Advertising Specialist

The University of Southern Mississippi • Hattiesburg, MS

6d • Onsite

About The Position

The Advertising Specialist executes paid media strategies aligned with institutional goals and established budget parameters. This role coordinates the full lifecycle of paid campaigns, including deploying digital ads, managing traditional media buys, and tracking performance and spending across all channels.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in marketing, advertising, strategic communications, business, or a related field.
• Two years of professional experience within the past five years in marketing, advertising, or a closely related field, plus hands-on experience with digital advertising.
• Familiarity with digital advertising platforms, social media platforms, and marketing analytics
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to learn new technologies, advertising platforms, and processes
• Ability to accurately track expenditures
• Proficient Microsoft Excel skills for completing tracking and reporting tasks, including the creation of formulas, pivot tables and charts
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team
• Ability to synthesize information and express complex thoughts concisely
• Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions
• Ability to review work for accuracy
• Ability to process and handle confidential information with discretion
• Ability to complete occasional day travel to other USM locations to fulfill job responsibilities

Nice To Haves

• Professional experience using Meta Ads Manager, Google Ads, and Google Analytics.
• Experience coordinating advertising placements across digital or traditional media channels.
• Experience analyzing campaign performance and preparing reports.

Responsibilities

• Build, launch, and monitor paid media campaigns across digital channels (search, social, streaming, etc.).
• Negotiate advertising rates and contracts for traditional media placements (billboards, print, television, etc.).
• Maintain positive relationships with advertising sales representatives and vendors.
• Ensure timely delivery of creative assets and monitor deployment.
• Track spending, process invoices, and maintain accurate budgets across all advertising channels.
• Coordinate with staff across University Communications—including design, web, video/photo, and social teams—to ensure creative assets are properly prepared and aligned with platform requirements and campaign goals.
• Provide recommendations for adjustments to audience targeting, messaging, channel mix, and budget allocation to maximize efficiency, reach, and return on investment.
• Maintain current knowledge of paid media trends, platform updates, and emerging technologies.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level