Sr. Director, Digital Marketing

About the role

Strengthening and empowering all of the communities we serve.   Sr. Director, Digital Marketing Hybrid position, located in Portland, OR About Catalyst IQ Catalyst IQ is a digital marketing intelligence company built on more than a decade of experience in the automotive dealer vertical. As a part of Advance Local, we operate at the intersection of dealer relationships, proprietary data, and AI-driven platform technology. Our core product — MarketAI — delivers real-time competitive recommendations, pricing signals, and inventory insights that tell dealers not just what's happening in their market, but what to do next. We are prioritizing further growth and innovation in capital equipment.   About the Role We are seeking an experienced and driven Sr. Director, Digital Marketing to join the Catalyst IQ capital equipment team. In this role, you will own the delivery engine for the capital equipment vertical — ensuring every client receives excellent work, on time, with clear reporting and measurable impact. We’re not so big that anyone is above the work — you’ll roll up your sleeves alongside the team to further refine our delivery model, deepen our analytical capabilities, and fully leverage what AI makes possible: richer competitive insights, real-time activation, and a level of precision that sets our clients apart. Over time, you’ll build the scalable processes, standards, and staffing model that allows quality to hold as the client base grows. You are a rising leader from the advertising and/or SEO ranks who understands the work deeply enough to do it, hold others accountable to it, and systematically build a better way of doing it. You are AI-fluent — not a developer, but someone who actively uses AI tools to improve your own work, embraces automation as a competitive advantage, and is excited to lead the team’s transition from manual workflows to AI-assisted delivery. This is a high-ceiling role, and the timing is right: you’d be joining at an opportune moment — as Catalyst IQ moves to leverage its AI investments and platform technology in adjacent verticals, with the opportunity to grow alongside that expansion. Primary Responsibilities Delivery Quality Own the end-to-end delivery of digital advertising, SEO, and website services for equipment dealer clients Establish and enforce quality standards — every campaign, every report, every deliverable Build and maintain SOPs that allow the team to execute consistently as the client book grows Serve as the internal escalation point when client issues arise; resolve before they reach account leadership Reporting & Transparency Ensure every client receives clear, accurate, and timely performance reporting Partner with the Catalyst product team to identify and implement AI-assisted workflows — from automated reporting to campaign analysis to client communication drafts Track delivery metrics internally: on-time rates, error rates, client satisfaction signals Team Coordination & Management Manage day-to-day execution across advertising, SEO, and website support teams; set clear performance standards, develop talent, and hold the team accountable for delivery quality Partner with product leaders to align delivery expectations with current platform capabilities and the roadmap toward a fully connected intelligence, advertising, website, and SEO ecosystem Client Health Partner with strategists (who own the client relationship and renewals) to flag delivery risks early Identify patterns across accounts: systemic issues, recurring errors, capacity constraints Serve as a confident client-facing presence and, at times, a subject matter expert — presenting performance, translating data into clear narratives, and lending credibility to the strategies we recommend Contribute to client retention by making sure the work earns it Process & Efficiency Build and continuously improve the operational infrastructure that allows quality work at scale Identify opportunities to use AI tools to reduce manual work, improve consistency, and increase team capacity Develop reporting templates, workflow documentation, and delivery standards that the team can execute without reinventing the wheel Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in statistics, business, finance or other related quantitative field; Master’s degree preferred Minimum seven years’ quantitative research experience, including at least two years leading, mentoring, or managing research staff Proven management experience, you have directly managed a team of digital marketing specialists, set performance standards, developed talent, and held the bar on quality Exceptional client-facing communication skills, you are comfortable presenting to business owners and senior decision-makers, translating complex data into clear narratives, and navigating difficult conversations with professionalism and confidence Solid analytics foundation — GA4, Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager, attribution modeling; you know what the numbers mean and what to do about them Process builder — you have created or improved workflows, reporting templates, or delivery systems that made a team meaningfully more efficient AI fluency — you actively use AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or similar) in your day-to-day work and are excited to build AI-assisted delivery workflows from the ground up High curiosity — you read, experiment, and bring new ideas; you don't wait to be told what's changing in the industry Calm and steady under pressure; you stabilize situations rather than amplify them Preferred Skills Background in automotive, equipment, agriculture, construction, or dealer vertical digital marketing — you understand how dealers buy and how they think Familiarity with dynamic inventory advertising (feed-based campaigns, Google Shopping, Meta catalogs) Hands-on experience applying AI tools to digital marketing workflows — reporting automation, campaign analysis, content generation, or client communication Experience helping transition a team from high-touch custom delivery toward a more scalable, productized model Familiarity with website delivery and CMS fundamentals — enough to collaborate effectively with the website services team and advocate for integrated digital experiences Additional Information Advance Local Media offers competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package with affordable options for your healthcare including medical, dental and vision plans, mental health support options, flexible spending accounts, fertility assistance, a competitive 401(k) plan to help plan for your future, generous paid time off, paid parental and caregiver leave and an employee assistance program to support your work/life balance, optional legal assistance, life insurance options, as well as flexible holidays to honor cultural diversity.   Advance Local Media is one of the largest media groups in the United States, which operates the leading news and information companies in more than 20 cities, reaching 52+ million people monthly with our quality, real-time journalism and community engagement. Our company is built upon the values of Integrity, Customer-first, Inclusiveness, Collaboration and Forward-looking. For more information about Advance Local, please visit.   Advance Local Media includes MLive Media Group, Advance Ohio, Alabama Media Group, NJ Advance Media, Advance Media NY, MassLive Media, Oregonian Media Group, Staten Island Media Group, PA Media Group, ZeroSum, Headline Group, Adpearance, Advance Aviation, Advance Healthcare, Advance Education, Advance Originals, Advance Recruitment, Advance Travel & Tourism, BookingsCloud, Catalyst IQ, Cloud Theory, Fox Dealer, Hoot Interactive, Search Optics, Subtext.   Advance Local Media is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, encouraging applications from people of all backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or any other category protected under federal, state or local law.   If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please contact Human Resources and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.   Advance Local Media does not provide sponsorship for work visas or employment authorization in the United States. Only candidates who are legally authorized to work in the U.S. will be considered for this position.