DescriptionYour role in helping us shape the future:We're hiring a Senior Director of Paid Marketing to lead the strategy, execution, and optimization of our performance marketing engine across paid search (SEM) and paid social. This is a senior leadership role for someone who blends sharp strategic thinking with deep operational rigor - and who is energized by using data, automation, and cross-functional collaboration to drive efficient, scalable growth.
You'll own a significant performance budget, set the vision for how we acquire customers through paid channels, and partner closely with Data Science, Engineering, Product, Design, Partnerships, and Legal to push the limits of what our paid program can do.
Are you up to the challenge?Strategy & Leadership - Define and own the multi-year vision and quarterly roadmap for paid search and paid social across all key platforms (Google, Bing, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Reddit, etc.)
- Set and manage budget allocation across channels, campaigns, and audiences to maximize ROI and align with broader business goals
- Lead, mentor, and grow a team of channel managers, analysts, and specialists
Execution & Optimization - Drive day-to-day campaign performance: creative testing, audience strategy, bid management, landing page experimentation, and budget pacing
- Build a culture of relentless testing - hypothesis-driven experimentation, clean read-outs, and rapid iteration
- Identify and deploy automation opportunities (smart bidding, dynamic creative, feed management, scripts/APIs) to scale efficiently
- analyze and build segmentations & audiences in and outside of the ad platforms to inform and make decisions on Revenue, Profit, and Quality of the leads.
- Lead building a lead scoring system to maximize Revenue, Profit, and Quality across campaigns. This includes leading cross sell strategy and utilizing multitouch and LTV models to the maximum potential
Data, Attribution & Measurement - Implement and manage advanced attribution models to understand the full-funnel impact of performance spend
- Partner with Data Science to refine LTV/CAC calculations, build and maintain incrementality testing programs, and use deep-funnel signals to inform bidding strategies
- Develop the measurement framework that distinguishes incremental growth from harvested demand - and use it to make smart reinvestment decisions
- Own paid marketing reporting: dashboards, exec updates, and the narrative behind the numbers
Cross-Functional Partnership - Partner with Data Engineering to ensure clean, reliable data pipelines for attribution and optimization
- Work with Product Management to align acquisition funnels and product experiences to maximize conversion and yield
- Collaborate with Partnerships on co-marketing, pricing and platform-specific opportunities
- Work with design & brand partners to produce performance-grade assets at the volume modern platforms demand
- Engage Legal and Privacy on consent frameworks, compliance, ad policies & creative approval
Position Requirements You should definitely have: - Minimum of ten (10) years of paid marketing experience, inclusive of 4 years leading teams at the Director level or above
- Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent experience required.
- Demonstrated track record of scaling paid search and paid social programs at meaningful budget levels (eight-figure annual spend or more)
- Deep technical fluency with major ad platforms and analytics tools
- Strong command of attribution methodology - MMM, MTA, incrementality testing - and the trade-offs between them
- Comfort partnering with Data Science on statistical concepts: causal inference, geo-experiments, holdout design
- Experience driving automation through APIs, scripts, or third-party tools
- Excellent communicator who can translate complex measurement concepts for executives and align cross-functional partners
- Bias for action, strong commercial instincts, and intellectual honesty about what's working and what isn't
It would be nice if you had: - Background in a variety of lead gen marketplaces
- Experience in financial services categories, particularly insurance
What it's like to work with us:Talent is our best asset! We invest in people with passion and potential who understand U.S. News' dedication to our consumers.
• Entrepreneurial, mission-driven culture with core values of quality and integrity
• Focus on fostering personal and professional growth
• Competitive benefits including paid vacation time, medical, tuition reimbursement, and training
• Collaborative Work Environment ~ Fun, diverse, inclusive and ambitious co-workers
Other Job Info: - These statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this job. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of employees assigned to this job.
- U.S. News & World Report strongly encourages all employees to be fully vaccinated (including boosters).
- Strong preference for New York or Washington, DC based applicants to work a hybrid schedule in those office locations. Remote applicants will be considered.
- The anticipated base salary for this position is $180,000 to $230,000. The actual base salary offered will depend on a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, interview performance, and if applicable, the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job.
Full-Time/Part-Time Full-Time
Number of Openings 1
About the Organization U.S. News & World Report is a publisher of news and information that empowers people to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives.
TagsThis position is currently accepting applications. 
