Director of Paid Search, EDU
At a glance
Director-level Paid Search / PPC role at zetaglobal. Remote, United States · $120,000–$140,000 base.
growthroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Turn higher education clients’ goals into search plans across Google and Microsoft Ads, covering the full funnel
- Guide account plans for budgets, forecasts, audiences and testing, then steer client reviews and strategy discussions
- Oversee campaign setup, pacing, bidding, structure, audience layers and optimization against enrollment results and efficiency measures
- Build ongoing tests and adopt platform betas, AI features and automation to improve campaign performance
- Work with analytics and operations on reporting, and explain performance drivers and recommended changes to clients
What you bring
- You bring at least eight years of paid search experience
- You have personally managed monthly paid search budgets of at least $500,000
- You have optimized higher education campaigns for full-funnel outcomes such as CPE and CPS
Who this fits
This director-level role suits a senior paid search practitioner who can set client strategy while staying close to campaign execution. It is remote in the United States.
From the employer
WHO WE ARE
Zeta Global (NYSE: ZETA) is the AI-Powered Marketing Cloud that leverages advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and trillions of consumer signals to make it easier for marketers to acquire, grow, and retain customers more efficiently. Through the Zeta Marketing Platform (ZMP), our vision is to make sophisticated marketing simple by unifying identity, intelligence, and omnichannel activation into a single platform – powered by one of the industry’s largest proprietary databases and AI. Our enterprise customers across multiple verticals are empowered to personalize experiences with consumers at an individual level across every channel, delivering better results for marketing programs. Zeta was founded in 2007 by David A. Steinberg and John Sculley and is headquartered in New York City with offices around the world. To learn more, go to www.zetaglobal.com.
The Role
We’re looking for a strategic, data-driven Director of Paid Search to support a Higher Education division of our search team. You’ll be responsible for shaping paid search strategy across EDU clients, ensuring best-in-class execution, and driving measurable business outcomes.
This role requires a balance of strategic vision and hands-on management. You’ll be responsible for guiding client strategy, overseeing performance, and ensuring flawless execution of paid search campaigns from end to end.
Client Strategy & Leadership
- Translate client business goals into full-funnel search strategies across Google and Microsoft Ads
- Lead account planning including budget allocation, forecasting, audience strategy, and testing roadmaps
- Identify performance opportunities and risks, proactively recommending optimizations and growth strategies
- Serve as a strategic lead in client conversations, QBRs, and performance reviews
Performance Ownership
- Oversee end-to-end execution of paid search campaigns, including account setup, budget pacing, optimization, and reporting.
- Accountable for enrollment performance outcomes and KPIs such as CPL, CPE, CPS, and overall efficiency
- Establish testing frameworks and innovation pipelines to continuously improve results
- Oversee account structure, bidding strategies, audience layering, and automation approaches
- Ensure consistent use of measurement best practices, attribution models, and conversion tracking
- Drive adoption of new betas, AI-driven features, and automation tools
Analysis & Reporting
- Partner with analytics and ops teams to improve reporting, automation, and scalability
- Monitor industry trends, platform changes, and competitive landscape
- Deliver clear, data-driven performance reports and insights to clients, diving into the “why” behind the data
- Recommend testing strategies, budget allocation shifts, and bid strategy adjustments based on performance trends
- Ensure accuracy, consistency, and timeliness of reporting
Qualifications
- 8-12+ years of relevant paid search experience
- Hands-on experience managing monthly budgets of $500k+
- Experience optimizing to full funnel outcomes for EDU clients, such as CPE and CPS
Preferred but not required
- Skai experience
- Google Ads Certifications is a plus
BENEFITS & PERKS
- Unlimited PTO
- Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Employee Equity
- Employee Discounts, Virtual Wellness Classes, and Pet Insurance And more!!
SALARY RANGE
The salary range for this role is $120,000-$140,000, depending on location and experience.
PEOPLE & CULTURE AT ZETA
Zeta considers applicants for employment without regard to, and does not discriminate on the basis of an individual’s sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, status as a veteran, or national or ethnic origin; nor does Zeta discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.
We’re committed to building a workplace culture of trust and belonging, so everyone feels invited to bring their whole selves to work. We provide a forum for employees to celebrate, support and advocate for one another. Learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion here: https://zetaglobal.com/blog/a-look-into-zetas-ergs/
ZETA IN THE NEWS!
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