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Interim Director of Media Buying, Senior Paid Media Leadership In Seat for a Defined Window
An interim director of media buying for DTC, e-commerce, and B2B operators. Full-seat ownership of the paid media engine for a defined window: strategy, planning and buying, channel mix, and team leadership.
Talk to an Interim Media Buying Director
An interim director of media buying for DTC, e-commerce, and B2B operators
Why teams hire a Chameleon interim director of media buying
In seat from day one
When a media lead leaves or spend cannot stall, our operators step into the seat immediately. Senior paid media leaders who own strategy, planning, buying, and optimization on day one.
Coverage that keeps spend working
An interim media buying director owns the budget, the channel mix, and the agency or in-house team for the full window, so paid media keeps performing while you run the permanent search.
A clean handoff to the permanent hire
Interim operators document the channel strategy, the account structures, and the measurement approach, then hand a working media function to the incoming leader rather than a tangle of accounts.
What an interim director of media buying owns
An interim director of media buying is a senior paid media leader engaged full-time for a defined window, usually 3 to 9 months. They own how paid media gets decided and executed: the channel strategy and budget, media planning and buying, optimization, and the measurement that proves it is working.
Paid media strategy and channel mix
A clear paid media strategy that allocates budget across paid search, paid social, programmatic, and display based on where each dollar performs, so the mix reflects real efficiency rather than channel habit.
Media planning and buying
The planning and the buy itself: account structures, audiences, bidding, and budget pacing built around the efficiency goals the business actually needs to hit.
Optimization and measurement
Continuous optimization grounded in measurement: incrementality testing, lift studies, and attribution that separate the spend that drives growth from the spend that does not.
Team and agency leadership
Leadership of the in-house media team or the agency relationship, so execution stays accountable to the strategy and the numbers, not the other way around.
How an interim director of media buying engagement runs
Companies hire an interim director of media buying when they need senior paid media leadership in seat for a defined window: a departure, a leave, a reorganization, or a budget that cannot wait for a permanent hire. The operator runs the media function full-time and hands it off cleanly.
Interim, fractional, or full-time
Interim is a full-seat engagement for a defined window, usually 3 to 9 months, with the operator stepping in as the in-seat media leader, most often while a company hires. Fractional is ongoing and part-time, 1 to 3 days per week, for senior judgment without a full-time hire. A permanent hire makes sense once the seat is steady-state full-time.
The first two weeks
An interim media lead moves fast: a rapid read of the budget, the channel mix, the account structures, and the team or agency, then a stabilization plan for the window. Coverage starts immediately, with the permanent-hire handoff scoped from the start.
How We Compare
| Feature | Chameleon Collective | Media-buying agency | Full-time Media Director hire |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed into the seat. | Days, not months | Onboarding ramp per scope | 3 to 6 month search plus ramp |
| Full-seat coverage for the window. | Yes, owns the function | No, scoped to the buy | Yes, once hired |
| Strategy plus the buy. | Owns mix through execution | Often scoped to the buy | Yes, once ramped |
| Clean handoff to the permanent hire. | Documented function, not a tangle of accounts | Account access only |
Frequently Asked Questions
They are a senior paid media leader in seat for a defined window: owning the paid media strategy and channel mix, media planning and buying across paid search, paid social, and programmatic, optimization and measurement, and the in-house team or agency relationship.
Interim is full-seat coverage for a defined window, most often while you hire. Fractional is ongoing and part-time, for senior judgment without a full-time hire. A permanent media director makes sense once the seat is steady-state full-time. We help you size which fits.
Our roster is 10-plus-year paid media leaders, including operators who have managed up to nine-figure budgets across paid search, paid social, and programmatic at DTC, e-commerce, and enterprise brands. They are senior the day they start.
Paid search and SEM, paid social across Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, and others, programmatic and display, plus the measurement layer: incrementality testing, lift studies, and attribution. The mix is set by where the budget performs, not by channel habit.
A clean handoff. The interim media buying director documents the channel strategy, the account structures, and the measurement approach, and hands a working media function to the permanent hire, rather than leaving a tangle of accounts.
Related Services
Need a permanent Director of Media Buying or Head of Performance?
Some companies run an interim media lead for a window, then convert to a permanent hire. Our Recruit practice runs retained executive search for paid media and performance leaders, with a short list in 14 to 21 days and a 12-month replacement guarantee.
Get In Touch
Get a senior media buying director in seat, fast
Tell us what opened the gap: a departing media lead, spend that cannot pause, or a transition that needs coverage. We will route to the operator who can step in and run the buy.
