Senior Paid Media Strategist

Overview We're looking for a Senior Paid Media Strategist to lead paid media strategy, execution, and storytelling across a portfolio of clients — and to help shape how we do this work as our media practice grows. At Anchour, media isn't a line item — it's a core capability. In this role, you'll manage substantial paid media budgets across Google, Meta, connected TV, and programmatic, but the job goes well beyond campaign management. You'll own the full-funnel strategy: how we build awareness, move people through consideration, and close at conversion. You'll have opinions about creative. You'll connect data to decisions. And you'll communicate what's happening — and what to do about it — in a way that actually moves clients forward. This is a real leadership opportunity inside our media team, at a moment when the practice is expanding and the people in it have genuine influence over how it's built. If you've been doing strong work inside a structure that doesn't give you much room to grow, this is the role that changes that. This is a hybrid role based in New England. Maine-based applicants are preferred. About Anchour Anchour is a creative agency of 30+ people focused on building unforgettable brands and digital experiences that help businesses punch above their weight. Headquartered in Maine, we partner with SMBs and growing brands across industries like consumer goods, hospitality, financial services, home services, and retail. Our work spans brand strategy, identity design, website design and development, content strategy, and full-service marketing. We believe great work happens when people feel supported, trusted, and challenged. Our team values curiosity, collaboration, and a shared commitment to doing work we're proud of. What You'll Do As a Senior Paid Media Strategist, you'll own paid media strategy and execution across a portfolio of clients — from channel mix and creative direction to full-funnel architecture, budget management, and strategic reporting. You'll be a senior voice in our media practice and a trusted partner to clients and internal teams alike. Campaign Management Plan, launch, and manage paid media campaigns across Google Ads, Meta, Connected TV, and YouTube, with ongoing programmatic involvement Monitor campaigns daily, tracking pacing, performance, and budget delivery across all active accounts — catching issues before they become problems Set up campaigns with proper structure, tracking, naming conventions, and attribution from the start, so the data you're working with is trustworthy Proactively adjust bids, budgets, targeting, and creative based on performance signals Stay current on platform changes, new features, and best practices across Google and Meta Full-Funnel Strategy Develop media strategies that map to the full customer journey — from top-of-funnel awareness and creative-led engagement to mid-funnel nurture and bottom-funnel conversion Think in systems, not campaigns. Understand how each stage connects to the next and where breakdowns in the funnel are actually happening Make clear, confident recommendations on channel mix, audience architecture, and where investment should shift — and why Bring a point of view to every client engagement, not just a plan Creative Strategy & Direction Come to the table with opinions about what will actually work: hooks, formats, angles, messaging hierarchies, and platform-native approaches Brief creative teams with strategic clarity — not just specs, but rationale. What's the job of this creative? What behavior are we trying to drive? What does success look like? Push back constructively when creative doesn't match the strategic intent or the audience moment Review creative performance with a critical eye and use what you learn to improve the next brief, not just the next test Budget & Pacing Manage significant media budgets across multiple clients simultaneously, with a disciplined eye on pacing and efficiency Allocate spend thoughtfully across channels and funnel stages, and flag issues before they compound Treat every dollar with the same care you'd give your own Reporting & Strategic Narrative Build and maintain automated reporting systems that reduce manual work and give clients and internal teams consistent visibility into performance Go beyond dashboards — translate data into clear strategic narratives for clients that explains what happened, why it happened, and what you're doing about it Come to every client reporting conversation with prepared analysis and proactive recommendations, not just a summary of the numbers Communicate before you're asked. If something needs attention, your clients and team hear it from you first Collaboration & Leadership Work closely with creative, strategy, and account teams to align media execution with broader campaign goals Provide performance insights that actively inform creative direction and improve future work Help set standards for how our media practice approaches strategy, reporting, and creative feedback Mentor junior team members and contribute to how the media team develops as the practice grows What We'd Like To See Agency Experience: 5+ years managing paid media at a digital or performance marketing agency. Candidates without agency experience will not be considered. Platform Depth: Hands-on expertise in Google Ads (Search, YouTube, Performance Max) and Meta Ads Manager. Experience with connected TV platforms and programmatic required at this level. Full-Funnel Thinking: You understand how awareness, consideration, and conversion work together — and you build media strategies that reflect that understanding, not just a collection of campaigns. Creative Conviction: You have opinions about what makes paid creative work. You can brief a creative team with clarity and purpose, push back when something isn't right, and connect creative decisions to performance outcomes. Budget Management at Scale: Comfortable managing significant paid media budgets across multiple clients simultaneously, with a track record of accurate pacing and strong performance outcomes. Daily Discipline: You check your campaigns every day. You catch overspend, underspend, and performance anomalies early — and you act on them without being asked. Reporting Infrastructure: You build systems, not spreadsheets. You've set up automated dashboards and reporting workflows that reduce manual work and improve visibility. Data Storytelling: You don't just send a dashboard. You explain what's happening, what it means for the business, and what you're recommending next — in language clients actually understand and act on. Strategic Conviction: You form opinions about what's working and what isn't, and you make recommendations with confidence, including the hard ones. AI-Integrated Workflow: You're using AI tools to work smarter — for research, reporting, copy testing, creative briefing, or strategy — and you can speak to how it's made your work better. Multi-Industry Fluency: Comfortable managing media for clients across different industries, adapting strategy and messaging to different audiences and objectives. New England-Based: This is a hybrid role with set in-office days and occasional in-person client collaboration. Must be located in New England. Work Style You're in the platforms daily. Monitoring, adjusting, and staying ahead of issues is just how you work. You think in funnels. You know that a great awareness campaign that doesn't connect to conversion is an incomplete strategy. You have creative opinions and you share them. You're not just a media buyer — you're a strategic partner to the creative team. You translate data into decisions, not just decks. When you present results, there's always a "so what" and a "here's what we do next." You’re comfortable making decisions and executing work when the guidelines are vague - you can excel in the “gray area” just as well as with a crystal clear brief You communicate before you're asked. If something is off, your clients and team know about it from you first. You take ownership of results. If a campaign is yours, you track performance closely and stay accountable for outcomes You’re able to seamlessly transition between collaborative and autonomous working styles. You build systems. You've automated the repetitive work so you can spend your time on the things that actually move the needle. You take the work seriously. Not yourself. What You'll Get Competitive Salary. Profit Sharing. Our success is your success. Retirement. Savings plan with a 4% company match. Premium Insurance. Premium health, dental, vision, and life insurance with generous coverage for our US-based team members. Optional HSA. An optional health savings account for employees to set aside money on a pre-tax basis for medical expenses. Home Office Setup. Get a laptop + 50% reimbursement for home office equipment. Paid & Flexible Holidays. 12 paid holidays throughout the year, including three flexible holidays. Paid Time Off. Minimum three weeks of paid time off per year. Paid Leaves. Paid parental, medical, bereavement, and other types of leave. Flexible & Summer Fridays. Half-day Fridays throughout the summer, and a get-it-done-and-go mindset year-round. Lifelong Learners Fund. Cash for professional development (books, conferences, courses), and team bonding fun times. Baby Bonding Bucks. $500 bonus to cover diapers, meals, or other baby-related expenses for any employee welcoming a new child.