We are Digitas, a full service digital agency.

Home of 400 diverse people united in the mission to use the power of strategy, data, technology, media and creativity to get our clients future ready. 

We get our clients future ready through our Experience Consulting, Products & Platforms, Customer Engagement and Digital Media capabilities. Underpinned by a culture of experimentation, making things happen and driving results.

Part of Publicis Groupe, and a Leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Global Marketing Agencies, we’re proud to work with some of the world’s leading brands.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, hands-on Head of Paid Search to impact and shape all aspects of the paid search channel with a high degree of strategic ownership. You will be working closely with the Head of Media to ensure paid search best practices are adopted across the board.

Your work will be directly impacting commercial results and team performance, so we are looking for a strong leader who is prepared to roll their sleeves up and be hands on in driving change along with the gravitas to develop and coach our high performing team. You will be leading from a paid search point of view across a number of global and local pitches, working closely with our SEO leads to provide a Total Search output.

Responsibilities

• Ensure best practices are adopted across all paid search accounts and campaigns.
• Lead and develop a team of PPC specialists to deliver world class performance.
• Facilitate the understanding of results and learnings, establishing the right cadence and granularity of reporting and translating technical jargon into actionable insights for senior leadership.
• Manage the relationship with key external and internal counterparts to maximise the value they provide to the business.
• Support the Head of Media in adopting the right technology and developing internal bidding tools to automate and optimise paid search performance at scale.
• Collaborate with other teams, including SEO and Social, to develop integrated digital marketing campaigns.
• Continually test and learn new ideas, categories, geographies, and creatives to grow your client’s business.
• Deliver financial targets, and work with the wider Media team on building out new commercial opportunities.

• Ideally 7+ years of hands-on experience managing large Paid Search accounts with international scope and deep knowledge of Google and Bing Ads platforms.
• Proven track record successfully managing a multi-million-pound acquisition budget and taking clients through an intensive growth periods.
• Strong experience automating and using data to improve Paid Search performance at scale, including API integrations and use of scripts and other automation tools.
• You are experienced in Google Analytics and understand attribution and measurement and the technical setup of tracking, conversions, and audiences.
• Excellent team and project management skills; proven ability to build, manage and scale an activation team.
• Ability to contextualise data and communicate insights clearly to the team and to other stakeholders including senior managers and C-suite.
• Ability to innovate but also follow up with execution.
• A flare for pitching, not only showing through your personality, but also the gravitas of your role, understanding of the Paid Search landscape, and how this works within the wider media ecosystem.
• Strong work ethic, high focus on personal accountability and ownership.
• Enthusiastic about the development and wellbeing of your team of PPC specialists.

Desired skills and experience

• Top line working knowledge of other paid media channels and SEO would ensure you succeed in this role.
• Experience with tools such as SA360, Marin or Adthena is essential.
• Familiarity of travel or retail clients is a bonus.
• Experience of working in B2B, B2C and lead generation is ideal.
• Must be confident and able to well articulate during pitches and delivering larger scale client responses to brief.
• Experience working within a fast-paced agency would be an advantage but not essential.
• Stay up to date with the latest PPC trends and best practices and provide recommendations to clients and internal teams.
• A keen interest in AI and a clear understanding of how AI is implemented in Paid Search platforms.
• Conduct regular performance reviews of the PPC team and provide feedback and coaching to help them grow and develop their skills.
• Manage client relationships and provide regular updates and reports on campaign performance.

Please note that Digitas is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of society and does not discriminate on grounds of race, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, citizenship, marital, domestic or civil partnership status, sexual orientation or gender identity.

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