Paid Media Director

London, United Kingdom|Up to £75,000|Hybrid – 2 days/week, Soho office

About Adfabric

Adfabric is an independent, founder-led media planning and buying agency in London, and one of 20 UK agencies awarded IPA Beacon Agency status in 2026 — recognised as part of the next generation of agencies that are redefining what growth, innovation and relevance look like in a rapidly changing market.

We believe that most brands are growing slower than they should — not because the opportunity isn't there, but because the thinking behind their media isn't finding it. Modern media craft, led by top-tier talent, is what changes that. It rests on three foundations: super smart, T-shaped talent who zoom into channel detail and zoom out to strategy with no translation loss; a one-team approach that embeds with clients rather than sitting at arm's length; and a future-built attitude that challenges “best practice” and pairs marketing science with what's now possible in paid media.

Our clients span banking, entertainment, FMCG, telecoms and ecommerce — deliberately broad, because that's more interesting. Every one is a challenger in its category, with budgets ranging from £150k to £3m+ annually. As a 100% founder-owned agency, we move with the speed and agility to deliver without compromise.

Our Team

You'd be joining a high-trust team of smart thinkers, all pulling in the same direction: modern media craft and market-leading thinking, obsessed with delivering outstanding work for our clients that really lifts the bar.

We're 100% female-owned and -led — one of just 16% of UK agencies that are. We don't think that's what makes us different, but our founding values back collaboration over hierarchy, flexibility, and a genuine drive to do right by the brands we work with. That's what gives you room to think, experiment, and back your own ideas here — not just execute someone else's.

We’re a lean, but growing team, building something we believe is what the media agency of the future looks like. That means fewer layers and less ready-made process than you'd find at a bigger agency. It also means we're building some of our own tools— rather than just buying what everyone else uses.

If the idea of building your own tools and agents, not just using someone else's, gets you excited, this could be exactly the job for you.

That won't suit everyone, and that's fine. If you want a fully built machine to plug into, this isn't the role for you. If you want real ownership, real autonomy in the planning & buying process – free from the shackles of outdated processes, ways of working & restrictive trading models, and want to be part of building a successful next generation agency — you're exactly who we're looking for.

The Role

We're looking for a Paid Media Director to lead the management and growth of key accounts across financial services, telecoms and entertainment, reporting directly to the founder. You'll lead a small, but growing team of channel experts across the full paid media planning and buying process.

As a true T-shaped leader, you'll balance zooming into platform performance & capabilities with zooming out to deliver clear narratives to C-suite stakeholders. Beyond delivery, you'll take commercial ownership of your account group: driving growth, supporting the founder on new business, building supplier partnerships, and feedinginto evolving existing processes and product development.

Key Responsibilities

• Translate client business challenges into media strategy and activation guidelines — acting as a trusted advisor who questions and challenges briefs to make sure every interaction adds value.
• Own monthly, quarterly and annual media plans across your portfolio, plus QBR delivery — accurate, high-standard and always evolving.
• Lead cross-channel strategy across programmatic, paid social, search, CTV, audio and partnerships, balancing brand equity with performance.
• Define KPI measurement and optimisation frameworks, and turn platform-level data into clear, business-relevant narratives, supported by your team.
• Hold overall accountability for client performance and relationships, from CMO to Marketing Manager level.
• Support the founder on new business, and lead the innovation and testing agenda for your portfolio — including new beta opportunities with media partners.
• Lead and develop a team of three, keeping day-to-day delivery on time, on budget and to a high standard. Supporting on recruitment as we further build out the team.
• Stay ahead of industry trends and turn them into recommendations your clients can actually use.
• Contribute to evolving Adfabric's own planning processes and best practices — testing new approaches and feeding what works back into how the wider agency plans and buys.

How We'll Measure Success

• Your clients feel the difference — telling us you're the trusted lead driving real value, not just running the account.
• Your team is performing at its best, backed by your leadership and support to deliver outstanding work.
• Your media plans land on time, accurate, and tied straight back to strategy.
• You're bringing new ideas to the table that keep client accounts evolving, not just maintaining them.
• You're shaping how we work — your ideas on process and best practice get adopted beyond your own accounts.
• Your accounts are growing.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• A high performer and trusted Client Director, Paid Media Director or equivalent in your current agency role, ready to hit the ground running.
• 8+ years of planning and buying experience, with a track record leading high-growth, challenger or founder-led accounts.
• Strong financial acumen — comfortable owning account profitability and forecasting.
• A natural leader with stakeholder coordination skills and a record of contributing to winning pitches.
• Numerate and inquisitive, with the analytical rigour to turn complex performance data into growth strategy.
• A genuine interest in marketing science, technology and AI.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with strong organisational and time management skills.

What We Offer

• Up to £75,000 salary
• Hybrid working — 2 days/week in our Soho office
• Private healthcare and pension*
• CPD support as an IPA Accelerator agency, plus exposure across agency disciplines
• A central London office and a genuinely diverse client roster

*Subject to terms and conditions.

Our Interview Process

Getting through our process means something — our bar is higher than most, because we're building a team our clients notice and our people are proud to be part of.

None of our stages ask you to prepare in advance: no take-home assignments, no evenings lost to producing a presentation on top of your current day job pressures. Everything happens in the room. What you bring on the day is what we're evaluating — not what you had time to rehearse.

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