Director Performance Manager Jobs in Chicago, IL

About Blue Wheel

Blue Wheel is a digital performance marketing agency that helps brands connect the people, platforms, and insights that drive growth across modern commerce. With more than 100 team members and four offices across the U.S., we've built a culture where curiosity is encouraged, ownership is expected, collaboration is valued, and trust is earned through action. These principles guide how we work with clients and how we support one another as a team. If this sounds like a team you want to build with, we'd love to meet you.

About the Role

The Director of Performance Media is responsible for leading and overseeing Blue Wheel's direct-to-consumer paid media investments across paid social, search, and programmatic channels. This role owns the strategic vision, execution standards, and performance outcomes for a growing DTC client portfolio.

The Director of DTC manages a team of 12–14 subject matter experts, drives innovation across service delivery, ensures operational excellence, and partners closely with senior leadership to scale and advance the DTC offering profitably in line with client and market demands.

Responsibilities

• DTC Strategy & Leadership
• Own and implement best-in-class DTC advertising strategies across all paid media channels
• Audit existing methodologies, assess performance gaps, and enact improvements aligned with industry-leading DTC practices and platform best-practices
• Establish formal standards, frameworks, playbooks and mindsets that drive DTC performance excellence.
• Team Leadership & Development
• Lead and oversee the DTC Activation Team through regular meetings and 1:1s
• Manage workload, fulfillment, and account demands while maintaining a strategic and operational view
• Identify skill gaps and invest in team training, upskilling, and professional development especially as it relates to platform capabilities and tactics
• Allocate resources effectively against client scopes to ensure profitability and efficient headcount utilization
• Service Line Performance & Effectiveness
• Ensure accurate, actionable reporting and analytics that effectively measure and optimize media performance within a DTC/performance media approach
• Maintain oversight of key performance indicators across clients and the DTC department; help establish workable KPI and metrics frameworks for business outcomes
• Collaborate with other departments to drive success and operational excellence across client portfolio
• Financial & P&L Management
• Build, manage, and own revenue and cost-related P&L components for the DTC service line
• Ensure growth objectives are met while maintaining target profit margins
• Client & Internal Escalation Management
• Serve as the senior escalation point for complex client or internal issues; establish senior relationships with key/top clients
• Drive timely, effective resolutions that strengthen client relationships and minimize attrition
• Hands-on approach in resolving issues and ensuring team demonstrate excellence in account management
• Innovation & Industry Leadership
• Ensure service delivery reflects current and emerging digital marketing best practices, including AI and/or taking advantage of platform innovations
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation
• Maintain strong relationships with media partners, vendors, and industry leaders to drive early adoption of new opportunities. Manage a formal plan of on-going partner manage through cadence of meetings and agency benefits/demands.
• Business Development & Growth Support
• Participate in sales calls, pitches, QBRs, and POAs for top-tier clients and enterprise agency initiatives
• Support growth of the DTC offering through thought leadership and strategic consultation – look to advance the practice through thought leadership and new channel strategies
• Executive Visibility & Representation
• Represent the DTC department internally and externally
• Develop standardized reporting frameworks and cadences to provide the COO and executive team visibility into performance, strategy, and future direction
• Accountability & KPIS
• Department revenue, budget adherence, and profitability
• Client retention and media spend pacing, client success metrics
• Forecast accuracy (media spend and ad performance)
• Department and individual performance KPIs

Qualifications (Required)

• 15+ years managing teams of 10+ paid media practitioners
• Proven experience leading and scaling enterprise level performance/DTC paid media engagements
• Strong performance marketing expertise with a clear POV on DTC growth and optimization
• Expertise in DTC marketing and media/creative analytics
• Expertise and in-platform knowledge of search (Google), social (Meta, etc.), ad programmatic (DSPs), OTT/CTV and related video (YouTube)
• Demonstrated knowledge of adops, martech and related aspects of media-supply chain
• Champion in Skai's ad platform, with ability to provide training and advise team members on
• High emotional intelligence with the ability to collaborate across diverse teams and leadership styles; track record of strong decision-making and leadership roles
• Ability to translate detailed client goals into scalable, strategic initiatives
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity, shifting priorities, and industry change
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to influence and build alignment across organization
• Clear, forward-looking vision for future of DTC advertising and platforms
• Strong strategic and financial acumen, including P&L management
• Demonstrated ability to motivate, develop and retain top-tier talent
• Willingness to travel as needed
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to identify service inefficiencies and implement solutions that reduce client attrition and improve team processes or ways of working

Qualifications (Preferred)

• Experience within a growing agency environment
• Previous experience managing CPG brands

Employee Benefits

Employees at Blue Wheel are offered the following benefits and perks while employed:

• Healthcare: Medical, Dental, Vision, Accident, Critical Illness, Life & Disability, FSA/HSA Options
• Retirement: Company-sponsored 401(k) option with Company match
• PTO: Generous Paid Time, Sick Time, Floating Holidays, Volunteer Day, and Bereavement Time
• Paternal Leave: Paid 12-week leave for primary parent and 2-week for secondary parent
• Holiday: 10 paid holidays, along with light week between Christmas and New Years
• Fringe: Mental Health Days, Health and Wellness Reimbursement, Employee Assistance Program, Employer-paid Coaching Sessions

Blue Wheel operates and hires in the following states: CO, CT, FL, ID, IL, KS, MI, MN, NJ, NY, OR, PA, TN, TX, and WA