Paid time off (PTO)
Various health insurance options & wellness plans
Retirement benefits including employer match plans
Long-term & short-term disability
Employee assistance programs (EAP)
Parental leave & adoption assistance
Tuition reimbursement
Ways to give back to your community
Benefit options and eligibility vary by position. Compensation varies based on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, education, performance, location and salary range at the time of the offer.
Ascension is seeking a digitally native and strategic Director of Demand Generation to lead paid media strategy, planning, and activation across digital-first and traditional channels in service of Ascension’s multi-market landscape. This leader will drive omnichannel media campaigns—with particular depth in CTV, paid social, and programmatic—that support patient acquisition, brand engagement, and advance our mission to provide compassionate, personalized care across the communities we serve.
This role requires a full-funnel, performance-minded marketer with demonstrated expertise in both upper-funnel brand building and lower-funnel conversion-driving media, with a deep understanding of how to connect the two to deliver measurable results. Expertise in CTV, paid social, and programmatic media is essential. Healthcare experience is a plus, but not required.
Strategic LeadershipSupport the development and execution of data-driven, integrated digital media strategies aligned to organizational priorities, working closely with the Senior Director, Media & Advertising.Lead with a performance-driven mindset, while balancing performance-focused strategies with brand-building initiatives across CTV, video, and digital channels to ensure full-funnel impact.Serve as a digital media subject matter expert within the Media Center of Excellence, helping shape testing frameworks, KPIs, and channel mix strategy.Lead relationships with internal stakeholders in regional and service line marketing, influencing media strategy to ladder up into broader marketing strategies and ensuring strategy and execution are tightly integrated with business goals.Media Planning & ActivationOversee paid media across digital-first channels (search, social, display, video, OTT/CTV, native, programmatic) and traditional (TV, radio, OOH, print) platforms.Own strategy, planning, and execution for connected TV (CTV), OTT, and online video placements, ensuring integration with broader media mix and performance goals.Lead paid social media strategy across Meta, LinkedIn, YouTube, and emerging platforms, optimizing for both brand engagement and lower-funnel conversion.Oversee programmatic media campaigns, managing DSP partners and audience strategies to deliver scalable, targeted reach.Translate campaign objectives into audience-first, insight-driven media plans.Provide strategic oversight to agency partners and internal media buying teams on media planning, buying, and optimizations, ensuring flawless execution.Guide, implement, and enforce media execution processes for plan development, buy execution, trafficking, and billing across both internal and agency teams.Manage a portfolio of campaigns, ensuring timely planning and execution across multiple concurrent projects.Digital Media & Martech ExpertiseDrive innovation in digital media through knowledge of:CTV, video, and dynamic creative optimization (DCO) strategiesAudience targeting strategies including first- and third-party data approaches, with consideration for the healthcare regulatory environmentBidding and budget optimization across biddable channelsTagging and tracking methodologies (including UTM strategy and floodlight/tag manager deployment)Marketing technologies, including ad servers (e.g., CM360), web analytics (Google Analytics), call tracking, and ad verification toolsLead collaboration with analytics and digital experience teams to ensure end-to-end measurement and attribution.Support incrementality testing, A/B creative optimization, and media mix modeling in partnership with analytics teams.Budget ManagementOwn the media budget lifecycle, including forecasting, channel allocation, and monthly pacing.Act as a liaison with finance stakeholders to ensure budget accuracy and stewardship.Ensure transparency and fiscal accountability in managing multimillion-dollar budgets.Tools & PlatformsUtilize media management platforms such as Prisma, Mediatools, or similar for planning, buying, and campaign tracking.Collaborate with procurement and finance to align on vendor and platform strategy.Bring working knowledge of key ad platforms such as The Trade Desk, Meta Ads Manager, TikTok Ads, and DV360.Team Leadership & CollaborationManage and mentor a high-performing team of media specialists who execute in-house buying, promoting a culture of accountability, learning, and cross-functional partnership.Serve as internal expert and thought leader on paid media best practices and innovation for the media Center of Excellence.Support career development and upskilling of internal media team with a focus on digital media acumen.
Requirements
Education:
High School diploma equivalency with 5 years of applicable cumulative job specific experience required, with 2 of those years being in leadership/management OR Associate's degree/Bachelor's degree with 3 years of applicable cumulative job specific experience required, with 2 of those years being in leadership/management.Additional Preferences 10+ years of progressive experience in media strategy and activationProven experience leading campaigns across CTV, paid social, and programmatic media channelsExperience managing integrated campaigns across digital and traditional channels, and across local organizationsDemonstrated success with both brand and performance marketingExperience with platforms such as Mediatools, Prisma, or similar media planning/buying toolsAdvanced understanding of marketing analytics, ad tech, and campaign taggingProven budget management expertiseStrong leadership and communication skillsHealthcare or regulated industry experienceExperience in matrixed or multi-location organizationsExperience partnering with creative and analytics teams to test and optimize messaging across platformsMedia agency experience highly preferred
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Why Join Our TeamAscension associates are key to our commitment of transforming healthcare and providing care to all, especially those most in need. Join us and help us drive impact through reimagining how we can deliver a people-centered healthcare experience and creating the solutions to do it. Explore career opportunities across our ministry locations and within our corporate headquarters.
Ascension is a leading non-profit, faith-based national health system made up of over 134,000 associates and 2,600 sites of care, including more than 140 hospitals and 40 senior living communities in 19 states.
Our Mission, Vision and Values encompass everything we do at Ascension. Every associate is empowered to give back, volunteer and make a positive impact in their community. Ascension careers are more than jobs; they are opportunities to enhance your life and the lives of the people around you.
Equal Employment Opportunity EmployerAscension provides Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) to all associates and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions, lactation, breastfeeding, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, all as defined by applicable law, and any other legally protected status or characteristic in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.
For further information, view the EEO Know Your Rights (English) poster or EEO Know Your Rights (Spanish) poster.
As a military friendly organization, Ascension promotes career flexibility and offers many benefits to help support the well-being of our military families, spouses, veterans and reservists. Our associates are empowered to apply their military experience and unique perspective to their civilian career with Ascension.
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