Paid Media Strategist

Scale Army Careers; United States; Remote; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Scale Army Careers seeks a Senior Paid Media Buyer to own the paid media function end-to-end for U.S.-based clients while serving a remote-first global team. You will manage strategy across Meta, Google, YouTube, TikTok, CTV, and programmatic channels, handling budgets from thousands to six figures monthly.

This senior IC role emphasizes performance analysis, pacing, reconciliation, and bi-monthly client reporting. Extensive cross-channel experience and strong communication are essential.

Qualifications

• Significant hands-on experience managing paid media campaigns across multiple platforms.
• Must have personally managed at least one account with $50K+ in advertising spend.
• Direct experience buying and managing CTV advertising.
• Experience with programmatic advertising and DSP platforms.
• Strong hands-on experience with Meta Ads, Google Ads, YouTube, and TikTok.
• Experience managing campaign budgets, pacing, optimization, and reconciliation.
• Demonstrated ability to independently build and optimize campaigns.
• Experience managing multiple accounts and campaigns simultaneously.
• Previous agency experience managing multiple client accounts is strongly preferred.
• Experience managing seven-figure annual media budgets is strongly preferred.
• Experience working with larger or sophisticated client accounts requiring frequent reporting and stakeholder communication is strongly preferred.
• Previous client-facing experience presenting paid media performance and strategy is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own paid media strategy, campaign setup, execution, optimization, and ongoing performance across Meta Ads, Google Ads, YouTube, TikTok, CTV, and programmatic advertising/DSPs.
• Develop channel strategies based on each client’s objectives, audience, budget, and expected campaign outcomes.
• Build campaigns, including targeting, platform setup, budget allocation, bidding strategy, and ongoing optimization.
• Determine how and when different paid media channels should be used based on client objectives.
• Adjust the channel mix based on campaign performance and opportunities.
• Personally manage and optimize significant paid media budgets across multiple client accounts.
• Monitor budget pacing throughout the month to ensure campaigns remain aligned with contracted media budgets.
• Own budget reconciliation and ensure actual media spend aligns with planned and approved budgets.
• Continuously analyze campaign performance and reallocate spend across channels based on results and opportunities.
• Produce regular campaign reporting, including monthly reporting and bi-weekly performance discussions for larger accounts.
• Track campaign-specific KPIs such as leads, enrollment applications, teacher recruitment applications, cost per lead, cost per application, conversion performance, and budget utilization.
• Translate campaign data into clear recommendations and strategic next steps.
• Evaluate campaign performance against defined client objectives and targets.
• Collaborate with internal project managers, designers, video editors, and the Executive Creative Director.
• Provide strategic input on the types of creative likely to perform best based on campaign objectives and platform requirements.
• Focus exclusively on paid media without responsibility for designing creative assets, editing videos, or writing campaign copy.
• Potentially become client-facing as the role develops.
• Present campaign performance, recommendations, and strategic direction directly to clients when required.

Skills

Paid media strategy

Campaign optimization

Budget management

Meta Ads

Google Ads

YouTube

TikTok

CTV

Programmatic advertising

Reporting & analytics

Client-facing

Tools

The Trade Desk

StackAdapt

DV360

Meta Ads

Google Ads

YouTube Ads

TikTok Ads

Job description

This role is open to candidates based in LATAM, Africa, and Eastern Europe. Please note that as this role supports U.S.-based clients, candidates must be available to work during U.S. business hours aligned with the client’s time zone.

Our client is a marketing agency specializing in K-12 schools, school districts, and charter school networks. The agency manages paid media campaigns across multiple channels and client accounts, with campaigns focused on measurable outcomes such as lead generation, enrollment applications, and teacher recruitment applications.

Role Overview

The Senior Paid Media Buyer will take ownership of paid media strategy and execution across a portfolio of approximately 5-15 client accounts, depending on seasonality.

This is a hands-on senior individual contributor role for someone who has personally managed significant advertising budgets and has experience beyond Meta and Google. The Senior Paid Media Buyer will independently build, optimize, pace, reconcile, and report on campaigns across Meta Ads, Google Ads, YouTube, TikTok, CTV, and programmatic advertising.

