Senior Paid Media Executive

Digital Tonic | Digital, eCommerce & Marketing Recruitment; Southampton; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

23 days' holiday plus bank holidays

Enhanced sick pay

A pension

Training and development

Perkbox discounts

Team socials

Job summary

Digital Tonic is seeking a Paid Media specialist to manage lead generation campaigns, primarily in Google Ads, and to help shape AI-powered tools and processes within a close-knit team in Southampton.

You’ll work on campaigns across several sectors, with budgets from a few thousand to £50k-£70k for large accounts, supported by a Senior PPC Manager. The role emphasizes campaign strategy, performance, and client communication.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience managing Google Ads campaigns across multiple accounts.
• Genuine interest in using AI at work with examples of use.
• Understanding of lead generation, conversion tracking, budgets and lead quality.
• Ability to analyze performance and turn findings into clear recommendations.
• Ability to explain campaign results to colleagues and clients in plain English.

Responsibilities

• Build, manage and improve Google Ads campaigns for lead generation.
• Use AI insights to inform campaign strategy and optimisation.
• Analyse performance, run tests on campaigns and landing pages, gather client feedback.
• Explain results and recommendations during client calls.

Skills

Google Ads

AI interest

Lead generation

Performance analysis

Client communication

Multi-account management

Tools

Meta Ads

Microsoft Ads

Google Analytics 4

Job description

Digital Tonic are working with an established, award-winning digital agency that is changing how its paid media team works with AI. This is an opportunity for a Paid Media specialist to manage meaningful lead generation campaigns, work alongside a close-knit team and help shape the tools and processes they use next.

The Role

You’ll join a 4 person Paid Media team within a wider digital marketing department of around 20. The agency has recently brought its PPC specialists together in a dedicated hub, giving them more space to focus on campaign strategy, performance and the quality of leads they generate.

AI is a genuine part of the opportunity. The team is developing tools to monitor campaigns, spot issues and surface opportunities more quickly. They want someone who can use those insights thoughtfully, challenge them when needed and bring ideas of their own as the approach develops. You don’t need to build AI products; you do need to be interested in how they can make you a better PPC specialist.

Most of your work will be in Google Ads, managing lead generation campaigns for clients in various sectors. Account budgets vary from a few thousand per month to £50,000-£70,000 for some of the larger accounts. Your portfolio will be shaped around your experience, with support from a Senior PPC Manager and colleagues across the wider agency.

You’ll look beyond clicks and cost per lead to understand which enquiries are valuable to clients. That means analysing performance, testing campaigns and landing pages, and using client feedback to make better decisions. Account Managers own the day-to-day relationships, but you’ll regularly join client calls to explain results and recommend what happens next.

Skills & Experience

• Hands-on experience building, managing and improving Google Ads campaigns, ideally across multiple accounts.
• A genuine interest in using AI at work, with examples of how you’ve used it or experimented with it.
• An understanding of lead generation, conversion tracking, budgets and lead quality.
• The confidence to analyse performance and turn your findings into clear recommendations.
• The ability to explain campaign results to colleagues and clients in plain English.
• Experience with Meta or Microsoft Ads would be useful, but strong Google Ads expertise matters most.

You may be an established PPC Executive or there's also scope to bring in an experienced PPC Manager looking for a role with more scope to influence how a team works. The agency is open to different levels of experience and will tailor the accounts and responsibilities accordingly.

Benefits

• You’ll have a clear development path, structured reviews and the chance to learn from an experienced team while contributing your own ideas.
• The salary is around £30k-£40k depending on experience.
• 23 days' holiday plus bank holidays.
• enhanced sick pay.
• a pension.
• training and development.
• Perkbox discounts.
• team socials.

This is a full-time role based in the agency’s Southampton office, five days a week. There's an incredible culture and the team work closely together in person, you’ll have the opportunity to meet the people you'd work with during the interview process.

If you're a Paid Media Specialist who already has an interest in AI and wants to be within an agency not just embracing this, but pushing the boundaries of what's possible,