SEM Risk & Controls Manager

Tonic3•New York, NY

1d•$110,000 - $150,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The SEM Risk & Controls Manager serves as the primary owner and subject matter expert for the Paid Search controls framework. Working closely with Paid Search Activation, Ad Operations, Legal, Compliance, Risk, InfoSec, and external platform partners, you will oversee the controls operating model—including control execution, documentation, QA processes, governance routines, audit readiness, and regulatory compliance throughout the campaign lifecycle.

Requirements

4–7 years of experience in risk management, controls, compliance, audit, operational governance, or digital marketing operations within a regulated environment.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent university degree required.
Strong understanding of control frameworks, governance processes, audit management, control testing, and operational risk principles.
Working knowledge of paid search platforms and workflows (Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, SA360) across campaign intake, trafficking, QA, and reporting.
Proven ability to interpret enterprise policy and regulatory requirements, translating them into practical operational controls (preferably in financial services or another regulated sector).
Experience managing third-party risk, vendor governance, and control attestation processes.
Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence cross-functional partners in Legal, Risk, Tech, and Marketing.
Exceptional process documentation, policy writing, and organizational skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience with marketing automation/AI capabilities is a plus.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary owner for the Paid Search controls framework, managing control execution, monitoring, testing, documentation, and governance routines.
Serve as the primary point of contact for SEM control-related inquiries, governance requests, audits, risk assessments, and legal/compliance reviews.
Ensure operational controls and approvals (legal, compliance, disclosure) are consistently applied across campaign intake, building, trafficking, activation, and reporting.
Maintain control inventories, process manuals, workflow maps, operating procedures, and audit evidence repositories, updating them as policies, regulations, or platform capabilities evolve.
Coordinate audit requests, collect control evidence, track operational risk issues, and manage remediation action plans through to resolution.
Manage third-party risk activities, vendor due diligence reviews, control attestations, and ongoing monitoring of platform partners.
Establish exception-management processes to identify execution risks proactively and deliver regular reporting on control performance, audit outcomes, and risk indicators for leadership.
Provide risk and controls guidance for emerging marketing automation, platform enhancements, and AI-enabled search solutions while driving continuous process improvement.