Director, Paid Media & Performance Marketing

Project Kitty Hawk

15d•$140,000 - $150,000

About The Position

Project Kitty Hawk (PKH) is seeking a Paid Media & Performance Marketing Director to lead performance-driven paid media initiatives supporting online programs across the UNC System. This role owns paid media strategy, execution, and optimization across multiple institutional partners, with a focus on driving high-intent demand, building awareness where needed, and improving cost of acquisition and enrollment outcomes. The ideal candidate brings deep experience in down-funnel, intent-based search marketing as well as upper-funnel awareness and demand-generation campaigns across social, forums, and emerging platforms. This role requires a strong analytical mindset, advanced targeting expertise, and the ability to tailor channel strategy to the unique brand, program, and market dynamics of each university partner.

Requirements

7+ years of hands-on experience in paid media and performance marketing, with direct responsibility for strategy, execution, and optimization.
Deep expertise in high-intent, down-funnel paid search campaigns and conversion-focused optimization.
Proven experience running upper-funnel awareness and demand-generation campaigns across paid social, forums, and diverse media platforms.
Strong experience with advanced targeting tactics, including geotargeting, geofencing, remarketing, and retargeting.
Demonstrated ability to test and scale new channels, platforms, and tactics based on performance data and program-specific needs.
Experience conducting or supporting market demand analysis and program viability assessments using search and competitive data.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate data into forecasts, insights, and recommendations.
Experience working cross-functionally with SEO, web, CRO, and analytics teams.
Hands-on experience with major paid media platforms, including: Google Ads (Search, Display, YouTube) Microsoft Advertising (Bing) Meta (Facebook & Instagram) LinkedIn Campaign Manager Additional platforms such as Reddit, programmatic DSPs, or affiliate networks a plus
Experience with analytics and measurement tools, such as: Google Analytics (GA4) Google Tag Manager Attribution and reporting tools (e.g., Looker, Tableau, or similar BI tools)
Familiarity with SEO and market research tools, including: Google Search Console Keyword and competitive research platforms (e.g., SEMrush, Ahrefs, or similar)
Experience collaborating with web and CRO tools and workflows, such as: A/B testing platforms (e.g., Optimizely, Google Optimize, or similar) CMS and landing page platforms (e.g., WordPress or comparable systems)

Nice To Haves

Experience in higher education is a plus.

Responsibilities

Manage end-to-end paid media strategy and execution across a full-funnel mix, including: High-intent, down-funnel paid search and conversion-focused campaigns and upper-funnel awareness and demand-generation campaigns across paid social, forums, and other platforms
Translate enrollment goals, program demand, and partner brand considerations into tailored channel strategies and performance plans.
Ensure campaign structure, messaging, and targeting align with institutional brand standards and program positioning.
Actively monitor and optimize campaigns to improve CPL, CPA, conversion rates, and lead quality.
Reallocate spend based on performance trends, program priorities, and seasonal enrollment cycles.
Identify underperforming tactics quickly and pivot strategy to maximize efficiency and impact.
Design and optimize campaigns using advanced targeting tactics, including geotargeting, geofencing, remarketing, and retargeting.
Develop audience strategies that balance reach, intent, and efficiency across the funnel.
Continuously refine targeting and segmentation to improve lead quality and conversion performance.
Evaluate, test, and scale new paid media platforms, formats, and channels based on program-specific and partner-specific needs.
Identify when more targeted or alternative approaches (e.g., affiliate marketing, niche platforms, contextual placements) are appropriate to test.
Apply a disciplined test-and-learn framework to assess impact, efficiency, and scalability before broader investment.
Partner closely with SEO and content teams to evaluate paid vs. organic opportunity by program, keyword, and market.
Adjust paid media investment as organic performance improves to lower overall cost of acquisition.
Collaborate with web and CRO teams to improve landing pages, conversion paths, messaging, and forms based on performance data.
Support experimentation efforts including A/B testing of creative, landing pages, and funnel flows.
Analyze full-funnel performance from click through enrollment to identify trends, gaps, and optimization opportunities.
Provide clear, actionable insights and recommendations to marketing leadership and internal stakeholders.
Partner with admissions and analytics teams to assess lead quality, speed-to-lead, and downstream outcomes.
Support evaluation of new program opportunities by analyzing search demand, keyword volume, audience intent, and competitive density.
Partner with marketing leadership and business development to develop lead volume, CPL, and enrollment projections for prospective programs.
Use paid media and search insights to inform go-to-market recommendations, channel mix, and budget expectations.
Identify early indicators of program risk or opportunity based on market signals and performance benchmarks.
Collaborate closely with the Director/Head of Marketing on strategy, planning, and forecasting.
Align with admissions teams to ensure paid media supports conversion efficiency and enrollment goals.