Paid Media Specialist

Salt South Africa · Cape Town, Western Cape

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Overview: A growing digital agency specialising in premium travel and hospitality brands is looking for an intermediate Paid Media Specialist to join their marketing team.
This is a hands-on role for someone who knows their way around paid media platforms, enjoys getting stuck into the numbers, and can translate campaign data into meaningful recommendations.
You'll take ownership of paid media budgets across a portfolio of high-value clients, managing campaigns from planning and implementation through to optimisation, reporting and performance analysis.
You'll also work closely with senior stakeholders and clients, so this is a great opportunity for someone who wants to combine technical paid media expertise, strategic thinking and client-facing exposure.

Duties and Responsibilities

Develop and execute paid media strategies across multiple client accounts
Manage and optimise monthly advertising budgets to maximise ROI and campaign performance
Build, launch and manage campaigns across Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, YouTube and TikTok
Monitor campaign performance and make data-led optimisation decisions
Identify opportunities to improve spend efficiency, conversions and overall campaign results
Develop monthly media plans and budget recommendations using performance data and market insights
Conduct A/B and multivariate testing across audiences, creative, messaging and landing pages
Analyse campaign data and turn insights into clear, actionable recommendations
Produce monthly, quarterly and ad hoc performance reports
Support tracking, attribution and measurement across client websites and campaigns
Keep up to date with changes to advertising platforms, automation and AI-driven campaign functionality
Research and test new tools, technologies and approaches that could improve paid media performance
Present campaign results and recommendations confidently to clients and internal stakeholders

A relevant degree in Marketing or a similar field
3+ years' experience in paid media, performance marketing and/or digital analytics
Strong hands-on experience with Google Ads and Meta Ads
Experience across LinkedIn Ads, YouTube and TikTok Ads
Experience managing meaningful advertising budgets and optimising campaigns against commercial KPIs
Solid understanding of Google Analytics 4 GA4, Google Tag Manager and reporting platforms
Experience with AI-powered campaign solutions such as Performance Max, smart bidding and Meta Advantage+
An understanding of audience segmentation, conversion tracking and performance measurement
Familiarity with Meta Conversions API, server-side tagging, consent management and first-party data would be advantageous
Experience working with or analysing paid creative across copy, static and video formats
Comfortable presenting performance insights and recommendations to clients
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, paired with a creative mindset
Highly organised and able to manage multiple accounts and competing priorities
Strong communication skills and the confidence to work with both clients and internal teams