Paid Media Manager

Our client operates a technology-driven indoor soccer facility chain with dozens of locations across North America and an aggressive expansion target over the next two years. Founded by a former professional and international player, the business runs three product lines: youth and adult soccer classes, a proprietary technology-based one-on-one training system with no direct competitor, and a fast-growing adult pickup format. On-site conversion is already strong, so the mandate is simple. Bring more qualified leads through the door. They are hiring a Paid Media Specialist to take paid acquisition in-house from an outside agency, own Meta as the primary channel, support Google as the secondary channel, and raise the quality and velocity of creative. This is a 30 hour per week remote engagement. Need to have qualifications: 4+ years managing paid media with direct, hands-on ownership of Meta Ads Manager (not oversight of someone else running it) Proven experience running lead generation campaigns, not traffic or awareness campaigns Demonstrated ability to diagnose and reverse rising cost per lead through audience, structure, and creative changes Experience briefing, directing, and evaluating creative for paid social, including video and UGC-style content Track record of shipping new creative on a consistent testing cadence rather than letting evergreen assets run for months Working knowledge of Google Ads (Search, Performance Max, YouTube) sufficient to manage and optimize a secondary channel Experience with account hygiene: naming conventions, campaign structure, archiving dormant assets, clean reporting Experience with multi-location or local advertising, including geo-targeted structure and budget allocation across markets Ability to give specific, practical conversion feedback on landing pages Familiarity with conversion tracking and measurement: Meta pixel and Conversions API, GA4, UTM discipline, lead-stage reporting Ability to explain performance in terms of cost per qualified lead and downstream conversion, not CTR and CPM alone Strong written and verbal communication, with genuine real-time responsiveness rather than scheduled check-ins Ability to set a testing roadmap independently where no playbook exists Comfort with AI creative tools, paired with the judgment to reject output that does not look realistic C2 or Native level English is a must Meaningful daily overlap with US Central time hours Nice to have: Experience marketing to parents of youth athletes, or in youth sports, fitness, gyms, studios, or membership businesses Personal familiarity with soccer or another participation sport, enough to speak credibly to a knowledgeable audience Experience marketing to two distinct buyers in the same account (a parent buying for a child, and an adult buying for themselves) Experience with franchise or multi-unit brands, including new market launches Ability to script or storyboard short-form video and write UGC creator briefs Familiarity with Webflow and dedicated campaign landing pages Experience building campaigns around founder-led brand storytelling Experience with free trial and first-session lead magnets, and the follow-up sequence behind them Experience with Higgsfield, Runway, Midjourney, or comparable AI creative tools Experience taking an account over from an outside agency and rebuilding it Agency background combined with in-house pace and ownership Responsibilities: Own day-to-day Meta campaign management, including structure, audience testing, budget pacing, bidding, and daily optimization Rebuild and clean up the existing ad account, retire dormant assets, and set a clear naming and structure standard Run a continuous creative testing cadence so no ad set is left running on stale assets Brief, direct, and evaluate creative across static, video, and UGC formats, working alongside the in-house social and video lead Develop creative concepts around the founder story, the proprietary training technology, measurable improvement and touch-count proof points, and the adult pickup product Write and iterate ad copy and hooks for distinct audiences, including soccer-savvy parents and adult recreational players Build and test lead magnet offers such as a free one-on-one session or a free trial class, and the messaging around each Manage Google Ads as a secondary channel across Search, Performance Max, and YouTube Recommend and adjust budget allocation between Meta and Google based on cost per qualified lead, not historical split Review dedicated landing pages and give specific conversion feedback to the internal web owner Build campaign structure that scales across a growing facility count and supports new market launches Monitor performance daily and raise changes in real time rather than holding them for a scheduled review Report on cost per lead, lead quality, and cost per acquisition by location and by product line Partner with the email and lifecycle manager so paid leads are handed off cleanly into nurture Document what was tested, what won, and what was learned, so the account's learnings compound Provide overlap and continuity through the transition off the current outside agency, with no gap in live advertising