Associate Director: Paid Media - Expression Of Interest
Likely
Sponsorship likelihood
This employer has issued visas recently. Possible if it's SOC 3554
£50,900 / year
Salary
Within the market range
£46,000
Going rate
Offer clears by 1.1×
This role may qualify for a Skilled Worker visa
SOC 2494 is an eligible occupation, but we are only 32% sure that is the right code. IMPRESSION DIGITAL LIMITED is a licensed sponsor, so if the code fits, the role should qualify. Check the occupation eligibility rules against what the job actually involves.
We pick the code from the advert's text, so it is our best guess, not the employer's. Each code it could be has its own likelihood:
- Likely 2494 (Advertising accounts managers and creative directors) · 32% match
- Likely 2432 (Marketing and commercial managers) · 23% match
- Possible 3554 (Advertising and marketing associate professionals) · 21% match
Ask IMPRESSION DIGITAL LIMITED what the duties are.
New graduate or PhD holder? Pick one of the lower rates.
What each route needs for this job
| Occupation code | New entrant 70% of going rate | STEM PhD 80% of going rate | Relevant PhD 90% of going rate | Standard rate 100% of going rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2494 Advertising accounts managers and creative directors Most likely code | £33,400 Clears | £36,800 Clears | £41,400 Clears | £46,000 Clears |
2432 Marketing and commercial managers Also possible | £35,000 Clears | £40,000 Clears | £45,100 Clears | £50,100 Clears |
3554 Advertising and marketing associate professionals Also possible | £33,400 Clears | £41,700 Clears | £41,700 Clears | £41,700 Clears |
We use the lowest threshold across the plausible codes. Likelihood is Possible at most when the pay clears only a lower rate, or only under a less likely code. A mark is for the top of the advertised pay. How the Home Office picks the code
About the role
We are seeking an ambitious, enthusiastic, and highly experienced Paid Search leader to join our multi-award-winning agency. This pivotal role is a direct support to the Head of PPC and the Head of Paid Social and will be responsible for a portfolio of flagship client accounts.
SALARY: £50,900 (plus £6k for those living in the Greater London area)
See our: Impression's Benefits Booklet to find out more
The Role:
You will actively lead the strategy for larger or more complex, typically top-tier accounts, while contributing significantly to the continued development and growth of Impression’s Paid Media offering. This is an opportunity to transform challenges into technical solutions and commercial opportunities, and work alongside like-minded and supportive individuals within an agency that truly puts it’s people first.
Who are you?
Given the senior nature of this role, we are looking for candidates who can demonstrate established team leadership experience focused on strategic guidance and inspiration.
To be considered for the Associate Director, Paid Search role, you will need to demonstrate:
Innovation: You proactively challenge established best practices and legacy processes, designing new, evidence-based methodologies that unlock performance gains where standard tactics have plateaued.
Commercial Storytelling: You go beyond simply defining strategy; you expertly structure complex data and multi-channel insights into a persuasive story that links technical execution directly to the client's bottom line.
Adaptive Resilience: You apply adaptive thinking strategically across team and client challenges, acting as a steadying influence to guide teams through complex circumstances with calm, focus, and clarity.
Cross-Channel Fluency: You can speak to how other Paid Media channels contribute to meeting overall client goals. You lead decision-making when it comes to integrating Search with Social and Programmatic, compiling clear frameworks to bring clients on a growth journey.
Ownership and accountability: You demonstrate accountability over the quality and performance of complex media accounts, acting as the definitive problem solver. You apply your technical expertise to resolve risks independently.
What will you be doing?
The Associate Director is the escalation point for all clients within their portfolio. You will act as the "Guardian of Quality" for the team, ensuring that every piece of work is treated with deep professional care.
Strategy & Client GrowthAccount Leadership: Assume full accountability for flagship client partnerships, navigating conflicting stakeholder priorities to secure long-term retention and investment.
Performance Ownership: You will take full accountability for the commercial performance and trajectory of your portfolio. You are responsible for constructing detailed growth plans (12-month+), setting rigorous KPI frameworks, and tracking delivery against these targets to ensure we consistently drive commercial value and hold the team to account on results.
Integrated Solutions: Work collaboratively with other channel owners (SEO, Programmatic) to produce cohesive and experimentation-led recommendations to improve performance across the Paid Media spectrum.
Risk Management: Proactively identify 'unspoken' risks or stagnation points in a client’s strategy, approaching them with pre-formulated solutions that require cross-service integration or technical innovation.
New Business:
Challenging the Status Quo: Proactively challenge existing methodologies and "best practices" to elevate the standard of strategic output. You will spearhead complex technical and data-led solutions or scalable testing frameworks that directly address high-level business objectives.
Future-Proofing: Apply forward-thinking consistently to anticipate industry trends, platform changes, and emerging risks (e.g., Google Ads updates, Privacy Sandbox, AI development), using this foresight to shape strategies.
Internal Thought Leadership: Showcase Impression’s prowess as an industry leader by transforming your innovative solutions into case studies or new service products, elevating the technical standard of the entire department.
Coaching & Development: Adopt a coaching-first mindset for your team, guiding them to solve complex problems independently rather than providing answers.
Strategic Proofing: Provide high-level strategic proofing on complex accounts and hold the wider team to account on technical execution.
Operational Support: Support the department with responsibilities including resourcing, recruitment, process improvement, and training.
Flexible working at Impression without losing team connections
We love the focus of deep work at home, but we value team connections just as much. That’s why we practice a hybrid model with a minimum of one purposeful Pulse Day in the office per week to catch up and collaborate. The Paid Team's Pulse Day is on Wednesdays.
This description is the source posting as it read when we added it. We are not affiliated with IMPRESSION DIGITAL LIMITED, so check their own site for the current details.
Where this offer sits in the market
Advertising accounts managers and creative directors (SOC 2494) · UK · ONS ASHE 2025 · basic pay · ~33k in sample- Offer £50,900
- Middle half £39,936–63,596
- Median £48,152
- Going rate £46,000
- Threshold £41,700
- New entrant £33,400–41,400
The range sits inside the market's middle half (£39,936–63,596), so this is typical pay for the occupation.
Similar sponsored roles
See all UK visa jobsNo close matches live right now.
Browse more sponsored jobs at IMPRESSION DIGITAL LIMITEDAbout sponsorship for this role
Does this job guarantee visa sponsorship?
Not necessarily. IMPRESSION DIGITAL LIMITED holds a sponsor licence, but sponsorship for a specific hire is always the employer's decision. Be upfront in your application that you'll require it.
What salary is needed for this role to be eligible?
The offer must clear both the general threshold and the SOC 2494 going rate of £46,000. New-entrant and shortage discounts can lower it.