Senior Manager, Paid Media

Position Details

Overview
As a Paid Media Sr. Manager at Stellar Virtual, you will develop and lead digital advertising strategies that drive student enrollment and elevate brand awareness nationally. You will serve as a performance marketing expert—leveraging your experience to shape and scale paid media campaigns that connect with families looking for high-quality virtual education. In this role, you will lead with strategy, optimize for results, and empower team members around you.

Essential Duties

Paid Media Management

• Collaborate with the Director of Marketing on overall digital strategy, including a focus on emerging platforms and innovating in new conversion channels.
• Maintain a nuanced, strategic understanding of the value propositions of each Stellar program, including target audiences, conversion strategies, and geographies.
• Develop and execute comprehensive paid media strategies across platforms including Google Ads, Meta (Facebook/Instagram), YouTube, and programmatic networks.
• Collaborate with enrollment advisors, the creative design team, and clients to align messaging and ensure a seamless, strategic user experience from ad click to application.
• Manage daily campaign operations. including bidding, budgeting, segmentation, creative, and A/B testing.
• Optimize campaigns based on key performance indicators to achieve enrollment and growth goals.
• Create detailed reporting dashboards and deliver performance insights to internal stakeholders on a regular basis.
• Stay current with digital media trends, platform updates, and competitor activity to maintain a leading edge in K–12 education marketing.

Team Management and Mentoring

• Provide guidance, mentorship, and feedback to junior specialists within the team, giving clear direction on growth, performance, and weekly tasks. Will contribute to quarterly performance assessments for junior team members.
• Oversee third-party vendors and contractors to ensure adherence to campaign strategy, brand guidelines, and performance benchmarks.
• Contribute to the development of internal best practices and scalable processes across paid media workflows.
• Will assist in personnel decisions with increasing responsibility based on seniority.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with creative, enrollment, and data teams to ensure campaign alignment across messaging, targeting, and business objectives.
• Collaborate with product marketing and content teams to develop and refine campaign assets and landing pages.
• Partner with analytics and CRM teams to define conversion tracking, attribution models, and retargeting strategies that inform decision-making.
• Assist with departmental goals as required, including contributing to other department’s success with marketing, platform, and content expertise.

Knowledge, Skills & Attributes 

• 6+ years of related experience, i.e. paid advertising and experience building campaigns in agency environments, or equivalent.
• Minimum 3+ years of formal or informal people management experience.
• Expertise in paid media platforms (Google Ads, Meta, YouTube, LinkedIn, programmatic) with hands-on experience managing high-budget, performance-driven campaigns.
• Proficient in keyword research and tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs.
• Familiarity with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation tools (e.g., Marketing Cloud, Hubspot).
• Demonstrated ability to proactively identify emerging trends, tools, platforms, and strategies in digital advertising.
• Deep understanding of the student journey and enrollment funnel from awareness through yield.
• Strong budget management and budget allocation skills.
• Advanced knowledge of digital performance metrics and optimization techniques, including retargeting, audience segmentation, and funnel analysis.
• Ability to manage multiple accounts and campaigns simultaneously.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to make independent decisions based on strategic goals and tactical needs.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strategic thinker who is comfortable presenting to stakeholders and leadership.
• Passionate about exceptional performance, giving and receiving critical feedback, and working with a high-performing, creative team.

Education & Certification Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or a related field.
• Google Ads and Meta Blueprint certifications preferred.

Employment "At-Will"
For W-2 employment, Stellar Virtual is an at-will employer. This means the employee and Stellar Virtual can terminate the employment at any time, with or without cause or notice, as legally permitted. This job description does not guarantee continued employment or a contract. All 1099 status is excluded.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

Stellar Virtual is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.