Paid Search Specialist

Job Title: Paid Search Specialist

Department: Integrated Media

Reports Directly To: Director, Integrated Media

Date: October 2026

JOB SUMMARY

Are you a strategic paid media specialist who can jump right in and help Adcom across all forms of digital paid media, especially paid search? Our offices overlook Cleveland's Flats and have been built to inspire teamwork, creative thinking, and pride in ensuring great experiences and value for our clients. Sound good so far?

The Paid Search Specialist is responsible for developing, executing, and optimizing paid search programs across Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, YouTube, and emerging search platforms. This role combines strategic planning, AI-driven campaign management, analytics, audience development, testing, and client consultation to drive measurable business outcomes. This individual will also play a role as needed in the development of multimedia, fully integrated strategies for potential and existing clients. Efforts may include understanding strategic direction, suggesting tactical recommendations, setting achievable goals based on client objectives, creating benchmarks and KPIs for performance, monitoring campaigns for success and generating results reports, and providing results and insights. The Paid Search Specialist is a catalyst for strategic thinking on client projects as well as a liaison between other agency departments. The ideal candidate understands that paid search success in 2026 is less about manual bid adjustments and more about leveraging automation, shaping audience signals, validating measurement frameworks, and translating performance data into business recommendations.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment and prioritize and juggle multiple tasks within set deadlines

Acts as the catalyst for strategic thinking and buying, making recommendations and optimizations for client media campaigns for paid search and other digital tactics
Acts as steward of client budgets, with impeccable professional standards
Works very closely with team of paid media buyers and planners, providing mentorship, direction and strategic insight
Manages campaigns across paid search, with possibility of managing campaigns across programmatic, paid social, video, OTT/CTV, and audio channels
Creates and actively manages and optimizes paid search campaigns, with expertise in PPC, strategic approaches, bid recommendations, budgets and accounting
Provides thorough analysis of paid search campaigns via bid management and reporting tools to ensure each campaign hits KPI and ROI objectives
Writes and tests relevant ad copy, headlines, responsive ads with strong understanding of

client's product, objectives, and goals

Interprets campaign results and communicates the effectiveness of campaigns to clients and colleagues
Acts as an innovator by integrating emerging digital trends, staying on top of the latest techniques, and researching new vendor partnerships, etc.
Ensures the quality of all media deliverables with impeccable attention to detail

CREDENTIALS AND EXPERIENCE

Google Ads and Microsoft Ads certifications
Minimum 3-5 years experience in Paid Search
Experience in programmatic, paid social, digital video, audio and OTT/CTV a plus
Strong expertise in:

Google Ads (including Performance Max, AI Max)
Microsoft Advertising
GA4
Google Tag Manager
Looker Studio
Offline conversion tracking
CRM integrations
Lead quality management

strong verbal presentation skills and high professional composure
Possesses strong research, analytical, and mathematical skills
Demonstrates collaborative attitude and communicates proactively with colleagues
Collaborative attitude and communicates proactively with colleagues
Experience with Advantage Media and/or similar agency buying tools

Proficiency in all Microsoft Office programs
Experience/expertise in buying platforms like Meta, LinkedIn, and Campaign Manager 360 a plus

This job description reflects the anticipated duties of the position; however, responsibilities may evolve and change as business dictates.