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SVP, Marketing and Media

Chicago

Critical Mass is hiring an SVP of Media and Marketing to lead our rapidly expanding media discipline—a role with significant influence, strategic impact, and the opportunity to shape the future of media planning and strategy at scale.

If you're a strategic media leader who thrives on influence, believes in putting media expertise first, and wants to grow alongside a fast scaling, forward thinking organization, we want to hear from you!

 

 You Will:

  • Drive strategic direction and vision across two portfolios for six key clients, establishing the media strategy framework that guides all work
  • Own audience development, communications planning, and competitive insights while bridging media, marketing science, strategy, and creative disciplines to ensure seamless collaboration
  • Lead a team across multiple clients, coaching VP leads, managing performance, and fostering an empathetic, inclusive culture that attracts exceptional media strategists
  • Partner with MKS, Strategy, and Creative leads for media ideation and campaign execution
  • Develop and execute thought leadership through strategic storytelling across multiple formats to position Critical Mass as an industry authority
  • Drive new business opportunities and expand client relationships while maintaining visibility and influence across all strategic initiatives and staying actively engaged in new business pitches
  • Serve as the senior strategic voice or critical client relationships, ensuring our team is perceived as the expert voice and maintaining deep partnerships with key stakeholders
  • Be part of Critical Mass's executive team, directly influencing the evolution and reshaping of our media discipline as we scale to the next level
  • Oversee team deliverables and validate decisions to ensure consistently exceptional client work and team execution
  • Stay ahead of industry trends and client developments, serving as an expert resource who informs strategy with competitive intelligence and market insights
  • Develop deep understanding of CM’s capabilities and disciplines, know when to leverage each to achieve ideal outcomes for clients

 

 You Have:

  • Minimum 2-3 years of VP level experience leading media strategy for multiple clients simultaneously— demonstrating strong judgment in allocating time and resources effectively across competing priorities
  • Diverse background across industries, agency sizes (large and small), and client verticals
  • Executive-level business acumen and presence to engage confidently with C-suite leadership across agency and client organizations, with the agility to pivot and mobilize the right capabilities as business needs evolve
  • Preferred experience in recruitment marketing, nonprofit, and/or financial services sectors
  • Strategic storytelling expertise—ability to translate complex brand strategies into compelling media narratives across multiple formats
  • Proven new business acumen and sales ability to influence vision across stakeholders and disciplines
  • Empathetic, flexible leadership style that adapts to individual team member needs and aligns with Critical Mass culture
  • Genuine curiosity about client industries, competitive landscapes, and emerging media trends

 

What We Offer:

  • Global maternity and parental leave
  • Competitive benefits packages
  • Vacation, Flex days, and sick days
  • Access to online services for families and new parents
  • Summer Fridays (off at 3:00 PM local time every Friday)
  • 12 Affinity Groups
  • Internal learning and development programs
  • Enterprise-wide employee discounts

Our new hires & employees are the future of our organization, and we want to set you up for long-term success. In an effort to do so, we expect our team to work in the Calgary office for a minimum of 3 days a week.

 

*PLEASE NOTE* This position requires candidates to obtain a Level 2 Security Clearance in accordance with U.S. government regulations.  As such, only U.S. citizens or permanent residents (Green Card holders) are eligible to apply.

We continually review ranges to address skills, experience and markets. Base salaries are determined during our interview process, by assessing a number of factors that include, but aren’t limited to, a candidate’s experience and skills relative to the scope and responsibilities of the position. For current CM employees, tenure will also be a consideration.

Salary Range

$200,000 - $220,000 USD

Critical Mass is an equal opportunity employer. 

The Critical Mass Talent Acquisition team will only communicate from email addresses that use the URLs criticalmass.com, omc.com and us.greenhouse-mail.io. We will not use apps such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, or Google Hangouts for communicating with you. We will never ask you to send us money, technology, or anything else to work for our company. If you believe you are the victim of a scam, please review your local government consumer protections guidance and reach out to them directly.

If U.S. based: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams#avoid
If Canada based: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/finance/consumer-affairs.html
If U.K. based: https://www.gov.uk/consumer-protection-rights
If Costa Rica based: https://www.consumo.go.cr/educacion_consumidor/consejos_practicos.aspx 

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