Performance Marketing Analyst

US News & World Report ,L.P.; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. News & World Report in Washington, DC, seeks a hands-on Paid Search & Social Marketing Specialist to drive high-intent audience growth and lead generation across SEM and Paid Social channels, with a strong emphasis on rigorous A/B testing programs.

Reporting to the SEM & Paid Marketing Manager, you will execute, optimize, and scale multi-channel campaigns, align strategies across search engines and social platforms, and collaborate with data science, UX, and content teams to improve

Qualifications

• Experience planning and optimizing paid search campaigns.
• Proven ability to run cross-channel paid marketing programs.
• Strong in A/B testing and landing page optimization.

Responsibilities

• Campaign Execution: Build, launch, and manage daily performance campaigns across search engines and major paid social platforms.
• Cross-Channel Synergy: Integrate paid search and paid social strategies with insights from data and partnerships.
• Advanced Experimentation Engine: Implement end-to-end A/B testing pipelines for rapid learning.
• Technical & Data Integration: Collaborate with Data Science, UX, and Content teams to track lead quality and attribution.
• Advanced Bidding & Pacing: Use automated bidding strategies with OCT and monitor budgets.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Align paid traffic with product and analytics teams to optimize funnel performance.

Skills

Campaign execution

Cross-channel marketing

A/B testing

Data integration

Bid optimization

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Google Ads

Microsoft Advertising

Meta

LinkedIn

TikTok

Job description

U.S. News & World Report is a multifaceted digital media company dedicated to helping citizens, consumers, business leaders and policy officials make important decisions in their lives. We publish independent reporting, rankings, data journalism and advice that has earned the trust of our readers and users for 90 years. Our platforms on usnews.com include Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars, News, Real Estate, Careers and Insurance.

We reach millions of people monthly during moments when they are most in need of expert advice and motivated to act on that advice directly on our platforms. Our signature franchises include our “Best” series of consumer guides on colleges, graduate schools, hospitals, diets, cars, financial services and more. These guides provide an easy-to-digest list for consumers to better understand and compare when making their decisions. We continue to publish annual guides of the authoritative Best Colleges and Best Hospitals rankings on our website and in print. And our U.S. News Live flagship conferences highlight important national conversations such as Healthcare of Tomorrow .

We believe in having a broad range of talent and backgrounds at U.S. News. We strive to maintain a welcoming and inclusive workplace where everyone is given an opportunity to succeed and contribute to their fullest.

Your Role in Helping Us Shape the Future

U.S. News & World Report is seeking a hands-on, analytical Paid Search & Social Marketing Specialist to support our cross-vertical team. Reporting to the SEM & Paid Marketing Manager, this role is responsible for execution, optimization, and scaling of multi-channel paid acquisition campaigns across Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Paid Social platforms, with a heavy focus on helping to build out an A/B testing program.

You will be tasked with driving high-intent audience growth, engagement, and lead generation. This is an execution-focused role requiring deep technical platform familiarity, rigorous A/B testing, creative optimization, and the ability to manage performance budgets efficiently to meet acquisition targets.

Are you up to the challenge?

• Campaign Execution: Build, launch, and manage daily performance campaigns across search engines (Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising) and major paid social platforms (Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, etc.) to support high-growth verticals.

• Cross-Channel Synergy: Partner with the marketing manager to integrate paid search and paid social strategies, leveraging search intent data and organic affiliate partner performance, to inform social audience targeting and utilizing social engagement loops to reinforce search funnel performance.

• Advanced Experimentation Engine: Implement end-to-end A/B testing pipelines, from creative iteration and copy variants to landing page CRO, driving rapid learning cycles and performance lifts.

• Technical & Data Integration: Partner with our internal Data Science, UX, and Content teams to track down-funnel lead quality, refine attribution models, and test incrementality.

• Advanced Bidding & Pacing: Implement and monitor automated bidding strategies (Target ROAS, Max Conversion Value, tCPA) utilizing offline conversion tracking (OCT) data. Ensure strict adherence to daily and weekly budget pacing across the portfolio.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Data, Partner, & Product teams to align paid traffic with site user experience, attribution models, and down-funnel lead quality requirements.