Head of Digital

Direct message the job poster from Hewitt Matthews

The Head of Performance is responsible for owning, scaling and evolving Hewitt Matthews’ performance-led growth offering. This includes Paid Media today, but extends beyond channels into integrated commercial strategy, innovation, diagnostics and multi-service execution to drive revenue growth for our customers.

This is a senior leadership role with full ownership of the performance function as a commercial unit. You will lead and develop a small team of three, push the department forward strategically, and be accountable for results, standards, innovation and future readiness.

You will work closely with the Web, SEO and Strategy teams to ensure clients experience one joined‑up growth engine rather than disconnected services. You will also play a central role in diagnostic phases, helping translate insight into executable roadmaps that drive real commercial outcomes.

This is not a caretaker role. It is an opportunity to take full ownership of a performance function, shape its future direction, and build something with real commercial, technical and leadership legacy.

You fully own the performance function as a commercial unit within the agency.

• Inputting into the vision, direction and growth plan for performance within the agency and managing the execution.
• Being accountable for the department hitting the commercial goals of our clients.
• Supporting the creation of pitches and delivering them to existing clients and net‑new prospects.
• Defining how the department evolves beyond traditional PPC into broader performance and growth delivery.
• Owning delivery standards, quality control, pricing & profitability and client outcomes.
• Being accountable to SLT for wins, losses, margin, client performance and future readiness.

You are expected to build, not just manage.

You directly manage the current team of three and are responsible for:

• Setting clear expectations and standards and ways of working.
• Coaching, developing and upskilling the team, to create future leaders of services.
• Challenging underperformance quickly and constructively.
• Making recommendations to SLT on role changes, restructures or exits where required.

This is not a “protect the team at all costs” role. It is a “build a team good enough to carry the agency forward” role.

You are responsible for ensuring that:

• Paid Search/Social, SEO/GEO, Web (landing pages, smaller tactical websites, CRO), Attribution, Data and Strategy work as a joined‑up growth system.
• Our performance services align with the requirements of clients as the world rapidly changes.
• Client roadmaps make commercial sense, not just tactical sense.
• Multi‑service clients experience one coherent growth plan rather than separate silos and disconnected activity.

You will:

• Contribute to diagnostic and digital maturity sessions through a commercial lens.
• Work alongside the strategist to shape priorities, sequencing and investment logic.
• Take full ownership of translating strategy into executable performance plans.
• Be capable of running these sessions yourself and delivering on the resulting strategies.

You are expected to actively identify & push the agency forward via:

• New performance channels.
• New formats.
• New tools.
• New models of execution.
• AI and automation, where commercially relevant.
• Attribution, data and reporting processes.

All of which must be tied to:

• Measurable performance improvements for clients.
• Operating margin improvement.
• Building competitive advantages for the agency.

You are responsible for making sure Hewitt Matthews’ performance arm does not become a legacy department, trapped in outdated models.

You will:

• Own departmental forecasting, performance reporting and commercial insights.
• Present performance, risks and opportunities to SLT, with clear recommendations.
• Flag underperformance early and propose solutions.
• Act as the commercial conscience of the performance function.

You are expected to think in terms of:

• Revenue.
• Retention.
• Margins.
• Lifetime value.
• Client dependency risks.
• S…