Senior Manager, Search & Discoverability

Penn Foster Group; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401K with company match

Generous paid time off

Volunteer opportunities

Free access to online programs

Job summary

Penn Foster Group is seeking a Senior Manager, Search & Discoverability to own the strategy across paid search, AI-powered search, and emerging discovery channels in the United States. You will drive integrated initiatives that connect paid media with organic visibility, content, technology and measurement to maintain visibility and competitive enrollment decisions.

The role requires 7+ years in paid search with deep analytical skills, experience with Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising, and a

Qualifications

• 7+ years in paid search and discoverability including Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising and bid management platforms.
• Strong understanding of campaign architecture, audience strategy and performance optimization.
• Experience with AI-powered search, large language models and generative search impacts on acquisition strategies.
• Ability to translate data into clear recommendations for leadership and business outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead an integrated search and discoverability strategy across paid search, AI-powered search, LLMs and emerging platforms.
• Own paid search strategy, account structures, bidding, audience strategy and budget optimization against business outcomes.
• Collaborate with SEO teams to align paid and organic opportunities and test ROI opportunities.
• Monitor changes in consumer search behavior and identify risks and opportunities.
• Translate insights into recommendations for marketing leadership and broader strategy.
• Lead and mentor a team responsible for search execution and optimization.

Skills

Campaign architecture

Audience strategy

Performance optimization

Analytical thinking

Experimentation mindset

Financial acumen

Strategic thinking

Tools

Google Ads

Microsoft Advertising

Bid management platforms

Job description

As a Senior Manager, Search & Discoverability you will own the strategy across paid search, ChatGPT, Reddit and emerging search and discovery environments. This role will ensure that Penn Foster remains visible, relevant and competitive wherever prospective students are actively researching educational options, comparing programs and making enrollment decisions. As consumer search behavior evolves beyond traditional search engines this role will develop an integrated approach to search that connects paid media, organic visibility, content, technology and measurement. The Ideal candidate combines deep search marketing expertise with strong analytical thinking and curiosity about how consumer discovery is changing.

Essential Job Functions:

• Develop and lead an integrated search and discoverability strategy spanning paid search, AI powered search, LLMs and emerging consumer discoverability platforms.
• Own paid search strategy and performance including account structures, bidding strategies, audience strategy, keyword and query management, budget allocation and optimization against business outcomes.
• Partner closely with SEO resources to align paid and organic opportunities and develop a testing roadmap that identifies areas of overlap, opportunities for efficiency and opportunities that maximize reach.
• Monitor changes within consumer search behavior, search engine results pages and LLM-based discovery to identify emerging risks and opportunities.
• Use search query, keyword, competitive, audience and consumer behavior to identify shifts in demand and translate those insights into recommendations for marketing and broader business strategy.
• Partner with Analytics and Measurement teams to improve attribution, incrementality measurement, forecasting and understanding of the relationship between paid search, organic search, direct traffic and other acquisition channels.
• Develop forecasts, budgets and performance targets and proactively identify risks or opportunities that may affect acquisition volume or efficiency.
• Translate complex changes in the search ecosystem into clear recommendations for marketing leadership and executive stakeholders.
• Lead, develop and mentor a team responsible for search execution and optimization, fostering strong analytical thinking, experimentation, accountability and continuous learning.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• 7+ years in the paid search and discoverability industry including experience with Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising and Bid Management Platforms
• Strong understanding of campaign architecture, audience strategy and performance optimization
• Working knowledge of emerging AI-powered search experience, large language models, generative search and how changes in consumer discovery may affect acquisition strategy.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to move beyond platform reported metrics and evaluate performance based on downstream conversion, revenue, incrementality and business impact.
• An experimentation mindset with experience developing hypotheses, designing tests, interpreting results and scaling successful strategies.
• Strong financial and business acumen with experience managing significant budgets and making investment decisions based on expected business outcomes.
• Ability to identify ambiguous problems, develop a point of view and drive work forward without requiring a predefined playbook.

Working Conditions & Hiring Process

• U.S. Work Location Requirement: All employees must reside in and perform work within the United States. We do not support international remote work arrangements for this role.
• Travel Expectations: While this is a remote position, occasional travel may be required for team meetings, company events, conferences, summits, and similar activities. Candidates must be willing and able to travel as needed.
• On-Camera Work Environment: We operate in a highly collaborative, remote, on-camera culture. Employees are expected to be on camera during meetings unless extenuating circumstances apply.
• Recorded Video Interviews: All video interviews conducted during the hiring process will be recorded to support internal hiring consistency and process improvement.
• Background Checks: Employment with Penn Foster Group is contingent upon successfully completing applicable pre-employment screening requirements, which may include verification of employment history, education, and criminal background, where permitted by law.
• Identity Verification (Form I-9): As part of our onboarding process, all hires must complete employment eligibility verification in compliance with federal law. This includes remote Form I-9 verification, which may require an in-person identity verification step with an authorized representative.

About Us:

At Penn Foster Group, we are transforming online learning to help learners by uniting Penn Foster, CareerStep, Ashworth College, James Madison High School, the New York Institute of Photography, the New York Institute of Art and Design, and other education platforms. Together, we create an accelerated path to greater economic mobility through real-world skills and knowledge that enable them to achieve long-term success in the workplaces of the future. Our history dates back to 1890 when our founder, Thomas Foster, pioneered distance education by offering training by mail for coal miners to get the necessary skills for safer jobs. Today, with the partners who use our education and training programs, we continue that mission of providing accessible training and education for in-demand skills and are building a workforce that’s prepared for the future job market.

We strive toward Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Penn Foster Group by intentionally building teams that are diverse – in identities, lived experiences, and ideas to create a culture where people feel connected to each other and have a sense of belonging. We value diversity, equity, and inclusion because it is the foundation that enables us to achieve what we set out to do as an organization – from maximizing the number of learners who can reach their goals while giving them the kinds of experiences we want them to have, to becoming the type of company we want to work in.

What We Offer:

We offer a robust benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, flexible spending, generous paid time off, sponsored volunteer opportunities, a 401K with a company match, plus free access to all of our online programs.