[Hiring] Associate Director, Digital Paid Media @UnitedHealth Group

Role Description

The Associate Director of Digital Paid Media is responsible for leading planning, processes, performance analysis, and opportunity identification across UnitedHealthcare's integrated paid digital media programs. This role will translate business and marketing objectives into actionable digital media plans across paid search, paid social, programmatic display, online video, CTV, native, and affiliate marketing.

Working closely with the Senior Director of Digital Media, Digital Channel Leads, channel managers, specialists, analytics and measurement teams, and external media partners, the Associate Director will help connect channel strategies, drive consistent planning and operating processes, and find opportunities to improve media performance and efficiency.

The ideal candidate combines broad digital media expertise with strong business acumen and analytical thinking and can influence a highly matrixed organization. This individual will be comfortable leading planning processes, evaluating performance and investment across the media portfolio, managing complex initiatives, and communicating recommendations to marketing and business leaders.

You’ll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the integrated paid digital media planning process across paid search, paid social, programmatic display, video, CTV, native, and affiliate marketing in alignment with business and marketing objectives.
• Translate broader marketing and paid media strategies into actionable plans, investment approaches, testing priorities, measurement frameworks, and optimization opportunities.
• Partner with Digital Channel Leads and paid media channel leads to align channel plans, priorities, performance, and opportunities.
• Evaluate performance across channels and develop recommendations to improve media effectiveness, efficiency, consumer acquisition, engagement, and return on media investment.
• Partner with analytics, measurement, data, and technology teams to advance campaign measurement, attribution, incrementality and audience strategy.
• Lead budget and forecasting processes across paid media, including investment planning, pacing, and financial management.
• Identify opportunities to improve digital media performance and capabilities through channel learnings, innovative technologies, data sources, automation, AI-enabled solutions, and industry best practices.
• Develop and improve paid media processes, governance, documentation, and quality controls to support consistent and scalable media planning and execution.
• Synthesize and present paid media performance, insights, opportunities, risks, and recommendations to the Senior Director of Digital Media, marketing leaders, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Stay current on changes across the digital advertising ecosystem and assess their impact on paid media programs.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of digital media, digital marketing, advertising experience.
• Experience developing and managing integrated paid media programs.
• Demonstrated experience across multiple digital paid media channels, including paid search, paid social, programmatic display, online video, CTV, and/or affiliate marketing.
• Experience developing integrated digital media strategies and plans that connect business objectives, audiences, channels, investment, measurement, and optimization.
• Solid understanding of performance media strategy and the digital advertising ecosystem.
• Demonstrated experience analyzing media and marketing performance data and applying measurement, attribution, testing, and optimization approaches.
• Experience managing digital media budgets, forecasting, pacing, and investment planning across multiple channels.
• Advanced analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and project management skills, including advanced proficiency with Excel and PowerPoint.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience within healthcare, financial services, insurance, or another highly regulated industry.
• Experience working within an in-house digital media organization and managing relationships with agencies, platforms, publishers, affiliates, technology providers, and other external media partners.
• Experience with digital advertising, data, and measurement technologies.
• Experience with advanced measurement approaches, including incrementality, attribution, media mix modeling, experimentation, and full-funnel measurement.
• Experience using automation and AI-enabled tools to improve digital media planning, activation, optimization, measurement, analysis, or operational efficiency.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex processes and initiatives through collaboration and influence within a highly matrixed organization.
• Effective communication and presentation skills.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package.
• Incentive and recognition programs.
• Equity stock purchase and 401k contribution.
• Salary range: $112,700 to $193,200 annually based on full-time employment.

Application Deadline

This will be posted for a minimum of 2 business days or until a sufficient candidate pool has been collected.