Head of Paid Media

This is a senior leadership role combining media strategy, commercial accountability, measurement, technology and people leadership. You will set the direction, investment strategy and operating model for Paid Media while ensuring the team and our partners execute against clear business outcomes.

Define and own the long-term Paid Media vision, positioning it as a key growth driver that balances brand building and performance across a full-funnel, cross-channel approach.

Champion a shift from channel-based to audience- and outcome-based planning, leveraging first-party data, CDP capabilities and advanced measurement (MMM, incrementality and attribution) to sharpen targeting, evaluate effectiveness and drive better investment decisions.

Stay ahead of macro shifts: signal loss, AI, automation, platform changes, by continuously evolving strategy, capabilities and ways of working.

Own overall Paid Media performance and its contribution to business OKRs, serving as the primary point of contact for the Leadership Team on targets, reporting and performance narratives.

Own the Paid Media budget and its allocation across channels, markets and initiatives, driving disciplined, data-driven investment decisions that balance short-term performance with long-term brand growth and optimize the mix between working and non-working media.

Lead, develop and inspire the Paid Media team, setting clear priorities, building internal capabilities and fostering a high-performance culture.

Own and continuously evolve the Paid Media operating model, driving effective cross-functional collaboration with IMM, Brand & Content, CRM, Business Analytics and MarTech to ensure seamless integration and shared ownership of outcomes.

Own and steer relationships with media agencies and Ad Tech partners, defining scope, leading contract negotiations, holding partners accountable for outcomes and acting as the central connector between Paid Media and key internal stakeholders.

Challenge and elevate partners to drive continuous improvement, efficiency and adoption of best practices.

10+ years of professional experience with a strong grounding in digital and performance marketing, and a clear understanding of how brand and performance investment work together.

Significant experience leading Paid Media, Performance Marketing, Growth Marketing or a comparable function in a complex, consumer-facing digital business.

Strong commercial judgement and experience managing substantial media budgets across multiple channels, audiences or markets.

Deep understanding of digital performance channels, particularly paid search, paid social, programmatic and emerging search and discovery environments.

Proven agency and partner management experience, including defining scope, challenging performance and managing commercial relationships.

Experience developing integrated, full-funnel media strategies spanning brand, activation and performance.

The ability to translate complex performance data into clear commercial recommendations for senior stakeholders.

Strong grasp of marketing measurement, including attribution, incrementality, experimentation and methodologies such as MMM.

Experience using first-party data, audience strategies and marketing technology to improve media effectiveness.

You do not need to be the hands-on specialist in every channel. You do need enough depth to challenge specialists, agencies and platforms, make sound investment decisions and set a clear strategic direction.

Proven people leadership, with a track record of developing specialists and building high-performing teams.

Curiosity about how AI, automation and changing consumer behaviour will reshape media, with a track record of testing and adopting new approaches where they create value.

This role is based out of our Amsterdam office. While we offer flexibility, we value in-person collaboration and encourage our teams to spend regular time in the office.

Want to learn more about life at Marktplaats? Visit our Careers page to explore our culture, benefits and what it's like to work with us.

Marktplaats is one of the Netherlands' leading online marketplaces, helping make commerce more sustainable by giving products an extended life. With over 2.1 million buyers and sellers visiting our platform every day, around 350,000 new listings added daily and users spending an average of 22 minutes per visit, we're building a platform that people use and trust. Every connection we enable helps people save money, earn money and reduce waste. As part of Adevinta, one of Europe's leading online classifieds groups, we're building products that make buying and selling second-hand products simpler, safer and better for everyone.

This role sits within our Marketing & Communication function in our Amsterdam office, home to over 300 talented professionals, where cross-functional teams design, develop and scale the products that millions of users rely on every day across our Benelux marketplaces, Marktplaats and 2dehands/2ememain.

We are looking for a Head of Paid Media to lead our paid media strategy across Benelux and ensure our significant media investment delivers measurable value for our users and our business. Reporting to the Chief Growth Officer, you will lead the Paid Media team, working across Marketing, Analytics, MarTech and our commercial teams, while also owning our relationships with key media agencies, technology platforms and partners.

Our culture is built on these five principles, shaping how we work together, build products and create value for our customers. 🛠️ Ownership: We take ownership, step in where needed and make things happen. 🤝 Engagement: We show up for each other, build meaningful connections, celebrate success and enjoy the ride together. ❤️ Customer Focus: We put our customers at the heart of our decisions, back our ideas with data and deliver value that makes a difference. ⚡Execution: We move with purpose, challenge ideas respectfully, act with confidence and deliver at pace. 💡Curiosity: We ask questions, challenge the status quo, embrace learning and turn insights into better decisions.