Group Director, SEM

The posting, as Monks wrote it

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About the Role

We are looking for a strong, passionate, and energetic Search leader to drive growth and strategic oversight across the paid search department with a focus on working on our largest accounts and also serving as an SME across paid search and YouTube. We are looking for someone passionate about search-driven performance marketing who has a strong background in leading multiple accounts across verticals. This individual should be a people-focused leader who enjoys hands-on, cross-functional collaboration and wants to join a fast-growing, innovative digital agency that is hyper-focused on client performance and ROI.

Responsibilities

• Reporting to the Head of Search, this role will serve as a people leader, including SEM channel specialists (Paid Search, YouTube, Demand Gen, PMax, Shopping, and App) as well as Account Leads managing direct client partnerships, contract negotiations/renewals, client onboarding, etc.
• This role will serve as a Search thought leader prepared to respond to the changing landscape in paid search
• Responsible for revenue driven from new business, client relationships, and client growth
• Will present Paid Search performance and tactical priorities to the client and internal stakeholders; however, the main priority is to help lead a paid search team
• Partners with cross-channel leads on creating media plans, including forecasting, testing, tactical plans, and reporting
• Drives Search strategy, innovation & testing on your book of business while improving performance, developing quarterly or annual roadmaps to keep advancing accounts with the latest trends and opportunities
• Manage others from Account Managers to Directors
• Contribute to team morale and culture through engagement, team building, and mentorship
• Contribute to overall department training, POVs, award submissions, and case studies
• Work closely with Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and other vendor partners on alpha and beta opportunities, expansion opportunities, client strategy and planning, and best practices
• Responsible for operationalizing processes and helping gain adoption across team focus areas
• Assist in creating a team culture across a hybrid working model

About You

The essentials

• 12+ years Paid Search experience
• Worked across multiple clients overseeing a minimum of $20MM in annual ad spend
• Experience communicating with senior clients' points of contact from VPs to C-Suite
• Experience handling direct management

[…]
Monks is the global, digital-first, data-driven, unitary operating brand of S4Capital plc, where our culture centers on how we show up for the work and for one another. That begins with the commitment to strive for mastery—taking deep pride in our craft and creating work that sets the bar. In everyday execution, we drive momentum by choosing bold action rather than waiting for certainty. Above all, our teams are stronger together, bringing diverse perspectives into a unified team that communicates with clarity, trust, and mutual respect.

This commitment to craft and innovation translates directly into widespread industry acclaim: Monks was named a Contender in The Forrester Wave™: Global Marketing Services and a leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Global Digital Marketing Agencies. It ranks among Cannes Lions' Top 10 Creative Companies (2022-25) and remains the only partner featured in AdExchanger’s Programmatic Power Players list every year (2020-24). Named Adweek’s first AI Agency of the Year (2023) and The One Show’s inaugural AI Pioneer Organization (2025), Monks was also awarded Business Intelligence Group’s 2026 Excellence in Artificial Intelligence Award in the Human-Machine Interaction Team category. Additionally, Monks.Flow earned AI-based Marketing Solution of the Year at the 2026 AI Breakthrough Awards and a 2026 Global Generative AI Award in the Agentic Marketing Innovation category. Finally, Monks achieved a record-breaking number of FWAs and continues to hold the most of any partner.

We are an equal-opportunity employer committed to building a respectful and empowering work environment for all people to freely express themselves amongst colleagues who embrace diversity in all respects. Including fresh voices and unique points of view in all aspects of our business not only creates an environment where we can all grow and thrive but also increases our potential to produce work that better represents—and resonates with—the world around us.