Individual account budgets may range from approximately $5,000 to $80,000+ per month. The role will initially serve as the agency’s primary paid media specialist and will focus exclusively on paid media strategy and execution rather than designing creative assets, editing videos, or writing campaign copy.

Location

Fully Remote | 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST

Key Responsibilities

Paid Media Strategy & Execution

• Own paid media strategy, campaign setup, execution, optimization, and ongoing performance across Meta Ads, Google Ads, YouTube, TikTok, CTV, and programmatic advertising/DSPs.

• Develop channel strategies based on each client’s objectives, audience, budget, and expected campaign outcomes.

• Build campaigns, including targeting, platform setup, budget allocation, bidding strategy, and ongoing optimization.

• Determine how and when different paid media channels should be used based on client objectives.

• Adjust the channel mix based on campaign performance and opportunities.

Budget Management & Optimization

• Personally manage and optimize significant paid media budgets across multiple client accounts.

• Monitor budget pacing throughout the month to ensure campaigns remain aligned with contracted media budgets.

• Own budget reconciliation and ensure actual media spend aligns with planned and approved budgets.

• Continuously analyze campaign performance and reallocate spend across channels based on results and opportunities.

Performance Reporting & Analysis

• Produce regular campaign reporting, including monthly reporting and bi-weekly performance discussions for larger accounts.

• Track campaign-specific KPIs such as leads, enrollment applications, teacher recruitment applications, cost per lead, cost per application, conversion performance, and budget utilization.

• Translate campaign data into clear recommendations and strategic next steps.

• Evaluate campaign performance against defined client objectives and targets.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with internal project managers, designers, video editors, and the Executive Creative Director.

• Provide strategic input on the types of creative likely to perform best based on campaign objectives and platform requirements.

• Focus exclusively on paid media without responsibility for designing creative assets, editing videos, or writing campaign copy.

Client-Facing Support

• Potentially become client-facing as the role develops.

• Present campaign performance, recommendations, and strategic direction directly to clients when required.

Qualifications

Experience

• Significant hands-on experience managing paid media campaigns across multiple platforms.

• Must have personally managed at least one account with $50K+ in advertising spend rather than only overseeing a team responsible for the account.

• Direct experience buying and managing CTV advertising.

• Experience with programmatic advertising and DSP platforms.

• Strong hands-on experience with Meta Ads, Google Ads, YouTube, and TikTok.

• Experience managing campaign budgets, pacing, optimization, and reconciliation.

• Demonstrated ability to independently build and optimize campaigns.

• Experience managing multiple accounts and campaigns simultaneously.

• Previous agency experience managing multiple client accounts is strongly preferred but not required.

• Experience managing seven-figure annual media budgets is strongly preferred.

• Experience working with larger or sophisticated client accounts requiring frequent reporting and stakeholder communication is strongly preferred.

• Previous client-facing experience presenting paid media performance and strategy is strongly preferred.

Skills

• Strong understanding of paid media strategy, channel selection, audience targeting, and performance optimization.

• Ability to determine how and when different paid media channels should be used based on campaign objectives.

• Strong understanding of campaign budget management, pacing, optimization, and reconciliation.

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate performance data into actionable decisions.

• Ability to independently manage paid media strategy and execution across multiple client accounts.

• Experience with DSPs such as The Trade Desk, StackAdapt, or similar platforms is strongly preferred.

• Ability to provide strategic creative input based on campaign objectives and platform requirements.

• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple campaigns, accounts, budgets, and reporting requirements simultaneously.

What Success Looks Like

• Client advertising budgets are translated into measurable business outcomes.

• Campaigns generate results against relevant KPIs, including leads, enrollment applications, teacher recruitment applications, cost per lead, cost per application, and conversion performance.

• Media budgets are paced and utilized effectively.

• Campaign performance is continuously optimized against campaign-specific targets.

• Channel selection and media mix decisions reflect each client’s objectives, audience, budget, and performance.

• Campaign data is translated into clear recommendations and strategic next steps.

• Multiple client accounts are independently managed from strategy and campaign setup through optimization, reconciliation, and reporting.

Opportunity

The Senior Paid Media Buyer will have the opportunity to own the agency’s paid media function end to end as its primary paid media specialist.

This is initially a senior individual contributor position rather than a people management role. As the agency’s paid media business grows, the function may expand into a larger team and create future leadership opportunities