Manager, Paid Social

Starcom; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 75,050 - 107,835; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid family care

Adoption/surrogacy/fertility support

Pet adoption support

Employee assistance & wellness rebates

Tuition assistance

Flexible PTO and holidays

Matching gifts

Flexible working arrangements

Work Your World program

Employee resource groups

Job summary

Starcom is seeking a Manager, Paid Social to lead day-to-day development, activation, and optimization of paid social campaigns. You will guide Analysts and Senior Analysts, partnering with cross-functional teams to deliver strategic plans and measurable results.

The role blends strategic leadership with hands-on execution, requiring deep paid social expertise and the ability to translate data into actionable insights for clients.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of paid media experience with focus on paid social.
• Experience managing campaigns on Facebook/Instagram; TikTok required.
• Strong analytical skills to translate data into recommendations.
• Proven ability to lead and mentor junior team members.

Responsibilities

• Direct day-to-day workflow of paid social campaigns and post-buy recaps.
• Collaborate with Investment, Strategy, and Activation teams on briefs and plans.
• Train and develop Analysts and Senior Analysts; provide coaching.
• Synthesize data across platforms and deliver weekly/monthly performance reports.
• Provide client-ready insights and recommendations; evolve best practices.

Skills

Paid social strategy

Campaign management

Team leadership

Data analysis

Excel proficiency

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher in marketing/related

Tools

Facebook Ads Manager

Instagram Ads

TikTok Ads

API-based tools

Job description

Starcom is the world’s first standalone media agency, a storied innovator that continues to lead the way for many of the world’s best brands. Starcom has long been the professional birthplace and proving ground for marketing leaders – CEOs, CMOs, sales leaders, and technology pioneers – and we continue to drive the industry with peerless talent and relentless innovation. From the start, we’ve known that achieving growth for our clients requires understanding and connecting with real people where they live and work, in ways they value. In an AI era, we remain "Guided By Humanity," a phrase that describes our foundational belief that human expertise must remain in the driver’s seat, supported by the best processes and technology. With our proprietary capabilities and Publicis Media’s industry‑leading resources and clout, we create ideas that move people and drive transformative business outcomes for brands.

Overview

The Manager, Paid Social serves as the day‑to‑day steward of paid social campaign development, activation, and innovation. This role works closely with media strategy and client teams to translate high‑level marketing goals and media objectives into impactful, performance‑driven paid media campaigns across social platforms. The Manager is responsible for the daily leadership and development of a team of Analysts and Senior Analysts, balancing project management to ensure timely, high‑quality delivery with ongoing coaching, mentorship, and career development. This position is both strategic and hands‑on in scope, requiring deep paid social expertise and the ability to translate data into actionable insights and recommendations. The Manager partners closely with the Associate Media Director and Director to strengthen paid social thought leadership within the team and to help develop innovative strategies that consistently meet and exceed client business objectives.

Responsibilities

• Direct and manage the day‑to‑day workflow of paid social campaigns, including proposal development, campaign activation, ongoing maintenance, and post‑buy recaps.
• Partner cross‑functionally with Investment, Strategy, and Activation teams to respond to client briefs, develop strategic campaign plans, communicate service offerings, and collaboratively identify and deliver new solutions.
• Train, mentor, and develop Analysts and Senior Analysts, providing guidance on executional excellence, optimization approaches, and career growth.
• Compile and synthesize data across multiple social platforms, collaborating with the Analytics team to deliver weekly and monthly performance reporting, inclusive of insights, optimization recommendations, and future strategy considerations.
• Uphold established account management standards while continuously enhancing campaign best practices and operational rigor.
• Monitor emerging trends across social platforms, ad formats, and technologies, translating new developments into performance opportunities and client‑ready recommendations.
• Champion strong communication and collaboration within the paid social team and across the broader agency.
• Actively participate in and lead knowledge‑sharing sessions, contributing learnings, new approaches, and optimization strategies.
• Develop and execute action plans for achieving and measuring social media success, including defining KPIs, measurement frameworks, and optimization roadmaps.
• Advocate for the value of paid social by educating clients, partners, and internal teams on evolving capabilities, platform innovation, and best practices.
• Provide oversight and direction to a dedicated team of social media buyers, ensuring quality, consistency, and performance across all activations.
• Lead regular performance reviews and check‑ins, tracking results against KPIs and identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Guide optimization efforts through strategic refinements, testing initiatives, and the adoption of new platform features and capabilities.
• Create and deliver clear, compelling presentations for clients and internal stakeholders that articulate campaign strategy, performance results, and next‑step recommendations.
• Develop informed points of view on emerging technologies, trends, and opportunities within the social media landscape to support innovation and thought leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher preferred, ideally in marketing, advertising, business, engineering, statistics, economics, sociology, or a related field.
• 3+ years of directly relevant paid media experience, with a strong emphasis on paid social campaign development, execution, and optimization.
• 1+ years of hands‑on experience managing and optimizing campaigns across Facebook and Instagram, with experience in TikTok required; experience leveraging API‑based and/or self‑serve tools strongly preferred.
• Solid understanding of traditional and digital media planning principles, including audience targeting, budgeting, pacing, and measurement.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret performance data and translate insights into actionable recommendations.
• Demonstrated organizational, problem‑solving, and communication skills, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams in a fast‑paced environment.
• Prior people management or leadership experience preferred, including coaching, mentoring, or project oversight.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, with intermediate to advanced Excel skills (e.g., formulas, pivot tables, data manipulation).
• Resourceful, curious, and self‑motivated, with the ability to work independently while also thriving in a highly collaborative team environment.

Benefits

• Paid Family Care for parents and caregivers for 12 weeks or more.
• Monetary assistance and support for Adoption, Surrogacy, and Fertility.
• Monetary assistance and support for pet adoption.
• Employee Assistance Programs and Health/Wellness/Comfort reimbursements to help you invest in your future and work/life balance.
• Tuition Assistance.
• Paid time off that includes Flexible Time off, Vacation, Annual Sick Days, Volunteer Days, Holiday and Identity days, and more.
• Matching Gifts programs.
• Flexible working arrangements.
• Work Your World Program encouraging employees to work from anywhere; Publicis Groupe has an office for up to 6 weeks a year based upon eligibility.
• Business Resource Groups that support multiple affinities and alliances.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Starcom is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our employment decisions are made without regard to actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability, medical condition as defined by applicable state law, genetic information, marital status, military service and veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws and ordinances.

Compensation

Compensation Range: USD $75,050.00 – USD $107,835.00 annually. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and the Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. Temporary roles may be eligible to participate in our freelancer/temporary employee medical plan through a third‑party benefits administration system once certain criteria have been met. Temporary roles may also qualify for participation in our 401(k) plan after eligibility criteria have been met. For regular roles, the Company will offer medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401k, and paid time off. The Company anticipates the application deadline for this job posting will be 9/4/2026.

Accommodation

If you require accommodation or assistance with the application or onboarding process specifically, please contact [e-mail]. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.