📌 Core Information
🔹 Job Title: Growth Marketing Senior Specialist, SEM
🔹 Company: Thumbtack
🔹 Location: United States (Virtual-first)
🔹 Job Type: Full-time
🔹 Category: 💸 Paid Advertising (PPC, SEM), 🚀 Growth Marketing
📌 Essential Job Details
🚀 Job Overview
As a Growth Marketing Senior Specialist in Search Engine Marketing (SEM) at Thumbtack, you'll be instrumental in capturing customer demand for home management services through strategic paid search initiatives. You'll work at the intersection of marketing, analytics, and technology to drive growth for Thumbtack's two-sided marketplace, connecting homeowners with service professionals. In this role, you'll manage and optimize SEM campaigns across Google and Microsoft platforms while collaborating with cross-functional teams to develop automation tools and data pipelines that enhance bid strategies and ad creation at scale.
ASSUMPTION: Based on the description, I'm assuming this is a senior individual contributor role that doesn't involve direct management of people but requires strategic thinking and cross-functional leadership.
📋 Key Responsibilities
- ✅ Execute and improve Thumbtack's paid search strategy, identifying new growth opportunities for both customers and professionals
- ✅ Manage, optimize, and grow the SEM program across Google and Microsoft platforms while adhering to key performance indicators
- ✅ Develop and implement an experimentation roadmap for ad copy, keywords, bidding strategies, and other SEM elements
- ✅ Partner with data science, analytics, and engineering teams to build automation tools and scalable solutions
- ✅ Own the tracking, attribution, and measurement of performance metrics (iROAS, incrementality, lift, etc.) using both in-house and third-party data
- ✅ Manage relationships with advertising vendors and partners
- ✅ Execute on a 6-12 month roadmap with aggressive milestones
🎯 Required Qualifications
Education: Not specified
Experience: 2-5 years experience in paid digital advertising, with at least 2 years of hands-on SEM management
Skills:
- Proven track record of improving and scaling ad programs with specific conversion volume and efficiency goals
- Demonstrated experience optimizing SEM campaigns through testing, optimization, automation, and creative approaches
- Ability to manage relationships with advertising vendors and partners
- Strong project management skills to execute on 6-12 month roadmaps with aggressive milestones
- Data analytics proficiency (pivot tables, vlookups, basic modeling)
ASSUMPTION: While not explicitly stated, the role likely requires a bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, or a related field, which is standard in the industry for this type of position.
💰 Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range:
- San Francisco/Bay Area, San Jose, NYC, Seattle: $99,000 - $121,000
- Austin, TX; Washington DC; California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington states: $89,100 - $108,900
- All other US locations: $84,600 - $103,400
Benefits:
- Virtual-first working model with in-person events
- 20 company-wide holidays including a week-long end-of-year shutdown
- Optional collaboration hub ("Library") in San Francisco
- WiFi reimbursements
- Cell phone reimbursements (North America)
- Employee Assistance Program for mental health and well-being
Industry Comparison: The compensation appears to be competitive for SEM specialist roles in the tech industry, with appropriate adjustments for cost of living across different regions.
ASSUMPTION: While not explicitly mentioned, tech companies of Thumbtack's size typically offer additional benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, and professional development opportunities.
📌 Applicant Insights
🔍 Company Context
Industry Position: Thumbtack is a leading platform in the $600B+ home services industry, connecting homeowners with service professionals. The company operates a two-sided marketplace and is focused on becoming the central destination for home management services.
Company Size: 1000+ employees
Company Stage: Growth-stage company with a $3.2 billion valuation (as of June 2021)
Market Reach: Available nationwide in every U.S. county, with over 85 million projects initiated and more than 11 million 5-star reviews
📊 Role Analysis
Career Level: Senior specialist (mid-to-senior level individual contributor)
Reporting Structure: Not specified, but likely reports to a Growth Marketing Manager or Director
Team Size/Composition: Part of the Growth Marketing team that works cross-functionally with Brand, Product, Engineering, and Data Science
Growth Opportunities: Potential advancement paths could include senior management in Growth Marketing, specialized leadership in SEM/PPC, or broader digital marketing strategy roles
ASSUMPTION: Based on the team description and role responsibilities, this position likely involves collaboration with a team of other marketing specialists but focuses on owning the SEM channel specifically.
🌍 Location & Work Environment
Office Type: Virtual-first company - you can work remotely from approved locations across the United States, Canada, or the Philippines
Geographic Context: While fully remote, the company maintains a collaboration hub in San Francisco for optional use
Work Schedule: Not specified, but likely standard business hours with flexibility typical of tech companies
Regional Considerations: Salary tiers vary based on location, with higher compensation in higher cost-of-living areas
ASSUMPTION: As a virtual-first company, Thumbtack likely has established systems for remote collaboration and occasional in-person gatherings for team building and strategic planning.
💼 Interview & Application Insights
Typical Process: For SEM specialist roles at tech companies, the interview process typically includes:
- Initial screening call with recruiter
- Technical interview focused on SEM knowledge and campaign management experience
- Case study or practical assessment analyzing campaign performance
- Cross-functional interviews with team members and stakeholders
- Final interview with hiring manager or leadership
Key Assessment Areas:
- Demonstrated ability to optimize SEM campaigns for efficiency and growth
- Experience with testing methodologies and data-driven decision making
- Technical knowledge of Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising platforms
- Analytical capabilities and data interpretation skills
- Collaborative approach to cross-functional work
Application Tips:
- Quantify your SEM achievements (ROAS improvements, efficiency gains, growth results)
- Highlight specific campaign optimizations you've implemented and their results
- Demonstrate cross-functional collaboration experience, especially with data/engineering teams
- Show examples of your testing approach and how you've used data to inform SEM strategy
ATS Keywords: SEM, Paid Search, Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, ROAS, bid automation, keyword optimization, ad testing, digital marketing, performance marketing, analytics, conversion optimization
ASSUMPTION: These interview insights are based on standard industry practices for similar roles and companies but may vary based on Thumbtack's specific hiring processes.
