Paid Media Manager
Chicago, IL 40 hours per week, core hours 9am to 3pm CentralFull timeRemote first, Chicago satellite office by appointmentOpen now
$95,000 to $125,000 per year, plus quarterly performance bonus
Talent pool vacancy. Your application stays on file for twelve months.
About the role
Run six to nine client advertising programs across Google, Microsoft, Meta and LinkedIn with real budget authority and accountability for cost per acquired customer.
Paid media inside a subscription behaves differently to project work. There is no incentive to inflate spend, because our fee does not move with the media budget. Your job is to buy demand at a price the client's margin can defend, and to say so plainly when a channel stops earning its place.
You will manage monthly media budgets from fifteen thousand to four hundred thousand dollars across search, shopping, paid social and retail media, working with a creative studio that produces the assets and a conversion specialist who owns what happens after the click.
Most of our accounts sell something with a real sales cycle, so blended cost per acquired customer and pipeline quality matter more than platform reported conversions. You will be expected to build the measurement that proves it.
- Requisition
- FPM-PPC-1052
- Reports to
- Head of Paid Media
- Team
- Paid pod of seven across search, social and retail media, plus a shared creative studio
- Level
- Mid to senior · Full time
- Hours
- 40 hours per week, core hours 9am to 3pm Central
- Travel
- Up to 10 percent
- Work setup
- Remote first, Chicago satellite office by appointment
- Region
- Midwest
A typical week in this role
- Checking pacing and anomaly alerts across your accounts before anything else
- Making structural decisions about budget allocation rather than nudging bids
- Briefing the creative studio on the next test and writing the hypothesis down first
- Reconciling platform reported results with the client's own revenue data
- Telling a client honestly when a channel is not earning its budget this quarter
- Documenting what you learned so the pod does not repeat the same test
Tools you will use
Google Ads · Microsoft Advertising · Meta Ads Manager · LinkedIn Campaign Manager · GA4 · Server side tagging · Looker Studio
What you will own
| Account strategy | Decide channel mix, budget allocation and campaign structure for six to nine accounts, and defend the reasoning to the client. |
|---|---|
| Budget stewardship | Pace monthly budgets accurately, flag under delivery early and reallocate rather than letting spend drift. |
| Measurement | Build server side and offline conversion tracking so reported results match the client's revenue, including consent aware setups. |
| Creative testing | Run a structured test calendar with the creative studio, with a written hypothesis and a decision rule before launch. |
| Bidding and audiences | Own bid strategy, audience architecture, exclusions and negative management across platforms. |
| Client reporting | Present cost per acquired customer, pipeline quality and contribution, not impressions. |
| Compliance | Keep every account within platform policy, including regulated categories such as healthcare and finance. |
Your first 90 days
Days 1 to 15
Audit every account you inherit, document structural risks and present a remediation order to your head of paid.
Days 16 to 45
Rebuild measurement on at least two accounts and launch your first structured creative test calendar.
Days 46 to 75
Take full budget authority for your book and lead client reviews without your manager present.
Days 76 to 90
Deliver a documented improvement in blended cost per acquired customer on at least half your accounts.
How success is measured
These are the numbers reviewed with you every quarter. There is no hidden scorecard.
| Measure | What good looks like |
|---|---|
| Blended cost per acquired customer | Improved or held while volume grows across your book |
| Budget pacing accuracy | Within three percent of plan every month |
| Test velocity | At least two decisive creative or structural tests per account per quarter |
| Client retention | Above 90 percent rolling twelve months |
This role is probably not for you if
- You measure success by platform reported conversions alone
- You prefer to keep spend high because the fee follows the budget
- You want someone else to own the client conversation when results dip
Qualifications
| Requirement | Standard we look for | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Paid media experience | Four or more years managing paid search and paid social budgets directly | Essential |
| Budget scale | Comfortable owning six figure monthly spend across multiple accounts | Essential |
| Measurement literacy | Has implemented or specified server side or offline conversion tracking | Essential |
| Client communication | Can hold a hard budget conversation with an owner or a CFO | Essential |
| Work authorization | Authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship | Essential |
| Retail or shopping media | Amazon Ads, Shopping or retail media networks | Advantage |
| Regulated categories | Healthcare, legal or financial advertising policy experience | Advantage |
Salary and benefits
$95,000 to $125,000 per year, plus quarterly performance bonus
| Base salary | Paid semi monthly in US dollars, reviewed every six months against national market data for Paid Media Manager roles. |
|---|---|
| Performance bonus | Paid quarterly and tied to client retention and measured client results rather than billable hours or utilization. |
| Medical, dental and vision | Company funded medical, dental and vision from day one for you, with employer contribution toward dependents. |
| 401(k) | 401(k) with a four percent employer match, vested immediately, administered through our national provider. |
| Paid time off | 20 days of paid vacation, 11 federal holidays, unlimited sick leave and your birthday off. |
| Parental leave | 16 weeks fully paid for all new parents, with a phased return over the following month. |
| Learning budget | $2,500 per year for certifications, conferences and paid study time during work hours. |
| Equipment | MacBook Pro or equivalent, external monitor and a $750 home workspace allowance in your first month. |
| Office access | Access to your nearest satellite office by appointment when you want to work alongside colleagues. We do not entertain walk ins. |
Hiring process
1. Application review
A recruiter and the hiring manager read every Paid Media Manager application within five business days. Nothing is filtered by keyword software.
2. Introductory call
Thirty minutes by video with the hiring manager about your work, your motivation and how you like to be managed.
3. Paid practical exercise
A realistic two hour task based on work you would actually do, paid at $250 whether or not you move forward.
4. Panel conversation
Sixty minutes with your future manager and one client facing colleague, including your walkthrough of the exercise.
5. Offer and references
A written offer with the salary band shown here, two references and a start date agreed around your notice period.
Questions applicants ask
Is this a talent pool vacancy
Yes. Every vacancy we publish is a talent pool vacancy. If this Paid Media Manager opening is filled, your application stays on file for twelve months and is matched against comparable roles in any of our United States locations before we advertise externally.
Do I need to live in Chicago
You need to be authorized to work in the United States and based within commuting distance of Chicago for occasional in person client sessions. Day to day work is remote first.
Do you sponsor work visas
Not for this role. All United States vacancies require existing authorization to work in the United States without sponsorship now or in the future.
Is the salary range negotiable
The published range is real. Where you land inside it depends on the practical exercise, the panel conversation and your directly relevant experience. We do not ask for salary history.
How quickly will I hear back
Every applicant gets a written answer within five business days, including applicants we do not move forward with. Nobody is left waiting without a reply.
Ready to apply
The application takes about ten minutes. You will need your resume and a short answer to two questions about how you work.
Start your application