Head of Paid Search

Publicis Groupe UK; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension

Life Assurance

Private Medical cover

Reflection Days

Shared Parental Leave

Job summary

Zenith UK, part of Publicis Groupe, is hiring a Head of Paid Search to lead the UK discipline and shape the next chapter of search within Zenith's Performance Marketing team. You will set the strategic direction, help talented people do their best work and ensure Paid Search delivers meaningful results for clients.

Working with Paid Social, Programmatic, SEO and Affiliates, you’ll connect specialist expertise with commercial priorities.

Qualifications

• Strong Paid Search expertise and ability to balance long-term strategy with client priorities.
• Experience leading and developing teams through clear objectives and inclusive practices.
• Sound commercial judgement including forecasting, resource planning and opportunity identification.
• Understanding of campaign quality, measurement, optimisation and governance.

Responsibilities

• Set the strategic direction for UK Paid Search with clear priorities and measurable outcomes.
• Lead and develop the Paid Search team with inclusive workloads and clear progression paths.
• Build trusted relationships with senior clients translating objectives into effective strategies.
• Own the discipline's commercial performance including revenue forecasting and cost management.
• Maintain high standards across planning, activation, measurement, reporting and QA.
• Shape test-and-learn roadmaps and guidance on automation and data solutions.
• Collaborate with Paid Social, Programmatic, SEO and Affiliates to deliver integrated solutions.

Skills

Paid Search

Team Leadership

Client Relationship

Forecasting

Data & Analytics

Job description

Company Description

Zenith is the ROI agency.We help brands make Bold Moves in communications to drive profitable, measurable growth.

At Zenith, Bold Moves are big, brave shifts to strategy, data, audience or activation. They're grounded in evidence, backed by rigorous forecasting and designed to deliver stronger returns for clients and better experiences for consumers. We work as empathetic partners, taking the time to understand our clients' businesses and tying our success to theirs.

Part of Publicis Media, Zenith has over 5,000 specialists across 90 markets. In the UK, we work with leading organisations including The Very Group, Macmillan and Morrisons - helping them make smarter, more impactful choices to unlock growth. We believe an inclusive culture strengthens our business, enabling greater idea exchange, innovation and creativity, and we actively encourage our people to drive positive change.

Overview

Head of Paid Search

Performics at Zenith UK

We are hiring a Head of Paid Search to lead the UK discipline and shape the next chapter of search within Zenith's Performance Marketing team. You will set the strategic direction, help talented people do their best work and ensure Paid Search delivers meaningful results for clients. Working alongside leaders across Paid Social, Programmatic, SEO and Affiliates, you will connect specialist expertise with wider customer journeys and commercial priorities. This is an opportunity to influence the work, the team and the future of an important capability.

Responsibilities

What you'll be doing:

• Set the strategic direction for UK Paid Search, establishing clear priorities and ensuring activity delivers measurable client and business outcomes.
• Lead, support and develop the Paid Search team, creating an inclusive environment with sustainable workloads, clear expectations and meaningful opportunities to progress.
• Build trusted relationships with senior clients, translating business objectives into effective Paid Search strategies and providing clarity in complex situations.
• Own the discipline's commercial performance, including revenue forecasting, resource planning, cost management and the development of sustainable growth opportunities.
• Maintain consistently high standards across planning, activation, optimisation, measurement, reporting, financial management and quality assurance.
• Shape test-and-learn roadmaps and guide the responsible adoption of automation, AI, data, measurement solutions and emerging search capabilities.
• Collaborate with colleagues across Paid Social, Programmatic, SEO, Affiliates, planning, commerce, data and analytics to create integrated performance solutions.

Qualifications

Skills we're looking for:

• Strong Paid Search expertise, with the ability to move confidently between long-term strategy, client priorities and operational detail.
• Experience leading and developing teams through clear objectives, constructive support, knowledge sharing and inclusive people practices.
• Sound commercial judgement, including experience of forecasting, resource planning and identifying opportunities that create value for clients and the agency.
• A strong understanding of campaign quality, measurement, optimisation and governance, with a practical approach to improving standards and reducing avoidable errors.
• The ability to build credible relationships with senior clients, internal partners, media owners and technology providers.
• Curiosity about developments in search, automation, AI, first-party data and consumer behaviour, combined with the judgement to assess where they can make a genuine difference.
• A collaborative and accountable leadership approach, with a commitment to developing people and connecting Paid Search with the wider performance marketing ecosystem.

Additional Information

Zenith UK offers a wide range of benefits to support our employees. Full details are shared when you join, but highlights include core benefits such as Pension, Life Assurance, and Private Medical cover, alongside enhanced policies like Reflection Days and Shared Parental Leave. You'll also have access to a range of additional initiatives, including:

Please check out the Publicis Career Page which showcases our Inclusive Benefits and our EAG's (Employee Action Groups).

Publicis Groupe works primarily from the office or our clients' office four days per week.

At Zenith UK we are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, and do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion or belief, disability, age, citizenship, relationship status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic.

We are committed to providing a fair, accessible, and inclusive recruitment process. If you have any access needs - for example, related to disability, neurodivergence, or a health condition, please let us know. We'll work with you to ensure the process works for you. Sharing this information will never impact your application.

Guided by our values, we listen with empathy, uplift each other, take responsibility, and embrace change - building a culture where everyone feels seen, respected, and genuinely included.