Position Title: Director of Media Activation

Requisition ID: R100724

Location: Dallas, TX

Full/Part-Time: Full time

About Us:

Learfield is the leading media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield’s presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With data-based solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.

Our people-first culture is the foundation of our business and is reflective of our approach to building meaningful relationships with our employees, partners, and fans. The company strives each day to deliver the mission statement and embody the core values that make Learfield an exciting place to work.

Our Mission

Powering the connection of fans to the brands and experiences they love.

Our Core Values

Build Trust | Be Fans of One Another | Power Tomorrow | Create & Connect Communities | Have Fun

The Director of Media Activation (Search & Social) is responsible for overseeing EDGE’s search and social activation practices, ensuring operational excellence in campaign execution, and driving innovation across Search Ads 360, Bing, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, and other emerging platforms. This role balances hands-on leadership with strategic vision, ensuring the team operates with precision while freeing capacity through automation, streamlined processes, and cross-channel best practices.

Key Responsibilities

Team & Practice Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and coach a high-performing team across search and social activation.
• Build training frameworks to deepen expertise in platforms such as Search Ads 360, Bing, Meta, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
• Foster a culture of accountability, curiosity, and client-first excellence.
• Actively coach team members in prioritization, time management, and efficiency.

Client & Business Leadership

• Serve as the senior, client-facing leader for search and social activation, translating business objectives into tactical execution strategies.
• Partner with Strategy and Analytics to deliver integrated, data-driven solutions.
• Elevate search and social’s role in client relationships through performance storytelling, insights, and channel POVs.
• Support new business efforts with activation strategy across SEM and social.

Operational Excellence

• Oversee day-to-day campaign execution across SEM and social platforms, ensuring quality, efficiency, and scalability.
• Identify and implement process improvements to reduce workload and streamline cross-channel operations.
• Develop and enforce playbooks for campaign setup, optimization, and measurement.
• Leverage automation, AI-driven tools, and workflow centralization to maximize team capacity.

Strategic Growth & Innovation

• Champion EDGE’s POV on search and social ecosystem changes (privacy, attribution, auction dynamics, creative formats).
• Lead pilot programs with emerging features across Google, Bing, Meta, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
• Build and maintain relationships with key platform and technology partners.
• Drive education and certification initiatives to keep the team ahead of industry shifts.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in digital media activation with hands-on experience in SEM platforms (Search Ads 360, Google Ads, Bing Ads) and paid social (Meta Ads Manager required).
• Proven ability to lead and grow high-output activation teams.
• Strong client-facing experience with the ability to translate complex performance data into executive-level narratives.
• Deep understanding of performance metrics (CTR, CPA, ROAS, LTV, engagement KPIs) and optimization strategies across search and social.
• Demonstrated ability to streamline workflows, modernize practices, and improve efficiency.
• Agency experience strongly preferred.
• Platform certifications (Google Ads, SA360, Meta Blueprint, Bing/Microsoft Ads, TikTok Academy, LinkedIn Marketing Labs) a plus.

Personal Characteristics

• A builder: thrives on improving systems, processes, and efficiency.
• Both strategic and executional, able to zoom in to troubleshoot campaigns and zoom out to set team vision.
• Collaborative communicator who builds trust across teams and with clients.
• Passionate about teaching and mentoring emerging talent.
• Data-driven, detail-oriented, and relentlessly focused on measurable client outcomes.

Learfield offers a full spectrum of benefits for eligible employees including Medical, Dental, Vision, Health Savings Account, Life Insurance and Other Insurance Plans, Flexible Paid Time Off (minimum 10+ days annually), including Parental Leave, 20 Paid Holidays, 401(k) + Match, and Short/Long Term Disability. Leave benefits are consistent with state and local laws, including the Colorado Health Families and Workplaces Act.

Learfield is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race; color; sex; gender identity; sexual orientation; religious practices and observances; national origin; pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; status as a protected veteran or spouse/family member of a protected veteran; or disability.

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