Brand Paid Media Manager

cursor Open · verified Sep 10, 2026

On-site San Francisco New York Full-time Manager Paid Media

Mid-level Paid Media role at cursor. San Francisco · full-time.

Role brief

Growth Roles summary, based on the employer's posting.

What you'll do

You'll take brand campaigns into market through TV, podcasts, out-of-home, streaming, sponsorships and emerging channels
You'll set media plans, budgets, forecasts and spend allocation for brand activity
You'll select high-impact markets, audiences, programs, creators and cultural moments
You'll negotiate placements, pricing, contracts and added-value terms with media partners
You'll connect creative development with testing, measurement and investment adjustments

What you bring

You have planned and bought brand media across channels such as TV, podcasts, out-of-home, streaming audio or connected TV
You have managed substantial media budgets with disciplined investment judgment
You understand reach, frequency, audience composition, market selection and media mix
You can evaluate brand impact through lift studies, incrementality, geographic tests or similar methods
You can turn campaign data, dashboards and complex results into clear recommendations

Who this fits

You’ll suit a hands-on owner who combines creative judgment with analytical discipline and can work across many internal and external partners. The role is based onsite in San Francisco and is full-time. The company describes a small, flat team that values curiosity, spirited debate and unconventional ideas, with occasional late-night or weekend work for major opportunities.

From the employer

Our mission is to automate coding. The first step in our journey is to build the best tool for professional programmers, using a combination of inventive research, design, and engineering. Our organization is very flat, and our team is small and talent dense. We particularly like people who are truth-seeking, passionate, and creative. We enjoy spirited debate, crazy ideas, and shipping code.

About the role

We’re looking for a Brand Paid Media Manager to build awareness, shape perception, and introduce our brand to new audiences at scale. You’ll lead top-of-funnel media across channels such as television, podcasts, out-of-home, streaming audio and video, and other high-impact brand placements.

This role blends strategic thinking with hands-on execution. You’ll determine where and how we show up, negotiate and manage media investments, and partner with creative and brand teams to develop campaigns that resonate with technical and business audiences. You’ll also build a rigorous measurement approach that connects brand activity to awareness, consideration, demand, and long-term growth.

The ideal candidate has strong instincts for audience, culture, and creative, paired with the analytical discipline to evaluate performance and make thoughtful investment decisions.

What you’ll do

Develop and execute a top-of-funnel paid media strategy across television, podcasts, out-of-home, streaming, audio, video, sponsorships, and emerging channels
Own media planning, budgeting, forecasting, and allocation across brand campaigns
Identify the markets, audiences, programs, creators, and cultural moments where our brand can have the greatest impact
Manage relationships with media agencies, networks, publishers, podcast partners, and other vendors
Lead media buying and negotiations, securing effective placements, pricing, added value, and contract terms
Partner closely with brand, creative, content, communications, and product marketing teams to develop memorable campaign concepts
Translate campaign strategy into clear creative briefs, channel plans, audience recommendations, and production requirements
Ensure creative is tailored to each medium while maintaining a consistent brand narrative
Build testing plans across markets, audiences, messages, formats, frequency, and media mix
Establish measurement frameworks for brand awareness, consideration, reach, frequency, share of voice, branded search, direct traffic, and downstream demand
Use brand-lift studies, geographic testing, incrementality analysis, and other methods to evaluate campaign impact
Monitor campaigns, surface insights, and adjust investment based on performance, audience response, and business priorities
Communicate campaign plans, results, and recommendations clearly to cross-functional partners and company leadership
Stay current on shifts in media consumption, advertising technology, measurement, and emerging brand opportunities

You may be a fit if you have:

Experience planning and buying brand media across channels such as television, podcasts, out-of-home, streaming audio, or connected TV
A track record of managing meaningful media budgets and making disciplined investment decisions
Strong knowledge of media planning fundamentals, including reach, frequency, audience composition, market selection, and media mix
Experience working directly with media partners, publishers, networks, or agencies
Confidence negotiating placements, pricing, contracts, and added-value opportunities
A strong understanding of brand measurement and the challenges of evaluating top-of-funnel marketing
Experience with brand-lift studies, incrementality testing, media mix modeling, geographic experiments, or similar approaches
Excellent creative judgment and the ability to assess whether an idea will translate effectively across different channels
An analytical mindset and comfort working with campaign data, spreadsheets, dashboards, and performance models
The ability to turn complex results into clear insights and recommendations
Strong project-management skills and experience coordinating campaigns with many internal and external stakeholders
Comfort operating with a high degree of ownership in a fast-moving environment
Experience marketing B2B, technology, or developer-focused products is helpful, but not required
Curiosity about how media, culture, and audience behavior are changing—and a willingness to test unconventional opportunities
Willingness to go above and beyond—this isn’t a strict 9–5 role, and while we respect work-life balance, the right person is energized by the occasional late-night project or weekend ping if it means a big opportunity for the business.