Director of Paid Media

At EF Ultimate Break, we’re redefining travel for Gen A, Gen Z and Millennials giving 18-to-35-year-olds an opportunity to transition from tourist to traveler. We do more than help people get a stamp on their passport; our guided tours encourage them to step outside their comfort zone, create forever friendships, immerse themselves in unfamiliar places, expand their minds through new cultures, and come home with a changed perspective of the world.

We're looking for a growth obsessed media marketing leader who gets Gen Z and knows how to reach them where they live, scroll, and plan their next adventure. As our Director of Growth Marketing, you'll lead the team building the media engine that connects young travelers with their perfect group trip through paid channels.

This role is perfect for someone who has scaled consumer brands targeting Gen Z, Gen A and Millennials, managed multi-million-dollar budgets across social-first channels, and thrives on creative experimentation and data-driven optimization. You bring an authentic understanding of Gen Z culture, a deep command of modern marketing technology, and a proven ability to lead high-performing teams.

Our audience expects more authenticity, more innovation and more fun. If you're the kind of leader who wakes up thinking about viral coefficient, community LTV, social engagement rates, and conversion paths—and you're ready to own a roadmap that includes multiple destination launches and explosive growth goals—this is your moment.

You will…

• Own and scale all paid acquisition across social, search, programmatic / display and emerging platforms to drive qualified traffic, reduce CAC, and maximize bookings with a relentless focus on ROI and attribution
• Lead campaign performance across TikTok, Meta, YouTube, Google, Snapchat, Pinterest and other high-performance platforms, constantly testing and optimizing creative, audiences, placements, messaging and bidding strategies
• Identify and test new acquisition channels using a test-learn-adapt-test-learn framework
• Manage annual marketing spend with precision across social-first channels, understanding Gen Z attention patterns and platform-specific creative requirements
• Collaborate cross-functionally with brand, creative, market development and other stakeholders to create integrated, full-funnel media strategies and incorporate influencer and creator content into paid campaigns to optimize for reach, engagement and conversion
• Build a full-funnel growth engine from awareness to conversion (bookings)—shifting spend based on real-time performance data and social listening insights
• Partner with Analytics team on media attribution , implementing multi-touch attribution and social sentiment analysis to better understand the Gen Z customer journey from discovery to booking
• Develop rapid creative testing systems —experimenting with UGC, influencer partnerships, viral formats, and landing experiences to accelerate engagement and conversions
• Lead and scale a team of performance marketers fostering a culture of creativity, experimentation, and results
• Report performance with compelling storytelling —translating data into insights that drive strategy and secure leadership buy-in
• Stay ahead of Gen Z trends , platform updates, creator economy shifts, and travel behavior changes to consistently outperform and innovate
• 15+ years of digital marketing experience with a focus on Gen Z / millennial audiences in travel, lifestyle, or experiential industries
• 5+ years managing high-performing teams of performance specialists
• Proven track record managing multi-million dollar budgets across social platforms with deep understanding of paid social, creator partnerships and UGC strategies
• Mastery of media attribution including experience with platform-specific tracking
• Platform proficiency : TikTok Ads, Meta Business Manager, Snapchat Ads, YouTube Creator tools, Google Ads, plus analytics platforms like GA4, Mixpanel, Amplitude, or similar
• Strong creative instincts —you understand what resonates with Gen Z and can collaborate on creative strategy while optimizing for performance
• Hands-on execution skills : you can jump into a campaign, analyze creative performance, and optimize targeting without missing a beat
• Cultural fluency in Gen Z : you understand their values, communication style, decision-making process, and what drives them to travel
• Growth hacker mindset : you're scrappy, experimental, and always testing new channels and tactics with a positive, let's-figure-it-out attitude
• Bonus points : Experience in travel / hospitality

Why you’ll love working here : Perks, Benefits, and more!

This is the most fun, high caliber place you’ll ever work. Ask any employee why they love EF (whether they’ve been here 10 minutes or 10 years) and they’ll probably tell you the same thing : it’s the people. When you work at EF, you join a purpose-driven, international and energetic community that thrives on continuous learning, fearless innovation and mutual support.

In addition, you can expect :

About EF Ultimate Break

AtEF Ultimate Break,we’reabout way more than collecting passport stamps. Our guided tours empower young adults aged18–35to explore a world outside their comfort zones. And the result is amazing. Each immersive tour creates experiences that last a lifetime, building bonds with fellow travelers that go beyond borders and cultures, and help bring the world a little bit closer. WARNING : Working at Ultimate Break may inspire your own desire to see the world,goodnews is-we’llhelp with that!

About EF Education First

Some companies are in the Business of Technology.

Others are in the Business of Finance….Sports…Or Soft Drinks.

At EF, we're in a different kind of Business.

One that's a little less tangible, and a lot more important.

Because our Business, what we make, makes everything else possible.

We're in the Business of Understanding.

For over half a century we’ve been the leader in international educational programs and experiences designed to foster such understanding. Through Language, Cultural Exchange, Academic Studies, and Educational Travel, we create the kinds of immersive experiences that challenge biases, open minds, and pave the way for a more understanding world.

You’ll find our 115 offices located in some of the world’s greatest cities, and filled with smart, driven people who push each other to be better every day. And yes, we have technology, we have finance, we even have sports with our own professional cycling team. But it’s what we do with it – Building greater understanding, breaking down barriers, and creating a better world…that makes all the difference.

Want to learn more about life at EF? Follow us on social.

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