Manager, Paid Search

Merge•Chicago, NY

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

At MERGE, we are Built Different. We are a marketing and technology agency purpose-built for the intersection of health and wellness—where human impact matters most. By weaving storytelling through technology, we move beyond traditional engagement to Whole Human Marketing. This approach recognizes that humans are multidimensional and complex, and uses AI to ensure every brand interaction feels natural, contextual, and relevant. This commitment to human-first innovation is what brings us together and propels us forward. We are united by our North Star: to unite people and brands to empower healthier, happier lives. Emerge to the Top of Your Career At MERGE, we strive to create a superior work experience where talented and ambitious people grow. An experience that encourages people to think higher and feel deeper. An experience where people engage their minds and hearts to do the best work of their careers. As our Manager, Paid Search, you will support MERGE's practice in creating, optimizing, and executing top-tier client paid search campaigns. As a hands-on player and coach, you will guide and mentor our paid search specialists while overseeing keyword research, campaign builds, client recommendations, QA processes, and performance reporting. Bring your passion, natural curiosity, and collaborative spirit to drive real impact for our clients while keeping a strong focus on agility, technical ability, and humble leadership.

Requirements

3 to 5 years of professional paid search campaign management experience
Essential, proven experience working on Life Science and Pharma accounts, navigating their unique campaign needs with care and expertise.
True mastery of search engines and management platforms (such as Fluency, Search Ads 360, Skai, Marin, Optmyzr, Smartly.io, or Adalysis)
Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Google Workspace.
Blend critical thinking with a solution-oriented mindset, pivoting quickly when performance data or market conditions change.
Enjoy lifting up others, communicating complex insights clearly, and managing multiple high-priority projects under tight deadlines with composure and team spirit.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Advertising, or equivalent hands-on experience.

Responsibilities

Lead the discovery process to understand overall client and PPC goals, conducting thorough audits to pinpoint structural opportunities and refine campaign tactics.
Ensure analytics tracking implementation is accurate, seamless, and easy to manage while identifying key optimization opportunities on landing pages.
Build and recommend keyword strategies, negative keyword maintenance, and ongoing testing plans (such as search query reports and keyword overlap analyses).
Continuously analyze program performance against core KPIs (ROAS, CTR, CPA, conversion rates) to keep campaigns sharp, agile, and effective.
Lead client status and reporting calls to present actionable insights, performance results, and proactive optimization strategies.
Collaborate closely with major search engines and media partners, including Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft, to leverage the best tools and opportunities.
Act as the primary contact for resolving billing discrepancies in close partnership with our client strategy and billing reconciliation teams.
Lead rigorous QA checks for trafficked approved plans across engines (keywords, ad copy, extensions) and launch parameters (dayparting, bids, budgets, and targeting).
Train and empower paid search specialists, sharing your expertise generously while acting as a trusted subject matter expert for our broader media strategy teams.
Actively contribute to overall account strategy—including annual budget planning, KPI setting, and partner selection—and share insightful POVs on industry trends both internally and externally.