Paid Media Governance Consultant (Remote) at Cella

Location: Remote with CST working hours

Travel Requirements: ~15% annual travel to NYC and Chicago

Job Type: 12-month W2 Hourly Contract (potential to extend/convert)

Compensation Range: up to $120/hr

Benefits: health/vision/dental, 401k, and more ()

We are hiring a Paid Media Governance Consultant on a contract basis for our client in the pharmaceutical industry.

The Paid Media Governance Consultant role is a key partner within the US Omni-channel Experience team, tasked with building and scaling paid media capabilities. This role will establish and enforce the strategic frameworks, standards, and best practices that govern all paid media execution across the enterprise. By ensuring operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and financial accountability, this Director will be instrumental in maximizing the return on our media investments and advancing brand objectives.

This position requires deep expertise in the life sciences industry and the digital media landscape to effectively architect our approach to paid media. The ideal candidate will be a strategic leader with a proven ability to manage complex partner relationships and drive enterprise-wide adoption of best-in-class processes.

Responsibilities

This leader will serve as the central point of governance for paid media, liaising between internal brand teams, external agencies, and technology partners to drive performance and accountability.

Strategic Governance & Framework Development

• Develop, implement, and enforce enterprise-wide standards for media planning, buying, activation, and measurement.
• Establish clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and benchmarking frameworks tailored to brand objectives and industry best practices.
• Architect and manage the key terms, performance standards, and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) within all paid media partner Statements of Work (SOWs) to ensure performance and accountability.
• Drive the strategic alignment between marketing objectives and paid media execution, including channel strategy, audience segmentation, and budget allocation.
• Work with legal and procurement to structure and manage MSA and SOWs to ensure vendor benefits.

Financial Oversight & Performance Management

• Apply financial acumen to oversee the portfolio paid media budget, ensuring efficient allocation of resources, accurate forecasting, and proactive fiduciary management.
• Lead quarterly and annual business reviews with media agencies and key vendors to assess performance against contractual obligations and strategic goals.
• Define a robust reporting and insights cadence, ensuring that campaign performance analysis directly informs optimization and demonstrates a clear return on investment.
• Collaborate with cross-functional analytics and finance teams to validate media performance against proformance goals and ROI models.
• Utilize contract performance and financial management platforms and tools to ensure appropriate compliance to contract terms and brand performance objectives.

Stakeholder & Partner Management

• Act as the primary point of escalation to drive accountability and resolve performance issues between brand teams, agencies, and vendors.
• Foster a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement with all paid media partners.
• Provide executive-level communication and context on media performance, industry trends, and strategic initiatives to internal stakeholders.

Compliance & Innovation

• Serve as the subject matter expert on media-related compliance, ensuring all activities adhere to data privacy regulations and pharmaceutical marketing guidelines.
• Stay at the forefront of the paid media landscape, identifying and championing new technologies, partners, and innovative strategies to maintain competitive edge.
• Champion pilot programs and initiatives to test new media capabilities and tactics.

Required Experience & Knowledge

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in US agency management; experience in procurement is highly relevant.
• In-depth, expert-level knowledge of the digital media ecosystem, including programmatic, paid search, social media, connected TV (CTV), and digital audio.
• Direct experience managing or overseeing large-scale media budgets in the US, ideally $100M+ annually.
• Significant experience in the life sciences, pharmaceutical, or another highly regulated industry is preferred.
• Direct experience with pharmaceutical marketing review processes and regulations (e.g., FDA OPDP/APLB guidelines).
• Proven track record of developing and managing relationships with media agencies, publishers, and ad tech vendors, including direct experience negotiating SOWs and performance terms.

Skills & Competencies

• Demonstrated ability to lead and influence cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders in a matrixed organization.
• Exceptional negotiation and vendor management skills.
• Superior analytical and problem-solving skills, with a demonstrated ability to translate complex data into actionable, strategic insights.
• Excellent executive-level communication and presentation skills.
• Strong project management capabilities, with the ability to drive multiple high-stakes initiatives simultaneously.

Technical Proficiency

• Deep familiarity with ad serving, tracking, and measurement technologies (e.g., Google Campaign Manager 360, ad verification platforms).
• Proficiency with analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics).
• Strong understanding of data privacy regulations and brand safety best practices.

Other Requirements

• Ability to travel to offices and key partner locations as needed (approximately 1-2 times per week).
• Availability to collaborate with teams and partners primarily during core Central Time (CT) business hours.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or other advanced degree.
• Experience with marketing automation platforms (e.g., Marketing, AI/Next Best Engagement, CDP) and CRM systems.
• Familiarity with advanced measurement solutions like Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) or data clean rooms.

Job ID: 1100816

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Equal Opportunity Employer: Race, Color, Religion, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, National Origin, Age, Genetic Information, Disability, Protected Veteran Status, or any other legally protected group status.

At Cella, a randstad digital company, we welcome people of all abilities and want to ensure that our hiring and interview process meets the needs of all applicants. If you require a reasonable accommodation to make your application or interview experience a great one, please contact [email protected].

Pay offered to a successful candidate will be based on several factors including the candidate's education, work experience, work location, specific job duties, certifications, etc. In addition, Cella by randstad digital offers a comprehensive benefits package, including: medical, prescription, dental, vision, AD&D, and life insurance offerings, short-term disability, and a 401K plan (all benefits are based on eligibility).

This posting is open for thirty (30) days.