Head of Digital Advertising - MEA

About IDP

IDP is the global leader in international education services, delivering global success to students, test takers and our partners, through trusted human relationships, digital technology and customer research. An Australian-listed company, we operate in more than 50 countries around the world.

Our team is comprised of over 7,000 people of various nationalities, ages and cultural backgrounds. Proudly customer-first, our expert people are powered by global technology. Together, we offer unmatched services, helping local dreams become realities, all over the world.

Learn more at www.careers.idp.com

Role purpose

The Head of Digital Adveritising MEA will lead, scale, and optimize our paid acquisition and media growth strategies across all operating markets within the region. In this leadership role, you will define the regional paid media vision, manage advertising budgets, and lead a high-performing team of media specialists, analysts, and channel leads. 

Key accountabilities

Strategic Leadership & Portfolio Management 

• Formulate and execute the overarching regional paid media strategy to meet revenue, customer acquisition, and return-on-ad-spend (ROAS) targets across diverse markets. 

• Allocate and govern regional digital advertising budgets, optimizing media spend dynamically across search, social, programmatic, connected TV, and emerging channels. 

• Define regional growth KPIs, establishing standardized measurement frameworks across all localized advertising campaigns. 

• Partner with local marketing and operations leaders to ensure full alignment between regional campaign priorities and business unit growth targets. 

Team Leadership & Operational Excellence 

• Directly lead and mentor a team of media buyers, Paid Advertising Specialists, and performance analysts. 

• Establish operational protocols, campaign governance rules, and QA standards for setup, creative deployment, and budget management. 

• Oversee and own data tracking, analysis and reporting. 

Reporting, Forecasting & Stakeholder Management 

• Present regional performance updates, strategic roadmaps, and revenue forecasts to leadership. 
• Translate complex performance data into clear commercial narratives, demonstrating the business impact of paid media investments. 

Required experience

• 9–12  years of hands-on and strategic performance marketing experience, with at least 3+ years in a regional or multi-market leadership role managing teams and large-scale media budgets. 

• Comprehensive mastery of multi-channel media planning, programmatic buying, search marketing, paid social ecosystems, and video network strategy. 

• Expertise in advanced attribution modeling, media mix optimization, and data architectures (GA4, BigQuery, Looker/Tableau). 

• Proven track record of hiring, developing, and managing high-performing marketing teams across distributed geographies. 

• Demonstrated experience managing regional ad budgets with direct accountability for P&L or ROI targets. 

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Economics, or a quantitative field (Master’s or MBA preferred). 

Preferred Qualifications / Nice-to-Haves 

• Experience expanding paid acquisition strategies into new emerging markets within the region. 

• Deep understanding of localized consumer behaviors, media consumption habits, and regulatory environments within the region.