Paid Search Lead

Digital Tonic | Digital, eCommerce & Marketing Recruitment; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Allocated training budget

Job summary

Digital Tonic is seeking a Paid Search Lead to become the agency’s go-to expert, shaping the development of its search offering while remaining hands-on with a varied portfolio of clients.

You will lead client meetings, present performance and recommendations, mentor colleagues and contribute to team development, while maintaining a strong focus on paid search strategy and best practices across multiple platforms.

Qualifications

• 3-5+ years of hands-on paid search experience, ideally gained within an agency environment.
• Advanced knowledge of Google Ads and Microsoft Ads
• Strong experience across Search, Shopping, Performance Max, Display and Video campaigns
• A proven ability to develop paid search strategies around client objectives, commercial targets and budgets
• Experience managing and optimising significant advertising budgets across multiple client accounts
• Strong knowledge of conversion tracking, attribution, Google Tag Manager and GA4
• The ability to interpret complex performance data and turn it into clear, commercially focused recommendations
• Confidence leading client meetings, presenting results and responding to performance questions
• Experience forecasting performance and making strategic recommendations around budget allocation
• Previous experience mentoring colleagues, reviewing campaign work or raising delivery standards across a team
• A personable and collaborative approach, with the ability to build strong relationships with both clients and colleagues
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to balance your own client portfolio with wider team support
• Familiarity with Amazon Ads, programmatic platforms or emerging paid search channels would be advantageous
• Experience contributing to pitches, proposals or the development of agency services would also be beneficial

Responsibilities

• Lead the Paid Search Lead role within the agency’s advertising team, owning paid search best practice and client strategy.
• Manage a portfolio of paid search clients, lead client meetings, present performance and recommendations.
• Mentor colleagues, review campaign work and contribute to team development and best practices.
• Lead regular sessions to share platform updates, market developments and client successes.
• Develop commercially focused strategies, oversee campaign structures and budgets, and ensure robust tracking and attribution.
• Collaborate with SEO, content, social, design and other digital specialists on joined-up client strategies.
• Support pre-sales conversations and proposals to identify new service opportunities.
• Contribute to improving processes and platform standards across the paid advertising proposition.

Skills

Paid search

Google Ads

Microsoft Ads

Campaign management

Budget management

GA4

Google Tag Manager

Amazon Ads

Client meetings

Data interpretation

Mentoring

Tools

GA4

Google Tag Manager

Amazon Ads

Job description

Digital Tonic are working with an established, multi-disciplinary digital agency as they look to appoint a Paid Search Lead. This is a brilliant opportunity for an experienced paid search specialist to become the agency’s go-to expert, shaping the development of its search offering while remaining hands‑on with a varied portfolio of clients.

The Role

As Paid Search Lead, you’ll become the most senior paid search specialist within an established and growing advertising team. You’ll work closely with the Head of Paid Media and Paid Social Lead, taking ownership of paid search best practice, supporting the wider team and helping to drive the continued development of the agency’s service.

This is initially a standalone lead role rather than a traditional people‑management position, with line management sitting elsewhere within the team. Instead, your leadership influence will come through your expertise: mentoring colleagues, reviewing campaign work, contributing to team development and acting as the escalation point when more complex strategic, performance or tracking challenges arise. You’ll also lead regular team sessions to share platform updates, market developments, client successes and practical best practice.

Alongside your wider leadership responsibilities, you’ll manage your own portfolio of paid search clients. You’ll lead client meetings independently, present performance and recommendations clearly, and support colleagues on client calls where more senior or technical input is needed.

Google Ads and Microsoft Ads will be the bread and butter of the position, spanning Search, Shopping, Performance Max, Display and Video. You’ll develop commercially focused strategies, oversee campaign structures and budgets, lead testing across ads, audiences and landing pages, and ensure tracking and attribution are robust. Knowledge of additional platforms such as Amazon Ads, programmatic advertising or emerging search channels would be beneficial, but deep paid search expertise is the priority.

You’ll also play an important role in developing the agency’s wider paid advertising proposition. This will include improving processes and platform standards, contributing to pre‑sales conversations and proposals, identifying new service opportunities and working collaboratively with SEO, content, social media, design and other digital specialists to deliver joined‑up strategies for clients.

Skills & Experience

• 3-5+ years of hands‑on paid search experience, ideally gained within an agency environment
• Advanced knowledge of Google Ads and Microsoft Ads
• Strong experience across Search, Shopping, Performance Max, Display and Video campaigns
• A proven ability to develop paid search strategies around client objectives, commercial targets and budgets
• Experience managing and optimising significant advertising budgets across multiple client accounts
• Strong knowledge of conversion tracking, attribution, Google Tag Manager and GA4
• The ability to interpret complex performance data and turn it into clear, commercially focused recommendations
• Confidence leading client meetings, presenting results and responding to performance questions
• Experience forecasting performance and making strategic recommendations around budget allocationPrevious experience mentoring colleagues, reviewing campaign work or raising delivery standards across a team
• A personable and collaborative approach, with the ability to build strong relationships with both clients and colleagues
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to balance your own client portfolio with wider team support
• Familiarity with Amazon Ads, programmatic platforms or emerging paid search channels would be advantageous
• Experience contributing to pitches, proposals or the development of agency services would also be beneficial

You’ll receive a salary of up to £42k depending on experience, although there may be some flexibility for an exceptional candidate. You’ll be joining a supportive, collaborative agency where you can genuinely influence the direction of the paid search service rather than simply inheriting an established way of working.

The company offers hybrid working, with a minimum of two days per week in the office. You’ll also have access to an allocated training budget, ongoing development opportunities and clear scope for the position to evolve as the team and service continue to grow. The culture is friendly and sociable, with regular team and company events.