Paid Media Director

Paid Media Director | Up to £75,000 (4 or 5 days/week considered) | Hybrid, Central London

Major Players is working exclusively with a fast-growing, independent media planning and buying agency - recently recognised as one of the UK's most exciting and progressive agencies of 2026 to appoint a Paid Media Director to lead the next stage of its growth.

About the Agency

This is a 100% founder-owned, female-owned and -led independent agency, built on the principle that the strongest media thinking comes from people who can move fluidly between platform-level detail and boardroom-level strategy. The agency operates with no trading deals and no vendor incentives, giving its team genuine independence in how client budgets are planned and spent.

This is a small, high-growth business rather than a network agency - offering a real opportunity to help shape its future direction, not simply manage an account within an existing structure.

The Role

Reporting directly to the founder, you will take full ownership of a portfolio spanning financial services, telecoms and entertainment clients, with account budgets ranging from £150k to £3m+. You will lead a small but growing team of channel specialists across the full planning and buying process, acting as a genuine T-shaped leader: credible with C-suite stakeholders, sharp on platform-level detail, and commercially accountable for the growth of your accounts.

Key responsibilities:

• Translate client business challenges into media strategy, constructively challenging briefs to ensure every recommendation adds measurable value
• Own cross-channel strategy across programmatic, paid social, search, CTV, audio and partnerships
• Lead and develop a team of three, maintaining high standards of delivery
• Support the founder on new business and contribute to the agency's wider planning processes as it scales
• Play an active role in shaping the agency's own tools, technology and ways of working

Candidate Profile

Our client is seeking a high-performing Client or Paid Media Director who is ready to take on greater ownership and autonomy than a traditional agency structure typically allows. The ideal candidate is analytically rigorous, commercially minded, and genuinely curious about how media planning and buying will evolve.

Requirements:

• 8+ years' planning and buying experience, with a track record on high-growth, challenger or founder-led accounts
• Strong financial acumen, with experience owning account profitability and forecasting
• A collaborative leadership style, with experience developing junior team members
• A genuine interest in marketing science, technology and AI
• Experience within an independent or founder-led agency environment is advantageous

Flexible Working

This role is open to both full-time (5 days/week) and 4-day-week candidates, with the salary structured accordingly for experienced, senior professionals. Our client is particularly keen to hear from candidates seeking a 4-day week for family or other commitments, and encourages applications on this basis.

What's on Offer

• Salary up to £75,000 (full-time equivalent; pro-rata for 4-day-week candidates)
• 25 days' holiday minimum
• Hybrid working - 2 days per week from a central Soho office
• Private healthcare and pension*
• CPD support as an IPA Accelerator agency, with exposure across agency disciplines
• A clear path to a more senior operational position as the agency scales

Interview Process

The process does not require any advance preparation - there are no take-home assignments or additional work outside of your current role. All assessment takes place during the interview stages themselves.

Please note: our client is unable to offer UK visa sponsorship for this role. Candidates must already hold the right to work in the UK.

How to Apply

This search is being managed exclusively by Major Players. To apply, or to receive full details including the agency's identity, please contact:

Joe Georgiou

Our client is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all candidates.