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Senior Manager, Paid Search

McGarrah Jessee

Austin, TX(remote)

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JOB DETAILS
SKILLS
Adobe Product Family, Analysis Skills, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Automation, Bidding, Budgeting, Campaigns, Communication Skills, Customer Relations, Data Visualization, Demand Generation, Detail Oriented, Ecosystems, Expense Management, Google Search Engine, Inventory Turns, Leadership, Looker, Major Accounts, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Mathematics, Mentoring, Merchandising, Metrics, Microsoft Product Family, Online Marketing, Power BI, Problem Solving Skills, Process Improvement, Quality Assurance, Retail, Retail Strategy, Sales, Scripting (Scripting Languages), Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Stewardship, Strategic Accounts, Strategic Planning, Tableau, Team Lead/Manager, Testing, YouTube, eCommerce
LOCATION
Austin, TX
POSTED
30+ days ago

OVERVIEW 


McGarrah Jessee is looking for a Senior Manager,  Paid Search — someone who doesn’t just manage keywords and bids, but architects how search drives full-funnel retail growth in a world where discovery is being rewritten in real time. 

This role sits at the intersection of performance marketing, retail strategy, data and emerging AI-driven discovery — translating business ambition into search ecosystems that capture demand, create demand and defend against it being intercepted upstream.

You’ll lead SEM for a major national retail brand, overseeing a multimillion dollar monthly investment while partnering directly with senior client leadership to connect business priorities to platform execution.

This is not a “manage the account” role. This is a shape how search works in a post-search world role.


WHAT YOU’LL LEAD


SEARCH STRATEGY AND GROWTH PLANNING


  • Own the full-funnel role of search across the retail business — from demand capture to demand creation to demand defense.
  • Translate merchandising priorities, seasonal moments and inventory realities into search strategy.
  • Define how search shows up across key retail moments — from everyday intent to peak events to cultural spikes.
  • Architect how search integrates with broader media, retail media networks and owned channels.

STRATEGIC ACCOUNT LEADERSHIP


  • Drive the Roadmap: Own the holistic SEM strategy for a major retail account, aligning paid search efforts with the client’s seasonal calendar, merchandising priorities and inventory fluctuations.
  • Client Partnership: Act as the primary point of contact for the client’s marketing team. Translate complex campaign data into clear, business-centric narratives for VP+ level audiences.
  • Budget Stewardship: Direct the allocation of monthly budgets exceeding $1MM, ensuring agile fund movement to capture demand during peak sales events. 

EXECUTION, INNOVATION & AI


  • Omnichannel Growth: Develop strategies that simultaneously drive online ROAS and local store visits, utilizing the full suite of search products (Performance Max, Shopping, Local Inventory Ads, YouTube and Demand Gen).
  • AI & Automation: Lead the agency’s adoption of scripts and AI tools to automate bidding, streamline reporting, and visualize data. You will test new workflows to optimize output and create efficiencies.
  • Data-Driven Optimization: Move beyond basic metrics. Analyze full-funnel performance (from impression to conversion) to provide actionable insights that inform not just bids, but creative and landing page decisions.

TEAM MANAGEMENT & COLLABORATION


  • Mentorship: Manage and mentor a team of SEM Managers and Specialists. Foster a culture of rigorous QA, testing and continuous professional development.
  • Cross-Channel Integration: Collaborate with the client’s internal and external partners (SEO, Affiliate, Display) to ensure a unified market presence and consistent messaging.

EXPERIENCE & BACKGROUND


  • 7+ years of paid search experience, with a background in high-volume B2C campaigns.
  • 2+ years of management experience with at least two direct reports.
  • Budget Scale: Proven track record of directly managing monthly ad spends of $1MM+.
  • Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business or analytics, or equivalent experience.

TECHNICAL MASTERY


  • Deep Platform Knowledge: Expert-level proficiency in Google Ads (Search, Shopping, PMax), Microsoft Ads, and SA360 (or similar enterprise tools).
  • Analytics & Reporting: Advanced proficiency in GA4 or Adobe Analytics and Excel/Google Sheets. Experience with visualization tools like Power BI, Looker Studio or Tableau is highly preferred.
  • Automation Fluency: Comfort with script adoption and using AI for reporting insights. Willingness to embrace new technology to solve old problems.

SOFT SKILLS & ATTRIBUTES


  • Retail Acumen: You understand retail math (margins, inventory turn, seasonality) and how digital marketing impacts the bottom line.
  • Clear Communicator: You can explain complex SEM concepts to non-technical stakeholders without getting lost in the jargon.
  • Detail-Oriented: You have a "zero-defect" mentality regarding campaign setup, budget pacing, and QA.

WHY THIS ROLE?


  • Impact: You will be guiding the strategy for a household brand name, where your decisions have an immediate, measurable impact on revenue.
  • Innovation: We are looking for a changemaker who wants to push the boundaries of what is possible with AI and automation in paid search.
  • Culture: Join a team that values autonomy, smart collaboration and a people-first approach to agency life.


This is a remote position.

About the Company

M

McGarrah Jessee