Senior Principal, Accounts - Paid Media

Salary: $110,000-$120,000 Location: Washington, D.C. or remoteMiddle Seat is a full-service media and fundraising firm that supports progressive causes and candidates. We work with a variety of clients, including AOC, Wes Moore, MoveOn, Powered by People, and Women’s March, as well as other progressive campaigns, nonprofits, advocacy organizations, and causes that are on the front lines of important fights.Our firm is values-driven, and we are intentional about working with clients who share our left-of-center values. We prioritize a healthy work-life balance and consistent employee feedback and communication. Prospective applicants are welcome to learn more about our company culture.This role is not part of the bargaining unit. Why Middle Seat:Competitive salaries and great benefitsWe only work for progressive organizations, candidates, and causesWe’re a proudly unionized team — part of the Campaign Workers GuildGet in on the ground floor of a growing operationAbout the Role:The Senior Principal, Accounts — Paid Media is a senior leader on Middle Seat’s Advertising Team, responsible for owning and growing our persuasion client portfolio across digital paid media and television.Senior Principals manage some of Middle Seat’s largest persuasion programs for candidates, political committees, and organizations. This role requires at least 3 years of experience running political advertising and persuasion programs, including digital paid media and collaboration with television teams.This role blends strategy, sales, client leadership, and revenue ownership. You will be responsible for winning and retaining clients, guiding persuasion strategy, coordinating with Middle Seat’s TV department on buys and campaigns, and ensuring our digital and television programs work together to drive electoral and issue-based wins.RequirementsClient Account & Persuasion LeadershipLead persuasion clients, owning their digital paid media and television strategy in partnership with Middle Seat’s TV department.Serve as the senior strategic lead for your accounts, guiding budget allocation, targeting, creative direction, and media mix.Coordinate closely with Middle Seat’s TV team to ensure:Digital and television buys are alignedMessaging is consistent across platformsFlighting and targeting reinforce persuasion goalsEmbed yourself in the work of your clients (Slack, calls, listservs, etc.) to proactively guide persuasion strategy rather than simply respond to requests.Be available to advise clients as a general campaign consultant beyond paid media, including communications strategy, budgeting, and broader campaign decision making in your role as a media consultant.Budgeting & SalesTrack revenue and expenses, working with accounting and sales to balance staff costs, retainers, ad fees, and TV commissions.Identify when accounts should scale, expand into TV, or add new persuasion products such as CTV, testing, or creative.Lead or co-lead pitches for new persuasion clients, including candidates, IEs, and advocacy organizations.Ability to independently lead sales pitches and business development conversations, either solo or in partnership with other team members including the TV department and firm partners; an existing network to source new opportunities is a plus but not required. Campaign Strategy & ExecutionDevelop a clear creative vision for persuasion campaigns, including writing and shaping scripts informed by polling, messaging research, and direct conversations with campaign teams, and translating that into both bold, creative-forward concepts.Manage the production process end to end by working closely with external production teams to coordinate shoots, oversee editing, and manage client feedback and revisions, ensuring a polished final video that meets strategic and campaign goals. Lead the planning and execution of digital persuasion campaigns platforms such as but not limited to Meta, YouTube, CTV, DSPs, and various direct to publisher contracts.Set high-level strategy, including:Budgets and channel mixMessaging frameworksTargeting and testing plansAnalyze and report campaign results to clients, translating performance into strategic recommendations.Own project management and timeline planning for persuasion programs, including scheduling client calls, setting scripting and production timelines, managing budgets against primary and election dates, and ensuring campaigns are launched on time and on plan. Management & Team LeadershipTrain junior staff to plan and execute paid media buysMake recommendations for ads team management as a whole and assist with hiring for the entire ads team. Take part in weekly ads management meetings and discuss the growth of the ads team. Take part in the broader management of Middle Seat, including the sales process, team-wide issues, and communication of those efforts to staff. Encourage strong cross-team collaboration. Serve as a leader in developing strategy and new messaging ideas, collabo