150 Best plus us Jobs in Manchester (November 2025)

Paid Search Lead

12 hours ago

Manchester

Paid Search Lead We're expanding our Performance team and looking for an exceptional Paid Search Lead to lead our Paid Search function within the agency This role is perfect for someone with deep paid search expertise who wants to shape strategy, build high-performing teams, and drive significant commercial impact in a fast-paced integrated agency environment. Working across diverse client accounts from startups to multi-nationals, you'll lead paid search strategy, develop our team capabilities, and play a critical role in our Performance department's growth and evolution. Crucially, you'll be the driving force behind evolving our paid search product offering and leading our automation agenda to create competitive advantage. Purpose of the role Reporting to the Performance & Innovation Strategy Director, you will be instrumental in scaling and maturing our paid search capability at TrunkBBI. You'll define what "best-in-class" paid search looks like for the agency, lead the development of our product offering, and champion automation initiatives that increase efficiency and performance. Working across the wider Performance and Creative departments, you'll deliver exceptional results that drive agency growth and client retention What you will do Strategic Leadership & Product Development • Own and evolve the agency's paid search product, defining our service offering, pricing models, and competitive positioning in the market, • Lead the automation agenda: identify, test, and implement automation opportunities that reduce manual workload while improving performance outcomes, • Build and document scalable processes, frameworks, and methodologies that can be replicated across accounts and team members, • Develop proprietary tools, scripts, and dashboards that differentiate our offering and create efficiency gains, • Define and execute paid search strategies across Google Ads and Microsoft Ads that deliver measurable business outcomes for clients Innovation & Capability Building • Champion emerging paid search capabilities (AI-driven optimization, privacy-first measurement, automation strategies) and integrate them into our service delivery, • Create training programs and knowledge-sharing initiatives that upskill the team on automation tools and advanced techniques, • Build relationships with platform partners (Google, Microsoft) to gain early access to beta features and maintain cutting-edge capabilities, • Contribute to agency-wide innovation initiatives and thought leadership, positioning TrunkBBI as an authority in automated paid search management Client & Commercial Excellence • Lead paid search strategy across £10m+ in annual ad spend, • Own client relationships at senior level, translating paid search performance into business impact and strategic recommendations, • Drive commercial performance: client retention, upsell opportunities, and new business wins through strategic excellence and differentiated product offerings, • Lead audits and pitch presentations for new business opportunities, showcasing our automation capabilities and product approach Team Development & Management • Line manage and develop a PPC Manager, coaching them to become effective leaders themselves, • Set standards for account management, optimization frameworks, and performance reporting across the paid search team, • Foster a culture of continuous improvement, experimentation, and automation-first thinking Analysis & Integration • Analyse cross-account performance data to identify trends, opportunities, and strategic insights that elevate our entire practice, • Collaborate with Creative, SEO, and other Performance channels to deliver integrated campaign strategies, • Identify where automation can enhance (not replace) strategic thinking and creative integration Requirements Essential Experience • 5+ years working in paid search with demonstrable strategic and commercial impact, • Proven track record of implementing automation solutions (scripts, rules, API integrations, or custom tools) that delivered measurable efficiency or performance gains, • Deep expertise across Google & Microsoft Ads spanning lead generation, e-commerce, and brand performance, • Experience managing £5m+ in annual ad spend across multiple accounts, • Track record of consistently delivering 25%+ YoY performance improvements, • Proven experience managing and developing paid search professionals Technical & Strategic Capabilities • Strong product thinking: ability to define, package, and evolve service offerings that meet market needs, • Advanced knowledge of Performance Max, AI-driven optimization, automation strategies, and privacy-first measurement approaches, • Experience with Google Ads scripts, API implementations, or building custom reporting/optimization tools, • Strategic thinker who can balance long-term vision with short-term execution, • Exceptional analytical skills with ability to derive actionable insights from complex datasets Commercial & Leadership Skills • Strong commercial acumen with experience driving client growth and new business, • Confident presenting to C-level stakeholders and translating technical performance into business value, • Self-directed with ability to manage multiple priorities and drive initiatives forward independently, • Clear perspective on paid search's evolving role in the marketing mix and ability to influence client thinking, • Outstanding communication skills, both written and verbal, • Passion for efficiency, automation, and systematic improvement - you get excited about eliminating repetitive work and building better ways of working Your rewards Alongside a competitive salary, you will receive: • 24 days holiday plus 3 days over Christmas., • An additional day of holiday for each year of service, up to a total of 5 extra days., • The option to buy an extra week’s holiday per year., • 0.5-day life balance day each month to do whatever you want (excludes December), • Early finish on a Friday., • Private health insurance which covers pre-existing conditions, cancer care and gives cashback for routine optical and dental treatments., • Life assurance., • Pension scheme., • Enhanced maternity and paternity pay., • A £1,000 payment for referring a new hire. And we offer: • Hybrid working and flexibility., • Access to a personal trainer/nutritionist., • Free fruit and breakfast in the Manchester office., • Mental health support and access to professional therapists through ‘Spill’., • Peer feedback and performance reviews tailored personal development plans and objectives., • Access to industry-accredited professional qualifications through our IPA membership., • Employee voice, we consult our people on matters affecting them and encourage participation in agency surveys, our suggestions box and employee awards., • A social buddy upon joining who helps you settle into the agency., • Monthly agency socials and events put on by our culture committee., • Lunch & Learn events to gain more understanding of different facets of agency life., • All supported by a culture driven by great work, team collaboration, passion, honesty, and mutual respect for everyone. Our commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion We had always thought our business was open and inclusive. Afterall, one of our values is “Everyone matters.” We hammer home the behaviour of treating everyone with respect, seeing things from the other person’s perspective, understanding that everyone has different values, responsibilities, concerns and families. But when you delve a little deeper into Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, this value is a great place to start but it involves so much more. Here at TrunkBBI, we naturally welcome difference. It’s what gives us strength as a business, the wide breadth of experience, capabilities, and perspectives. And any creative business knows that the best ideas don’t come from just one place. Diversity is important, but we feel what makes the real difference is inclusivity, or the act of helping people feel valued and enabled regardless of their differences. We have really then only just begun our diversity and inclusivity journey. We started by ensuring everyone has mandatory training to help people understand what it means to be inclusive. We’ve set up a panel of people within the business to champion difference and we have ambassadors who are gaining their IPA D, E & I certifications. We continue to learn and evolve, and realise that this is not a quick win, or a ‘one and done.’ We are adapting our practices, offering home working, flexibility around start times, offer monthly life-balance days, access to mental health professionals, and assessing our working spaces to accommodate brilliant neurodivergent minds. And will continue to evolve to enable the differences around us. About TrunkBBI TrunkBBI is The Creative & Performance marketing agency. Unique in our approach and our desire to do things differently, we build client teams that combine the best of abilities across creative disciplines and performance channels, our belief in our approach ensures we produce brilliant results for our clients. Want to join us? If you want to join our talented team, please apply to this ad with your CV.

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