Associate Director, Paid Media Activation

Blizzard Entertainment • Full-time • Irvine, California, United States • $111.96k - $207.27k / year • 23h ago

Job Description

We're looking for an experienced paid media leader to join our Performance Marketing team in Irvine, CA, to lead paid media investment across Blizzard's mobile, PC, and console games. You will manage a team of channel specialists focused on tactical planning, buying, and optimizing to drive best-in-class campaigns that engage with new and existing players.

The Associate Director will utilize their data-driven decision-making and work closely with the channel specialists, other Performance Marketing teams (e.g., Planning Strategists, Analysts, Project Managers), and game publishing/marketing teams to plan and activate media plans that drive direct business impact.

Candidates will be skilled in team management, have a highly technical understanding of core digital platforms (including "hands-on keyboard" experience), and be familiar with core and emerging performance marketing approaches, platforms, and measurement. This is an excellent opportunity for a qualified individual to make a measurable impact at one of the largest gaming companies in the world.

This role is anticipated to be a hybrid work position, with some work on-site and some work from home. The potential home studio for this role is Irvine, California.

Primary Responsibilities And Duties

Team Management – 50%

Manage the day-to-day global activity of all paid media campaigns, covering social, video, search, programmatic, site direct channels
Guide team workflow, being a conduit between the Activation team and other departments
Train and guide the team on buying best practices for their channels, such as bid strategies, optimal ad account structure, machine learning optimization techniques, etc.

Media Buying Operations – 20%

Shape measurement plans in partnership with the Analytics team and help to lead future-proofing our measurement capabilities
Work cross-functionally with internal teams and partners to support the channel specialists through establishing asset needs, trafficking, and adhering to creative best practices
Take ownership of financial tracking, making sure the team is set up to ensure proper billing and payment

Partnerships – 20%

Maintain strong partnerships with internal teams and international counterparts
Collaborate with key media vendors and build partnerships that deliver innovation and strong results
Drive larger team projects on the future of media buying and activation
When applicable, help manage external agency buying support

Learning & Development – 10%

Monitor trends in the paid media landscape; keep tabs on emerging platforms and advertising units

Qualifications

10+ years of paid media planning and buying experience
5+ years of direct team management experience
Experience buying in-platform with numerous ad platforms, including but not limited to Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, Google, or programmatic trading desks
Experience with both demand generation and demand capture tactics, as well as full-funnel campaigns that cover awareness, consideration, and conversion objectives
Proven track record operating in a highly collaborative environment with cross-functional commitments
Solid understanding of different attribution methodologies, paid media metrics, and deploying and interpreting results from A/B, split tests, conversion lift studies, and brand lift studies
Expert at Excel; proficiency with other MS Office products

Key Attributes

Team leader with the ability to coach and grow a team of channel specialists – both soft skills and technical buying skills
Great communication and interpersonal skills, and an ability to communicate with both business and technical teams as well as management effectively
Analytically minded with the ability to granularly analyze complex data and make clear strategic recommendations
Deep understanding of digital marketing channels, analytics, and user behavior
Creative thinker with a problem-solving and process improvement mindset

Pluses

Gaming work experience, or a general understanding of the gaming landscape (ex. different business models, trends, game genre differences, audiences)
Experience with performance marketing for both mobile apps and non-mobile products

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for 'Every World' - we've got our employees covered! Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance
401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching
Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave
Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others
If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company. You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $111,960.00 - $207,270.00 Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role's range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.