Associate Director, Paid Social

Manifest; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work environment

401(k) match and paid parental leave

Flexible PTO plan

Job summary

Manifest is seeking an Associate Director, Performance Marketing - Paid Social, based in NYC with a hybrid work setup. You will own paid social strategy and execution, with Meta as the core platform, manage campaigns, budgets and reporting, and influence client conversations with a strategic perspective.

The ideal candidate has 6–8 years in performance marketing, agency experience, hands-on Meta expertise, and knowledge of LinkedIn, TikTok, Reddit, and Pinterest.

Qualifications

• 6–8 years in performance marketing with heavy paid social (Meta) background.
• Hands-on in-platform execution while providing strategic direction.
• Paid search and/or programmatic experience is a strong plus.
• Excellent communication and analytical skills; able to articulate media rationale.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.

Responsibilities

• Own paid social strategy and execution across accounts, with Meta as the primary platform.
• Contribute to media plans aligned to business goals, including budgets and KPIs.
• Run campaigns end-to-end: setup, QA, pacing, optimization, and reporting.
• Lead performance discussions with clients and present results with actionable insights.
• Collaborate with Data Intelligence to connect reporting to objectives and strategy.
• Provide platform recommendations and support new business pitches as needed.

Skills

Paid social (Meta)

Agency experience

Analytical skills

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent

Tools

Facebook Ads Manager

LinkedIn Ads

Programmatic platforms

Job description

At Manifest, our work is fueled by data, ignited by creativity and driven by results. We are a proudly independent, full-service agency represented by diverse talents, backgrounds and expertise, and we have one goal: to deliver breakthrough ideas and brand experiences that drive emotional connections and measurable impact. Let’s chat.

We’re hiring an Associate Director, Performance Marketing - Paid Social. Our ideal candidate is a hands‑on, performance‑focused digital marketer with agency experience, with deep expertise in paid social, Meta specifically, who can develop and execute strategic direction and insights. You’ll run campaigns, own budgets, and be accountable for results. You’ll be an integral part of client conversations with a strategic point of view. The channel focus is paid social with a requirement of Meta experience, and we also run search and programmatic across our client base, so a range beyond social is a strong plus. This role is based (hybrid) in NYC.

Responsibilities

• Own paid social strategy and execution across assigned accounts, with Meta as the primary platform and working knowledge of LinkedIn, TikTok Reddit, and Pinterest.
• Contribute to media plans that connect to business goals, including channel strategy, audience approach, KPIs and budget allocation.
• Run campaigns in-platform from end to end, including setup/build, QA, pacing, optimization and reporting output.
• Lead performance conversations with clients – present results, explain what happened, make a plan for what’s next.
• Work with our Data Intelligence team on reporting that connects back to objectives and overall strategy.
• Bring platform and audience trends to clients as actual recommendations, not observations.
• Contribute to new business pitches as needed.

Requirements

• 6-8 years in performance marketing with a heavy paid social (Meta) background; agency experience required.
• Demonstrated ability to work in-platform (hands‑on keys) while also operating at a strategic level, balancing these strengths depending on what the situation calls for.
• Paid search and/or programmatic in addition to paid social is a strong plus.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to clearly and concisely articulate the rationale behind the methodology that goes into performance media strategy – can explain media performance to someone who doesn’t think about media all day.
• Detail‑oriented with strong analytical skills and ability to maintain key department metrics.
• Highly organized and able to direct own activities and to promote cross‑team collaboration.
• Troubleshooting capabilities and a self‑starter attitude, with the ability to manage up.
• Confident in areas of expertise, while being articulate in technical aspects of the job.
• Occasional travel as needed.
• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent work experience required.
• Hybrid to our NYC office; 3x week onsite.

What We Offer

• Private Company – Being a private organization allows us to move quickly so that we can deliver our best for our teams and our clients.
• Flexibility – We have a hybrid work environment and a flexible PTO plan that allows teams to take time off when they need it.
• Competitive Benefits and Salary – Multiple options for health plans based on your and/or your family’s needs, plus a 401(k) match and paid parental leave. The annual salary range for this role in the NYC market is $120k - $145k in base pay, and the base pay offered will be determined on a case‑by‑case basis based on experience, skills, training, certifications, education, etc., and will be informed by market data.

Manifest is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Manifest recruits qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, ethnicity, national origin, protected veteran status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, marital status, pregnancy, citizenship status, or any other protected groups covered by federal, state or local laws.