Director, Media Planning & Buying

If you’re passionate about becoming a Nationwide associate and believe you have the potential to be something great, let’s talk. At Nationwide®, “on your side” goes beyond just words. Our customers are at the center of everything we do and we’re looking for associates who are passionate about delivering extraordinary care.

SEO and Search Leadership Role

We are seeking a strategic, experienced search marketing leader to oversee Nationwide's SEO function while also leading our Paid Search and in-house Programmatic teams. This role requires deep expertise in SEO, strong cross-channel fluency, and the leadership presence to guide internal teams, agency partners, and senior stakeholders.

Core experience and expertise

The ideal candidate brings deep, hands-on SEO experience and a strong understanding of how organic search supports broader marketing and business objectives. They should be able to set strategy, identify growth opportunities, translate insights into action, and lead SEO as a high-impact discipline across the organization. They should also bring experience helping organizations adapt to the rapidly changing search and content landscape shaped by AI, including evolving consumer behavior, search experiences, and content strategy implications.

Additional experience in both B2C and B2B environments is highly preferred, as this role will benefit from a leader who understands how search strategies differ across audiences, buying cycles, and business models.

Exposure to, or direct expertise in, paid search and programmatic media buying is also strongly preferred. This role will lead with credibility across performance media channels and understand how SEO, paid search, and programmatic work together to drive results.

What you'll do

• Head up the SEO function
• Lead the Paid Search team, including one associate
• Lead the in-house Programmatic team, including three team members
• Manage the external agency partner that serves as an embedded extension of the team and is closely integrated into the organization

Success in this role will require balancing strategic leadership with operational oversight, team development, agency management, and strong cross-functional partnership.

What we're looking for

• Deep SEO expertise, including strategy development, execution, and performance optimization
• Strong working knowledge of paid search and programmatic media, with the ability to lead across connected performance channels
• Experience operating in complex, matrixed organizations and partnering effectively across teams
• Strong people leadership skills, including the ability to coach, develop, and align both direct reports and agency partners
• Excellent relationship-building and communication skills
• Confidence presenting to senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders
• Executive presence, sound judgment, and the ability to lead with credibility and authority

This is a high-visibility leadership role for a candidate who combines deep search expertise with strong team leadership, agency management, and executive-level communication skills. The ideal person will be equally effective setting vision, building relationships, and driving performance across SEO, paid search, and programmatic media.

This hybrid position is based in Columbus, OH. Candidates located near a Nationwide campus will collaborate in office 2 days per week. Current Nationwide Remote Associates may be considered.

Job Description Summary

Are you ready to put your marketing savvy, communications skills and data driven approach to work for one of the top brands in the insurance and financial services industry? If you want to influence a large marketing investment spend, drive business growth and profitable results using the best in class marketing technology, we want to hear from you!

As a Director of Media Planning & Buying, you'll lead Nationwide’s internal media buying team. You'll be responsible for the media strategy, activation and optimization of Nationwide’s advertising investment. We'll count on you to produce coordinated media plans, based on data, that deliver business impact for the enterprise.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:

• Leads all aspects of scalable campaign execution operation and procedures. Leads team processes, guides the team on specific campaign actions, develops partner relationships and ensures key performance indicators are met.

• Works directly with tech partners, media publishers, advertising agencies and internal partners to design, build and optimize marketing media buys.

• Supports and elevates Nationwide’s online presence and engagement across digital platforms. Closely collaborate with internal partners, advertising agencies, tech companies, media publishers and data providers to drive high impact media campaigns.

• Represents media team internally working closely with other Marketing areas.

• Leads the company’s external media agencies across coordinated planning, activation and analytics teams.

• Researches and builds partnerships with new media publishers, data partners, and technology companies that would improve the capabilities, efficiency and effectiveness of the enterprise Media team.

• Administers associate management, including performance management, salary planning and administration, training and development, workflow and organizational planning, hiring and placement and disciplinary actions. Continually scouts for strong talent; building a potential pipe line of talent.

May perform other responsibilities as assigned.

Reporting Relationships: Reports to Associate Vice President/Vice President; Manages a team of four or more marketing professionals and may be responsible for matrix reporting relationships and virtual teams.

Typical Skills and Experiences:

Education: Undergraduate degree in a quantitative field, e.g., business, finance, communication, etc. preferred; Graduate degree in closely-related field preferred.

Experience: Typically, ten or more years demonstrated experience in digital media. Extensive experience in digital media buying, with a focus on addressable display, video, social, search and mobile campaign management preferred. Experience managing and mentoring associates in a rapid growth environment, and deep experience in the demand side platform (DSP) and exchange-based media buying industry preferred.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skills: Sophisticated knowledge of the principles of digital media development and execution, and the programmatic media supply chain. Extensive knowledge of current practices in leading programmatic and social campaigns. Ability to train, lead and mentor associates in all aspects of media buying and planning. Proven understanding and skills with digital media tools, including demand side platforms, ad servers and web analytics tools. Persuasive communication and presentation skills. Ability to understand and relate market information to leadership levels. Advanced marketing and promotional skills. Ability to multi-task. Critical thinking and listening skills. Strong analytical skills with fact-based approach to solving business problems. Ability to lead and prioritize projects. Ability to function independently or on a team.

Other criteria, including leadership skills, proficiencies and experiences may take precedence.

Staffing exceptions to the above must be approved by the hiring manager’s leader and Human Resources Business Partner.

Values: Regularly and consistently demonstrate the Nationwide Values.

Job Conditions:

Overtime Eligibility: Exempt (Not eligible)

Working Conditions: Normal office environment. Extended hours as required. Occasional travel.

ADA: The above statements cover what are generally believed to be principal and essential functions of this job. Specific circumstances may allow or require some people assigned to the job to perform a somewhat different combination of duties.

Benefits

We have an array of benefits to fit your needs, including: medical/dental/vision,life insurance, short and long term disability coverage, paid time off with newly hired associates receiving a minimum of 18 days paid time off each full calendar year pro-rated quarterly based on hire date, nine paid holidays, 8 hours of Lifetime paid time off, 8 hours of Unity Day paid time off, 401(k) with company match, company-paid pension plan, business casual attire, and more. To learn more about the benefits we offer,click here.

Nationwide is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive culture where everyone feels challenged, appreciated, respected and engaged. Nationwide prohibits discrimination and harassment and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to any characteristic (or classification) protected by applicable law.

NOTE TO EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES:

We value the partnerships we have built with our preferred vendors. Nationwide does not accept unsolicited resumes from employment agencies. All resumes submitted by employment agencies directly to any Nationwide employee or hiring manager in any form without a signed Nationwide Client Services Agreement on file and search engagement for that position will be deemed unsolicited in nature. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is subsequently hired as a result of the referral or through other means.

Nationwide pays on a geographic-specific salary structure and placement within the actual starting salary range for this position will be determined by a number of factors including the skills, education, training, credentials and experience of the candidate; the scope, complexity and location of the role as well as the cost of labor in the market; and other conditions of employment. If a Sales job, Sales Incentives, based on performance goals are possible in addition to this range. Note on Compensation for Part-Time Roles: Please be aware that the salary ranges listed below reflect full-time compensation. Actual compensation may be prorated based on the number of hours worked relative to a full-time schedule.The national salary range for Director, Media Planning & Buying : $122,000.00-$214,000.00The expected starting salary range for Director, Media Planning & Buying : $122,000.00 - $182,000.00