Sr. Paid Media Manager

About the Role

We're building a paid media function that doesn't look like anyone else's. Not because we're contrarian, but because the old model — agency-heavy, manually optimized, slow to iterate — doesn't match how Abnormal operates or what this market demands.

This role is for someone who runs paid channels with genuine depth, builds the systems that make those channels scale, and uses AI the way other marketers use spreadsheets: constantly, fluently, and to do things that wouldn't otherwise be possible.

You'll own global paid media at a company in hyper growth — managing significant budget across SEM, paid social, display, and content syndication — and you'll be expected to bring both expert execution and a builder's instinct to every part of the program. That means you're not just managing campaigns. You're designing the operating model: how we track, how we automate, how we report, and how we keep reducing the gap between signal and action.

Agencies stay in the picture for what they're actually good at: localized creative execution and regional content production. Everything else — strategy, channel ownership, analysis, optimization logic, copy iteration — runs internally. That shift is already underway. This person accelerates it.

What You'll Do

Own and Scale Paid Channels

• Run day-to-day ownership of global paid search, paid social (LinkedIn, Meta, YouTube), programmatic display, and content syndication
• Set channel strategy by segment, geography, and funnel stage — not just by channel defaults
• Manage a significant paid media budget with full accountability for pipeline contribution, cost-per-opportunity, and ROI by pod
• Partner with RevOps and Marketing Ops to close measurement gaps — you won't accept "last-touch" as the answer

Build Systems, Not Just Campaigns

• Design and implement repeatable operating processes: campaign scaffolding, naming conventions, QA checklists, reporting cadences, and launch workflows
• Build automation layers that reduce manual work — bidding logic, budget pacing alerts, performance anomaly flags, and audience refresh triggers
• Reduce agency dependency by bringing capability in-house, and maintain a clear view of what the agency layer should and shouldn't own
• Create and maintain a living playbook so your program can scale without you being the single point of failure

Use AI as a Core Operating Tool

• Use AI tools daily: for copy generation and testing, audience hypothesis development, performance analysis, competitive research, and reporting narratives
• Build AI-assisted workflows that compress the time between insight and action — weekly optimizations shouldn't take half the week
• Know the limits: where AI accelerates (iteration, synthesis, pattern recognition) and where human judgment is required (original creative positioning, brand voice, strategy)
• Contribute to Abnormal's internal AI operating model — share what's working with the broader team, help other functions level up

Drive Pipeline with Rigor

• Build and manage paid programs tied to specific pipeline targets by segment (MM, ENT, PubSec) and geography
• Coordinate closely with field marketing, SDRs, and demand gen to align paid plays with account motion and pipeline gaps
• Own the conversion story from ad impression to qualified pipeline — be fluent in attribution, funnel metrics, and what each number actually means
• Run structured experiments: hypothesis → test → read → scale. Not one-off A/B tests that go nowhere

Must Haves

• 5–8+ years of B2B SaaS paid media experience, with direct ownership of paid search and paid social at a fast-growing company
• Proven track record of generating qualified pipeline — not just leads — from paid channels
• Demonstrated systems thinking: you've built something that runs without you having to touch it every day
• Hands-on fluency with AI tools applied to marketing work (not theoretical — you actually use them)
• Strong analytical foundation: you build your own reports, interpret your own data, and don't wait for someone else to tell you what's happening
• Experience managing $1M+ paid media budgets with accountability for performance outcomes
• Excellent communicator — can synthesize paid media performance for executives without hiding behind jargon

Strong Plus

• Experience running paid programs across global markets with localization considerations
• Background in ABM and account-based paid strategies (6sense, Demandbase, or similar)
• Familiarity with AI-native marketing ops patterns: automated reporting, LLM-assisted copy testing, workflow automation
• Experience working in a high-growth cybersecurity or enterprise SaaS company
• Prior experience restructuring or reducing agency relationships while maintaining output quality

What We're Not Looking For

This role is not a fit for someone who:

• Relies primarily on agencies for strategy or channel optimization
• Needs heavy tooling or large team support to move fast
• Treats AI as a future consideration rather than a present-tense advantage
• Approaches measurement with "awareness campaigns don't have ROI" energy