Performance engineer Jobs in Chicago, IL

Associate Director, Performance Media

Performance media moves fast: new platforms, new AI tools, new signals to chase every quarter. We're looking for someone who genuinely loves being in the middle of that, and wants to build the systems that help a whole team get better at it together.

As Associate Director, Performance Media, you'll lead our Centers of Excellence across Paid Search, Paid Social, Programmatic, Retail Media, and emerging channels, setting the standards, frameworks, and training that help our specialists do their best work. You'll stay hands-on: jumping into platforms to troubleshoot, test, and optimize alongside your team, not just reviewing their work from a distance.

This role is built for someone who knows performance media inside and out and is ready to bring that expertise to a team, whether you've been managing people for years or you're a strong senior specialist ready for your first shot at leading. You'll partner closely with Media Strategy, Analytics, Creative, and Data.

Performance Media Leadership

• Lead the Performance Media Centers of Excellence across Paid Search, Paid Social, Programmatic, Retail Media, and emerging activation channels.
• Set the playbook: best practices, governance, quality standards, documentation, and operating procedures across every performance discipline.
• Keep us ahead of the curve by evaluating new platforms, automation opportunities, AI solutions, and industry shifts.
• Drive cross-channel planning strategies that maximize efficiency and business impact.

Channel Expertise & Activation

• Be the go-to platform expert across Google Ads, Search Ads 360 (SA360), Microsoft Ads (Bing), DV360, Amazon DSP, Amazon Ads, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Reddit.
• Stay hands-on in core platforms, jumping in for campaign launches, optimizations, troubleshooting, audits, and escalations.
• Lead advanced audience strategies, bidding methodologies, attribution approaches, automation initiatives, and measurement frameworks.
• Champion activation quality across every performance channel.

Team Leadership & COE Development

• Lead a team of about 4 Performance Specialists and Channel Leads.
• Coach, mentor, and develop channel experts, helping them grow technically and in their careers.
• Build the onboarding programs, certification paths, and training curricula that help the whole team level up.
• Run quality assurance reviews and set the bar for executional excellence.
• Encourage knowledge-sharing across channel teams so great ideas travel.

Performance Strategy

• Build data-driven testing and optimization strategies that continuously improve channel performance.
• Lead full-funnel planning across Search, Social, Programmatic, Retail Media, and emerging channels.
• Design testing roadmaps and learning agendas that keep performance improving quarter over quarter.
• Partner with Analytics on measurement plans, attribution strategies, incrementality testing, and reporting frameworks.

Client Engagement

• Be the platform expert clients turn to for channel performance and optimization questions.
• Bring your channel-level insights, optimization recommendations, and testing results into reporting reviews as needed.
• Translate what's happening in the platforms into clear, useful takeaways for client contacts.
• Help clients navigate the fast-changing media landscape, including privacy shifts, AI advancements, and new platform capabilities.

Financial & Operational Excellence

• Keep media investment on track with accurate budget pacing, forecasting, and performance efficiency across accounts.
• Own accountability for channel-level KPIs including ROAS, CPA, and CAC, partnering with Analytics and Media Strategy on incrementality testing.
• Spot opportunities to work smarter, improving scalability without sacrificing quality.
• Partner with leadership on resource planning, staffing, and building the team's capabilities.
• Loop in Media Strategy leadership when client conversations move from execution into budget or business strategy.

What You Bring

• 7-9 years in performance marketing, with working knowledge across Paid Search, Paid Social, and Programmatic.
• Experience mentoring, coaching, or informally leading channel specialists. Formal people-management experience is a plus, not a must. If you're a strong senior specialist ready for your first opportunity to lead a team, we want to hear from you.
• Hands-on experience with at least four of: Google Ads, Meta, DV360, Amazon DSP or Amazon Ads, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, Microsoft Ads, enough to execute, troubleshoot, and optimize directly when it counts.
• Strong working knowledge of audience strategy, attribution, measurement, and conversion tracking across multi-channel campaigns.
• Experience managing media investments of approximately $100M+ across accounts or business units.
• The ability to turn performance data into clear, actionable recommendations for day-to-day client and internal conversations.
• Strong communication and leadership skills, and comfort operating in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Depth across all three channel types (Search, Social, Programmatic).
• Familiarity with Search Ads 360 and/or DV360 as distinct managed platforms.
• Retail media experience, including Amazon Ads or other retail media networks.
• Experience building operational processes, channel governance frameworks, or Centers of Excellence from the ground up.
• Platform certifications across Google Marketing Platform, Meta, Amazon Ads, TikTok, or LinkedIn.
• Experience across both regulated (Rx) and non-regulated (OTC) categories: a plus, not required; we'll help you learn the ropes.

How We Work

• We follow a structured hybrid model: in the office midweek, remote on Mondays and Fridays.
• Ideally based near our Chicago, IL or San Diego, CA offices.

$110,000 - $130,000 a year

CourtAvenue, INC. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. CourtAvenue recruits qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, status as a protected veteran, or genetic information.

CourtAvenue, INC. participates in the E-Verify program. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form (I-9) upon hire.