The Associate Director, Biddable Media is a strategic and performance-driven leader responsible for driving excellence across paid media channels, including paid search, paid social, and programmatic for healthcare and pharmaceutical clients. It is not a requirement to have equal experience or deep knowledge of all three channels in order to apply for this role, but experience to some degree across more than one channel is preferred. This role oversees the planning, activation, optimization, and performance analysis of campaigns across platforms, ensuring a cohesive, audience-first approach to biddable media.
Reporting into the VP, Digital Activation, you will serve as a subject matter expert across biddable channels, balancing compliance within regulated environments with a relentless focus on performance, efficiency, and innovation.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Lead development of integrated biddable media strategies across paid search, paid social, and programmatic aligned to brand objectives and regulatory requirements
- Partner with Media Strategy, Analytics, and Omnichannel teams to translate marketing goals into full-funnel, data-driven activation plans
- Drive channel allocation and investment strategies across search, social, and programmatic to maximize performance and efficiency
- Identify opportunities to leverage audience, intent, contextual, behavioral, and first-party data within privacy-compliant frameworks
- Develop cross-channel testing roadmaps spanning search, social, display, video, CTV, and emerging formats
Platform & Activation Oversight
- Oversee campaign activation and optimization across key platforms including:
- Paid Search (Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, SA360)
- Paid Social (Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, endemic social platforms)
- Programmatic DSPs (DeepIntent, PulsePoint, The Trade Desk, DV360, Amazon DSP)
- Ensure best-in-class setup, structure, and execution across all channels, including keyword strategy, audience segmentation, bidding strategies, and creative deployment
- Guide implementation of healthcare-specific targeting methodologies including NPI-based targeting, claims data, endemic publisher strategies, and compliant audience activation
- Ensure pixel implementation, conversion tracking, brand safety, viewability standards, and fraud prevention are properly executed
Performance & Optimization
- Establish and align KPIs across channels (awareness, engagement, conversions, script lift, patient starts, etc.)
- Lead cross-channel optimization strategies leveraging real-time data signals, including bid management, budget reallocation, audience refinement, and creative testing
- Drive performance improvements through search query mining, audience insights, and platform-specific optimization levers
- Partner with Analytics to measure impact through attribution models, incrementality testing, script lift studies, and matched market analyses
- Translate performance data into clear, actionable insights and strategic recommendations for clients and internal stakeholders
- Manage and mentor junior activation team members
- Create operational efficiencies, documentation, and best practices for biddable workflows
- Partner cross-functionally with Ad Ops, RWD, Analytics, and Strategy teams
- Act as senior escalation point for platform and performance issues
- Leverage AI-driven optimization tools, predictive modeling, and automation features within DSPs
- Evaluate emerging programmatic technologies including identity solutions, contextual AI, retail health media, and clean room environments
- Drive forward-thinking solutions that improve efficiency, scale, and performance in a privacy-first ecosystem
Qualifications
- 6–8+ years of experience across paid search, paid social and programmatic with significant experience in pharmaceutical or healthcare marketing
- Not required to have equal experience or deep knowledge across all 3 channels
- Deep hands-on expertise across key platforms, such as: Google Ads, Meta, DeepIntent, Pulsepoint, etc.
- Strong understanding of healthcare compliance, privacy regulations, and targeting limitations within pharma media
- Experience working with HCP and DTP healthcare data partners and measurement providers, including NPI-level targeting, script lift measurement partners and healthcare attribution methodologies
- Proven leadership managing teams and complex client relationships
- Strong technical acumen including pixel implementation, tagging, identity frameworks, data onboarding, and programmatic supply paths
- Comfort leveraging AI tools and platform automation to drive smarter optimization and workflow efficiency
- Strong analytical mindset with the ability to translate data into strategic recommendations