🛠️ Tools & Technologies
- Google Ads platform
- Microsoft Advertising platform
- Excel/Google Sheets (pivot tables, vlookups, modeling)
- Analytics and attribution tools for tracking performance metrics
- Bid automation and management systems
ASSUMPTION: While not explicitly mentioned, SEM specialists typically work with additional tools like Google Analytics, bid management platforms, keyword research tools, and internal data visualization systems.
👔 Cultural Fit Considerations
Company Values: Based on the job listing, Thumbtack emphasizes:
- Purpose-driven work that supports local economies and small businesses
- Advocating for both professionals and customers
- Embracing change and innovation
- Collaborative teamwork
- Making an impact in people's lives
Work Style: The role suggests a collaborative environment with cross-functional partnerships, requiring both independent execution and team coordination. The company appears to value data-driven decision making, experimentation, and innovation.
Self-Assessment: Potential applicants should consider:
- Do you thrive in fast-paced, growth-oriented environments?
- Are you comfortable with ambiguity and problem-solving in evolving situations?
- Do you enjoy balancing analytical work with creative marketing approaches?
- Are you motivated by creating impact for both businesses and consumers?
- Do you work well in virtual environments while maintaining strong collaboration?
ASSUMPTION: These cultural values are inferred from the company description and role details, which emphasize growth, innovation, and cross-functional collaboration.
⚠️ Potential Challenges
- Managing competing priorities across multiple stakeholders (Product, Engineering, Analytics teams)
- Executing complex SEM strategies at scale across a nationwide marketplace
- Balancing automation development with hands-on campaign management
- Meeting aggressive growth targets in a competitive industry
- Navigating the complexities of a two-sided marketplace with different user needs
- Working in a virtual-first environment may require additional effort to build strong cross-functional relationships
ASSUMPTION: These challenges are inferred based on the job responsibilities and nature of the role in a growth-stage tech company with a two-sided marketplace business model.
📈 Similar Roles Comparison
This Growth Marketing Senior Specialist, SEM role at Thumbtack differs from similar positions in several ways:
- Compared to agency SEM roles: More focus on long-term strategy and automation rather than managing numerous client accounts
- Compared to e-commerce SEM roles: Greater complexity due to Thumbtack's two-sided marketplace versus direct product sales
- Compared to general digital marketing positions: More specialized and technical focus specifically on search engine marketing
- Compared to other marketplace companies: Specific focus on home services industry with unique customer journey considerations
ASSUMPTION: This comparison is based on standard industry patterns for SEM and growth marketing roles across different company types.
📝 Sample Projects
Based on the job responsibilities, someone in this role might work on projects such as:
- Designing and implementing a keyword expansion strategy to capture demand for specific home service categories
- Developing an automated bid adjustment system based on user lifetime value signals
- Creating and testing new ad copy variations to improve click-through and conversion rates
- Building a performance measurement framework that accounts for cross-device and multi-touch attribution
- Analyzing geographic performance data to optimize regional campaign targeting and budget allocation
- Collaborating with engineering to build scalable tools that automate campaign creation for thousands of service categories
ASSUMPTION: These projects are illustrative examples based on the listed responsibilities and typical SEM work in marketplace businesses.
❓ Key Questions to Ask During Interview
- "How do you measure success for the SEM program in relation to Thumbtack's overall growth strategy?"
- "What are the biggest challenges the Growth Marketing team is currently facing in scaling SEM efforts?"
- "How does the team balance automation with the need for strategic human oversight in campaign management?"
- "Can you share examples of successful cross-functional collaborations between Marketing and Engineering/Data Science teams?"
- "How does Thumbtack approach attribution in a complex customer journey that might involve multiple touch points?"
- "What opportunities exist for expanding the SEM program beyond current strategies or channels?"
ASSUMPTION: These questions are suggested based on the role type and may need adaptation for specific interviews.
📌 Disclaimer
⚠️ This enhanced job description was AI-generated based on the original job listing. Information has been organized and supplemented with industry-standard insights where details were not provided. All assumptions are explicitly labeled. Applicants should verify all details directly with the employer before making decisions based on this content.
📌 Next Steps for Applicants
- Optimize your resume: Highlight relevant SEM experience, quantifiable results, and experience with Google and Microsoft ad platforms. Include keywords like "SEM," "paid search," "ROAS optimization," and "campaign management" to pass ATS screening.
- Prepare your portfolio: Gather examples of successful SEM campaigns you've managed, focusing on improvements in efficiency, scale, and testing methodology.
- Research Thumbtack: Familiarize yourself with their marketplace model, recent company news, and how they position themselves in the home services industry.
- Understand the metrics: Be prepared to discuss how you've impacted key performance indicators like ROAS, CPA, conversion rates, and lifetime value in previous roles.
- Connect with team members: Consider reaching out to current Thumbtack Growth Marketing team members on LinkedIn to learn more about the company culture and team dynamics.
- Prepare for technical questions: Be ready to discuss specific Google Ads features, bid strategies, campaign structures, and automation approaches you've implemented.