Senior Manager, Paid Search

The Role

We work with brilliant clients, ambitious briefs and complex paid search challenges where strong execution, commercial thinking and smart optimisation can make a genuine difference.

As a Paid Search Account Manager, you’ll be at the heart of that work: taking ownership of campaign delivery, identifying opportunities to improve performance, and turning complex performance data into clear, commercially relevant recommendations for clients.

You’ll bring advanced PPC expertise to every stage, from brief to activation, optimisation and performance analysis. Collaborating with your Paid Search Account Director and specialists across activation, you’ll independently develop smart, data-driven strategies that exceed client expectations, drive search maturity and ladder up to wider multi-channel campaigns.

You’ll build strong relationships with clients and partners, confidently offering useful insights and informed points of view while delivering against ambitious performance targets.

The Clients

This role will sit on one of two major client accounts, depending on experience and fit. Both offer sophisticated paid search challenges, but in quite different environments.

Client A — Omnichannel Retail

A major omnichannel retailer, where search sits very close to the commercial and trading performance of the business. With a large and varied product range, activity spans Search, Shopping and Performance Max, with plenty of complexity around product feeds, stock, pricing, promotions, margins, seasonality and the relationship between online sales and physical stores.

It’s a great account for someone who enjoys the commercial side of search: understanding what’s happening across the business and using that information to make smarter decisions about where and how to invest.

Client B — Publishing

One of the world’s best-known publishing organisations, with a large international readership and a highly successful digital subscription model. Here, the search challenge is about acquiring readers who go on to become valuable, long-term subscribers.

That means thinking beyond immediate CPA to subscriber quality, engagement, retention and lifetime value, while responding to search behaviour that can change rapidly with the news agenda.

It’s a fascinating account for someone interested in the intersection of search, content, audience behaviour and customer value.

Whichever account you join, search is closely connected to the commercial performance of the client, with the opportunity to go beyond campaign management and understand how paid search can contribute to wider business growth.

About the7stars

the7stars is unlike any other agency. Founded in 2005 with a promise to do things differently, our business is built on one word: Freedom.

Freedom shapes how we plan and buy media, build careers, create tools, collaborate and support one another. It’s enabled us to create an open, empowering environment where people can grow without limits.

With 300 passionate media specialists, multiple Best Places to Work awards and an agile global network, we focus purely on delivering outstanding work with integrity.

Key Responsibilities

Client Servicing & Engagement

• Be the main day-to-day contact for assigned clients, building strong relationships and responding effectively to both planned and ad-hoc requirements.
• Own day-to-day account delivery, drawing on wider team expertise where appropriate and supporting the development of junior team members.
• Support the development and delivery of PPC roadmaps, with a clear focus on Search Maturity.
• Turn performance data into clear recommendations and confidently present analysis, updates and strategic recommendations to clients.
• Identify opportunities to add value through specialist paid search expertise.
• Maintain a high level of attention to detail, ensuring accurate, error-free documentation.

Campaign Leadership

• Build media plans aligned to client objectives, budgets, audiences and platforms.
• Activate and optimise campaigns using advanced paid search features, tools and third-party partners to maximise performance and ROAS.
• Monitor and optimise campaign performance against agreed targets, producing accurate reporting to inform decision-making.
• Stay close to platform developments, betas and emerging opportunities, identifying those with genuine potential for clients.
• Design and run tests with clear objectives, robust measurement and documented learnings.
• Use agency reporting solutions to create clear, customised reports aligned to client and agency standards.
• Demonstrate an understanding of paid search within the broader digital strategy, selecting relevant KPIs and measurement approaches to drive business outcomes.

Strategy & Collaboration

• Build strong relationships with media partners and stay close to industry trends and emerging opportunities.
• Collaborate with client teams and specialists to deliver integrated campaigns.
• Support team delivery by managing workload effectively and delegating where appropriate.
• Share knowledge on PPC best practices, emerging technologies and industry developments.
• Contribute to wider agency initiatives, including search excellence, digital maturity, process improvement and training, supporting continuous learning and industry recognition.

What We’re Looking For

Essential

• Evidence of delivering exceptional performance through solid analysis, bespoke recommendations and first-class execution.
• Experience using Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising, including campaign types such as Search, Shopping, Performance Max and Demand Gen.
• SA360 experience would be preferred, including an understanding of automated bidding strategies and other advanced features.
• Deep understanding of Paid Search best practices, with the ability to think innovatively.
• A basic understanding of measurement, analytics and attribution within Google Ads, GA4 and SA360.
• Passion for delivering innovation and award-winning work through implementational planning and buying.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively within a team, support team members and contribute to a positive and inclusive working environment.
• Self-motivated and proactive, with the ability to take ownership of tasks and drive them to completion.
• Exceptional attention to detail.

Desirable

• Experience on retail media platforms such as Criteo and CitrusAd.
• Experience using Meta, TikTok and other social platforms for campaign set-up and management.
• Basic understanding of measurement, analytics and attribution within GA4 and CM360.
• Proficiency in Smartly.

Benefits

• Uncounted holiday plus additional wellbeing days.
• Performance-related bonuses (summer profit share & Christmas bonus).
• Hybrid working: 4 days in our brand-new office (with free breakfast & fruit) and 1 day from home.
• Work From Anywhere for up to 2 weeks each year.
• Personalised training plan, coaching and clear progression support.
• Paid gym membership (choice of 5 gyms).
• Private medical cover & cashback plan.
• Flexible pension scheme with up to 8% employer contribution.
• Season ticket loan, Railcard & Cycle to Work scheme.
• And much, much more!

the7stars is committed to creating a diverse environment, where employees feel empowered to share different ideas, perspectives and experiences in a collaborative and creative work environment.

Equality and inclusion are at the heart of our culture. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race (which includes colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.