Paid Media Senior Consultant

FTI Consulting•Washington, DC

4d•$77,000 - $118,000•Hybrid

About The Position

FTI Consulting's Corporate Positioning & Insights (CPI&I) practice is seeking a Paid Media Strategist to develop and execute paid media and digital strategy based on data-driven insights. This role will be an important contributor to accounts covering ongoing corporate brand positioning, public affairs campaigns, crisis response and special situations. In this role, the candidate will have the opportunity to work directly with clients across a range of sectors, as a key contributor to strategy and delivery, as well as helping to position our firm through thought leadership and contributions to generating new business. The role will develop in-depth knowledge of client objectives and challenges and bring expertise in paid media strategy to bear on fast-moving, news-shaping client engagements.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Communications, Marketing, Political Science, Business, or a related field.
3–5 years of hands-on paid media experience, ideally within a communications agency, public affairs firm, or digital consultancy.
Demonstrated experience planning and executing paid campaigns across paid search (Google Ads), paid social (LinkedIn, Meta), and programmatic display platforms.
Proficiency in campaign measurement and analytics tools, including Google Analytics (GA4), Google Tag Manager, and native platform reporting.
Experience with listening and monitoring tools such as Brandwatch, Meltwater and Signal AI, with proficiency in building queries using Boolean logic and establishing dashboards for reputation tracking.
Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate complex data sets into clear, client-ready narrative and recommendations.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; comfortable presenting to senior client stakeholders.
Proven ability to manage multiple accounts and deadlines simultaneously in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment.
Ability to travel to FTI office(s) and client site as needed
Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States for any employer on a full-time basis; this position does not provide visa sponsorship

Nice To Haves

Experience in B2B or public affairs paid media, including issue advocacy, corporate reputation, or financial communications campaigns.
Familiarity with DSPs and programmatic buying platforms.
Experience with CTV/OTT media planning and buying.
Working knowledge of data visualization and dashboarding tools
Google Ads, Meta Blueprint, or other relevant platform certifications.
Experience with audience research, social listening, and media intelligence tools (e.g., Brandwatch, Meltwater, Sprinklr).
Familiarity with SEO, search strategy, AI-powered search, Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and evolving digital discovery trends.
Exposure to A/B and multivariate creative testing methodologies.

Responsibilities

Lead the end-to-end management of paid media campaigns across channels including paid search (Google, Bing, ChatGPT), paid social (LinkedIn, Meta, X/Twitter), programmatic display, video/CTV, and out of home from briefing through to post-campaign analysis.
Translate client business objectives and communications strategies into actionable paid media plans, including audience segmentation, channel selection, budget allocation, and KPI frameworks.
Conceptualize and oversee creative concepting and copy requirements for paid activations, collaborating with creative and content colleagues to ensure messaging alignment.
Own campaign trafficking, tagging, and QA processes to ensure accurate tracking and attribution across all paid programs.
Manage campaign budgets with rigor, maintaining pacing reports and proactively flagging optimization opportunities or risks to senior team members and clients.
Serve as a primary day-to-day client contact on paid media accounts, communicating clearly and proactively with clients on campaign status, performance, and strategic direction.
Collaborate cross-functionally with colleagues across Corporate Positioning & Insights and wider Strategic Communications practices—including public affairs, financial communications, crisis management and corporate reputation—to deliver integrated, multi-channel communications programs.
Contribute to the development of client scopes, proposals, and presentations, articulating paid media strategy and measurement frameworks to senior audiences.
Support new business development efforts by contributing paid media expertise to pitches and credential documents.
Provide guidance and mentorship to junior analysts and associates, reviewing their work and supporting their development in paid media craft.
Contribute to Corporate Positioning & Insights' internal knowledge-sharing, staying current on platform updates, industry tools, and emerging best practices and disseminating insights to the broader team.
Assist in establishing and refining team processes, workflow standards, and quality-control frameworks for paid media delivery.