Head of Paid Search EMEA

DEPT® is a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, our 4,000+ specialists deliver growth invention services across Brand & Media, Experience, Commerce, CRM, and Technology & Data. We’re 50|50 tech and marketing, partner-led, and first to move. Clients include Google, Lufthansa, Meta, eBay, and OpenAI. We have been certified B Corp and Climate Neutral since 2021.

About the role

Job purpose

Are you a visionary Paid Search leader with a proven track record of driving tangible revenue and market share growth? Do you thrive on the thrill of the pitch and the satisfaction of expanding client portfolios? We're seeking a dynamic Paid Search leader to ignite our presence in EMEA, transforming our Paid Search discipline into a powerhouse of growth, innovation, people happiness, and client success.

You will serve as a thought leader, shaping a forward-thinking vision for Paid Search across EMEA while driving growth in this service area. You will lead the charge in evolving our Search discipline in a rapidly evolving and disrupting ecosystem. You won't just keep up with Google’s AI shifts; you will proactively integrate generative AI across platforms into our daily operations to redefine what 'performance' looks like in an AI-first world.

You will lead a team of currently 50 across EMEA and give support by removing blockers and ensuring they have access to the right tools and knowledge. Your goal is to empower every consultant/lead, giving them the confidence to deliver high-quality projects and tasks.

What you’ll do

• Take a strategic lead in the overall performance, profitability, and long-term business growth of our Paid Search discipline across EMEA
• Accelerate and drive the transition from traditional Paid Search management to AI-driven accounts
• Be a key player in new business efforts, actively engaging in pitches, refining our sales narratives, and collaborating closely with our new business department to secure and expand our client base
• Establish the right organisational set-up of the Paid Search teams to ensure quality and performance across EMEA
• Drive adoption of the right tech and tooling, alongside ensuring we have a data-led approach across all accounts
• Coach and mentor our Paid Search Leads and empower every consultant to deliver high-impact, business-driven Paid Search projects
• Make sure the Paid Search team has an innovative mindset and is a first mover in adopting new technology and advertising solutions; recognized in the industry by winning awards
• Oversee top Paid Search clients and drive innovation, project growth, and excellence in delivery
• Spend at least 60% of time on projects or sales initiatives
• Enable and boost x-craft collaboration, bringing our Paid Search activities and offerings closer together with adjacent crafts, such as Content, Data, AI, Organic Search and Social
• Ensure an agile development of our Paid Search proposition, aligning product-market fit and traction with the right target clients
• Encourages knowledge sharing and best practices between teams within EMEA

What you bring

• Have at least 10 years of experience in Paid Search
• Are highly autonomous and proactive, demonstrating the ability to own complex projects and make significant decisions with minimal oversight
• You have a deep curiosity for AI and machine learning. You don't just follow trends; you understand how to apply tools
• Have a significant focus on business development, a successful track record with pitching, and client relationship management. You genuinely love the sales process
• Have broader digital marketing knowledge (Social, Display, Content Marketing, Data etc.)
• Have experience with, and gain a lot of energy from, guiding other people and leading leaders
• Are analytical, flexible, and able to work independently
• Have great communication skills (verbal and written) and the ability to persuade
• Are ambitious, results-oriented, and know how to plan and organise
• Are fluent in English

We offer

• Hybrid working policy
• Stay happy and healthy with a contribution to your health through the OpenUp platform, and a multisport programme
• A reputation for doing good. DEPT® has been a Certified B Corp® since 2021
• Awesome clients. Whether big, small, local or global — at DEPT® you’ll get the opportunity to work with all of them. And we celebrate all of our successes together!
• The opportunity for possibility. We want to enable you to do what you do best and help you develop your skills further with training, development and certifications
• Global annual DEPT® Cares Month in which employees come together and donate their skills to support local charities

Why DEPT®

We are a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, we create what is next by pioneering ideas, acting fast, and moving further because standing still just is not in our DNA.

We are drawn to people who stay curious, move with intent, and never stop inventing. Our culture runs on three values: better together, relentlessly curious, and get sh*t done. It is how we work, how we grow, and how we make things that matter.

At DEPT®, you will find the freedom to explore, the space to collaborate, and the trust to make a real impact for our clients, for each other, and for the world we are helping to build.