Manager, Paid Media (Contract)

Viral Nation Inc.

5h•$95,000 - $110,000

About The Position

At Viral Nation, we specialize in building social-first ecosystems for brands to connect with the modern consumer journey. Our integrated solutions align strategy, talent, media, and technology with culturally relevant creativity to scale the world’s fastest-growing digital brands. Viral Nation offers a fluid, creative, and growth-oriented environment that will support your ambitions to apply your talents in an open, collaborative, and fast-paced culture. Our ability to stay at the forefront of the industry has fuelled our success and will guide us in paving the path forward. We’re driven to push boundaries and think beyond today to deliver strategies, and we’re just getting started. While we continuously exceed our goals, we need your help – our success is only as great as our people. Strong performance leads to high expectations, and we must keep raising the bar! We are seeking an experienced and strategic digital marketing leader for a short-term contract role to drive high-impact, performance-focused media initiatives. In this position, you will lead the development and execution of full-funnel, cross-channel paid media strategies, with a strong emphasis on Paid Social, while guiding a team and managing key client relationships. This is an opportunity to step into a senior leadership role, delivering measurable results, optimizing campaign performance, and shaping strategic direction across multiple accounts in a fast-paced agency environment. This is a 3-6 month contract role.

Requirements

5+ years of performance-driven digital marketing experience, with deep expertise in Paid Social and strong working knowledge of Paid Search; Programmatic experience is a strong asset.
Proven experience managing and developing high-performing media buying teams, with at least 2–3 years in a leadership role.
Demonstrated ability to lead complex, multi-channel campaigns from strategy through execution, with a strong focus on ROI and performance outcomes.
Strong understanding of attribution models, conversion tracking, and measurement frameworks (e.g., platform attribution vs. GA, incrementality, lift testing), with the ability to guide measurement strategy and troubleshoot discrepancies.
Hands-on experience managing relationships with platform representatives (Meta, TikTok, Google, etc.) and external vendors—leveraging these partnerships for account growth, beta access, and performance improvements.
Advanced understanding of media planning, audience strategy, platform algorithms, and optimization techniques across major platforms (Meta, TikTok, Google, etc.).
Strong analytical mindset with the ability to translate data into insights, and insights into actionable strategies.
Excellent client management and communication skills, with experience presenting performance and strategy to senior stakeholders.
High proficiency in Google Suite and familiarity with project management tools (e.g., monday.com).
Strong operational mindset with the ability to build processes, improve workflows, and ensure executional excellence.
A sharp eye for creative performance and a strong understanding of digital trends, platform nuances, and consumer behavior.
Experience working in an agency or fast-paced, client-facing environment is highly preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead the development and execution of full-funnel, cross-channel paid media strategies that align with client business objectives and drive measurable impact.
Own campaign performance across Paid Social (primary), Paid Search, and Programmatic, ensuring best-in-class execution, optimization, and reporting across all channels.
Translate client goals into sophisticated media plans, balancing audience strategy, budget allocation, and channel mix to maximize efficiency and scale.
Act as the senior strategic lead on accounts—guiding optimization frameworks, identifying growth opportunities, and ensuring campaigns consistently meet or exceed KPIs.
Oversee and elevate campaign analysis by synthesizing performance data into actionable insights, strategic recommendations, and clear client narratives.
Manage and strengthen client relationships, serving as a trusted advisor while also overseeing vendor and platform partnerships.
Drive a culture of experimentation by designing and scaling testing frameworks across creative, audiences, bidding strategies, and platforms.
Partner closely with creative and strategy teams to ensure content aligns with platform best practices, audience insights, and performance goals.
Lead onboarding and audit processes for new clients, identifying gaps, opportunities, and building strong strategic foundations from day one.
Oversee campaign execution quality by establishing processes, QA standards, and tracking frameworks to ensure accuracy and consistency across accounts.
Collaborate cross-functionally with internal teams (strategy, analytics, creative, influencer) to ensure integrated and cohesive campaign delivery.
Manage, mentor, and grow a team of media buyers—providing ongoing feedback, training, and career development while elevating overall team performance.
Contribute to agency growth through thought leadership, process improvement, and participation in new business pitches and proposals.