Head of Paid Media

Leadly; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A dynamic digital marketing agency in Manchester is seeking a Head of Paid Media to lead their paid media strategies across platforms. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in Google Ads and proven leadership experience. You'll manage a team of Media Buyers, ensuring successful campaign execution and strategy alignment for B2B clients. This role offers a hybrid work model, competitive salary, and the opportunity to drive significant client outcomes in an energetic environment.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Uncapped bonus

Ownership and personal development

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in Google Ads across various platforms.
• Proven experience in leading and managing teams.
• Strong understanding of client growth dynamics.

Responsibilities

• Mentor and manage Media Buyers to elevate their capabilities.
• Develop and oversee paid media strategies for clients.
• Audit campaigns to ensure performance and strategic alignment.

Skills

Google Ads expertise

Leadership experience

Commercial acumen

People-first mindset

Communication skills

Job description

Head of Paid Media

Hybrid (Manchester, 2 days per week) | £65,000 + uncapped bonus, OTE 90,000+

Who We Are

At Leadly, we’re not here to be average, we’re here to win… together. We move fast, back each other and show up with the kind of energy that comes from people who genuinely care about doing great work. No egos, no corporate nonsense, no clock-watchers. Just a team of sharp, gritty, ambitious humans who want to build something special.

What We Value (the stuff CVs can’t really show) :

• Resilience : Things move quickly here, and not every day is a 10 / 10. We want people who can take feedback, bounce back, and keep driving.
• Work Ethic : Not “work more hours” - but show up with pride in your craft. Bring your best. Own your outcomes.
• Hunger : You don’t need someone to light a fire under you. You’ve already got one.
• Discipline : Do what you say you’ll do. Keep standards high. Be someone the team can rely on.
• Loyalty + Team First : We grow people. We back each other. We win as a team and lose as a team.
• Instinct & Vision : We hire people who “get it.” People who can see around corners, spot opportunities and push us further.
• Humility : No big-heads, no divas. Success at Leadly is always a group effort.

What You Can Expect Here

You’ll join a team that genuinely cares, works hard, and has a laugh while doing it. We’re building big things - our own brands, our clients’ brands and a culture people actually want to be part of. You’ll have ownership, trust, support and the freedom to do the best work of your career (and grow faster than you thought you could).

What You’ll Bring

• Deep Google Ads expertise, across Search, PMax, YouTube, and Display; and strong understanding of how Meta complements the mix.
• Proven leadership experience; managing a team of Media Buyers, delegating workloads, running PDRs, and driving performance.
• Strong commercial acumen; connects spend to revenue, margins, and client growth.
• Ability to balance hands‑on optimisation with strategic oversight.
• A people‑first mindset; you coach, empower, and set standards, not just manage workloads.
• Excellent communication and client‑facing confidence.

Lead, Manage, and Develop the Paid Media Team

• Line‑manage and mentor a team of Media Buyers, run PDRs, set goals and build personal development plans that elevate capability and confidence.
• Delegate workloads strategically based on strengths, priorities, and performance.
• Oversee all day‑to‑day team operations; from workload management to performance and quality control.
• Build and enforce QA processes, test frameworks and playbooks to drive accountability and consistent excellence.
• Act as the team’s escalation point, supporting with troubleshooting, strategy direction, and client alignment.

Own Strategy and Performance

• Lead Google first paid media strategy, across Search, PMax, YouTube, and Display, to deliver predictable, scalable growth for B2B and lead‑gen clients.
• Oversee Meta Ads as a secondary but strategic channel for awareness, retargeting, and creative testing.
• Translate business goals into actionable paid media plans, budgets, and forecasts.
• Build robust testing roadmaps (audiences, creatives, bidding, LPs) that drive continuous improvement and data‑led decisions.
• Ensure KPIs; CPL, CPD, ROA and pipeline quality are met or exceeded across the board.

Be a Data‑Driven Operator

• Stay hands‑on enough to guide, review and audit campaigns for performance and structure.
• Use insights and analytics to drive optimisations, identify opportunities, and inform strategic shifts.
• Partner with Creative, eCRM and Client Services to deliver integrated, full‑funnel campaigns that convert.

Own Client Outcomes and Relationships

• Lead client strategy calls and Quarterly Roadmaps, translating complex performance data into clear, commercial insights.
• Work closely with the account managers to align paid media with wider marketing goals.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior client stakeholders : proactive, consultative, and outcome‑focused.

If This Sounds Like You…

And if you read all that and thought “yep, that’s me,” then we’d love to speak to you. Hit apply. Bring your ambition. We’ll bring the opportunity.