media agency, a storied innovator that continues to lead the way for many of the world's best brands.

Starcom has long been the professional birthplace and proving ground for marketing leaders – CEOs, CMOs, sales leaders, and technology pioneers – and we continue to drive the industry with peerless talent and relentless innovation.

From the start, we've known that achieving growth for our clients requires understanding and connecting with real people where they live and work, in ways they value.

In an AI era, we remain "Guided By Humanity," a phrase that describes our foundational belief that human expertise must remain in the driver's seat, supported by the best processes and technology.

With our proprietary capabilities and Publicis Media's industry-leading resources and clout, we create ideas that move people and drive transformative business outcomes for brands.

Overview

The Director, National Video Investment will have direct client contact across media, brand, finance, and procurement. Diplomacy and flexibility are key strengths of the ideal candidate. The role builds strong relationships with multiple teams within Starcom and with clients, and oversees all campaign activity and deliverables for the team. It offers opportunities for process development, systems improvement, and operational excellence for Starcom clients. The Director provides thought leadership on audience strategies and campaign optimization, facilitates training and development of the team, and determines individual assignments and bandwidth.

Responsibilities

• Direct and manage the daily workflow of campaigns across the video ecosystem (linear TV, FEP, VOD, OTT, Mobile, Connected TV, Addressable), including proposal development, campaign activation and maintenance, and post-buy recaps.


• Assume accountability and ownership of campaign execution for assigned client accounts.


• Review client deliverables for quality, ensuring that recommendations and work product are sound and viable.


• Own the development of strategic proposals, coordinating across teams to account for all relevant inputs.


• Manage, train, mentor, and develop a team.


• Understand and effectively communicate value proposition, technology, and processes related to growth of current and prospective agency accounts.


• Participate in forecasting exercises for senior management.


• Develop processes to ensure data integrity and implement them across the agency.


• Maintain a strong understanding of the systems used such as Mediaocean/Prisma or other digital buying tools, Ad Servers/Verification, DSPs, Social Platforms, DMPs, and internal proprietary tools.


• Provide ideas and solutions for pain points/problems in processes; then work alongside internal and external teams to develop best practices, enhancements, and tools to improve these.


• Determine and activate how to deliver necessary data to teams for various reporting purposes.


• Build and maintain strong relationships across multiple internal teams and external teams.


• Maintain relationships with vendors to ensure trust and confidence with our buying partners.


• Build and maintain team-focused mentality across the larger Investment team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred, preferably with a concentration in marketing, advertising, communications, business, sociology, or consumer insights.


• 7+ years of total related media experience.


• 4+ years of team management experience with progressing responsibilities.


• Outstanding leadership skills coupled with diplomacy (can work across and within multiple teams).


• Demonstrated critical thinking and problem solving abilities.


• Leadership ability to manage a matrixed team within the agency and matrixed clients; confidence to lead brand clients whose focus is product marketing vs. Media, balancing competing priorities to manage projects successfully.


• Skillful negotiator in the Video space, especially in National Television.


• Able to leverage marketplace relationships for the client’s good.


• Keep current on the pulse of changing marketplace conditions (audience, sales offerings, programming, etc.) and be able to make insightful recommendations to clients.


• Ability to adapt to change, nimbly manage challenges and make quick decisions.


• Provide oversight to National Video spend allocations.


• Experience utilizing multiple media tools.

Benefits

• Paid Family Care for parents and caregivers for 12 weeks or more.


• Monetary assistance and support for Adoption, Surrogacy and Fertility.


• Monetary assistance and support for pet adoption.


• Employee Assistance Programs and Health/Wellness/Comfort reimbursements to help you invest in your future and work/life balance.


• Tuition Assistance.


• Paid time off that includes Flexible Time off, Vacation, Annual Sick Days, Volunteer Days, Holiday and Identity days, and more.


• Matching Gifts programs.


• Flexible working arrangements.


• "Work Your World" Program encouraging employees to work from anywhere; Publicis Groupe has an office for up to 6 weeks a year (based upon eligibility).


• Business Resource Groups that support multiple affinities and alliances.

The benefits offerings listed are available to U.S. based employees, are reviewed on an annual basis, and are governed by the terms of the applicable plan documents.

Additional Information

Compensation Range: $121.315 - $174,300 annually. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and the Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. Temporary roles may be eligible to participate in our freelancer/temporary employee medical plan through a third‑party benefits administration system once certain criteria have been met. Temporary roles may also qualify for participation in our 401(k) plan after eligibility criteria have been met. For regular roles, the Company will offer medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401k, and paid time off. The Company anticipates the application deadline for this job posting will be 7/06/2026.

If you require accommodation or assistance with the application or onboarding process specifically, please contact USMSTACompliance@publicis.com.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Starcom is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our employment decisions are made without regard to actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability, medical condition as defined by applicable state law, genetic information, marital status, military service and veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws and ordinances.