Paid Media Manager

**About the Role**

We’re looking for a strategic and results-driven Paid Media Manager to lead our Paid Media team. This role is for a player-coach; someone who can roll up their sleeves to drive client outcomes, while also building and mentoring a team of high-performing Paid Media Specialists. You'll design and lead paid media strategies that don’t just generate clicks—they generate pipeline and revenue for B2B SaaS companies.

At Kalungi, paid media isn’t siloed. It’s part of a larger, integrated demand generation strategy. We need someone who can look at a B2B SaaS business, its stage, go-to-market motion (PLG, SLG, or MLG), product maturity, and market position (maker vs. shaker), and quickly determine the best channel mix to drive results. Sometimes that’s paid. Sometimes it’s something else. This role is about choosing the right tool for the job, not just running ads.

As the Paid Media Manager, you’ll be responsible for both execution and elevation. You’ll drive client engagements directly, own team development, and constantly evolve our playbooks and strategies. You should be deeply familiar with platforms like Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, and Meta, and comfortable testing and iterating across new and emerging channels. Most importantly, you’re a lifelong learner who stays ahead of trends, industry updates, and best practices. And you bring your team with you.

**A Note on Cover Letters**

At Kalungi, we value syntropy — bringing order, clarity, and purpose to the work we do. Your cover letter is your first opportunity to do the same: to shape a clear, intentional story about who you are and how you create impact. Generic or lackluster cover letters miss that mark and will be disqualified.

**How You’ll Spend Your Time**
- Direct client strategy & execution (40%): Running paid media engagements for clients, building demand gen channel strategies, launching campaigns, optimizing results, and reporting on performance.
- Team management & development (40%): Coaching Paid Media Specialists, upleveling execution, building scalable systems and playbooks, and training the team to become full-stack demand gen strategists.
- Cross-functional collaboration & oversight (20%): Partnering with client delivery team leads (SEO/Content, ABM, Creative, Web Dev, & CMO team), reviewing deliverables, and ensuring every engagement is aligned with client goals and performance expectations.

**What You’ll Do**
- Leadership & Strategy_
- Own and evolve the Paid Media function at Kalungi, ensuring every dollar spent drives real business results.
- Design paid channel strategies tailored to client maturity, budget, growth motion, and competitive landscape.
- Build and maintain Kalungi’s Paid Media Playbook: frameworks, checklists, and training materials that level up the team and scale our impact.
- Train your team not just on tactical execution, but on demand generation fundamentals and how to tie paid media to pipeline and revenue.
- Act as a strategic consultant to clients, helping them understand the *why* behind every campaign and media choice.
- Evaluate opportunities beyond paid when it’s in the client's best interest: organic, content, partnerships, outbound, referral programs, industry publications, etc. and collaborate cross-functionally to execute integrated campaigns.
- Hire and mentor top-tier Paid Media Specialists, building a team that is proactive, data-driven, and focused on performance.
- Stay ahead of platform updates, audience trends, AI-powered targeting tools, and changes in buyer behavior. Share that knowledge with the team and integrate it into our strategy.
- Paid Media Execution_
- Launch and manage campaigns across Google Ads, LinkedIn, Meta, Gartner, and other B2B-relevant platforms.
- Build creative testing frameworks and performance-focused ad copy that speaks to specific personas and buyer stages.
- Execute daily and weekly optimizations across platforms: bidding, budget allocation, ad rotation, landing page alignment, negative keyword optimizations, etc.
- Conduct in-depth account audits and competitive research to inform strategic decisions.
- Leverage analytics tools (GA4, HubSpot, platform-native dashboards) to track performance and identify growth opportunities.
- Collaborate with design, content, and web teams to ensure high-converting creative, messaging, and landing page experiences.
- Support pipeline attribution tracking, custom reporting, and post-mortems to identify what’s working and what’s not.
- Performance & Optimization_
- Monitor KPIs across channels (e.g., MQLs, cost per MQL, conversion rates, pipeline influence, CAC) and adjust tactics to maximize results.
- Conduct A/B tests on copy, targeting, creative, and landing pages to continuously improve performance.
- Drive conversations with clients around performance insights, expectations, and strategic pivots when needed.

We’re not looking for someone who just knows how to set up ad campaigns. We’re looking for a demand generat