Google Ads Sr. Strategist

Google Ads Sr. Strategist

Department: Paid Media / Performance Marketing

Reports To: Chief Strategist

Type: Full-Time

Preferred Location: San Diego (Hybrid)

About the Role

This is a senior-level oversight role on high-spend ecommerce accounts. You won't be building campaigns or pulling reports day to day. Instead, you'll act as the strategic layer above one or more Media Buyers, running frequent mini-audits, diagnosing account health, and setting the direction on when accounts should push for scale versus tighten for efficiency. You'll delegate reporting and execution work to your Media Buyer(s) so your time stays focused on strategy and judgment calls.

This role suits someone who has already spent years in the weeds of Google Ads (Search, PMax, Shopping, Demand Gen) and is ready to operate at a higher altitude — reviewing accounts critically, spotting what a buyer might miss, and coaching them toward better decisions.

What You'll Do

Account Oversight & Mini-Audits

• Run recurring mini-audits (weekly/bi-weekly) across a portfolio of high-spend ecommerce accounts, reviewing budget allocation, campaign structure, bidding strategy, and creative/feed health
• Identify misallocated spend, underperforming segments, zero-conversion waste, and missed reallocation opportunities
• Flag account risks before they become client-facing problems

Strategic Direction

• Determine when an account should pivot toward scale (expanding budget, testing new campaign types, broadening targeting) versus efficiency (tightening targeting, cutting waste, protecting margin)
• Evaluate the account holistically across the full campaign mix rather than judging individual campaigns in isolation — understanding how Search, PMax, Shopping, and Demand Gen interact and support one another before recommending changes
• Push accounts toward genuine new customer acquisition rather than allowing performance to lean on easy, low-effort conversions from branded search terms
• Set quarter-over-quarter and month-over-month strategic priorities for each account
• Advise on Search, PMax, Shopping, and Demand Gen strategy specifically, including channel mix and budget shifts between them
• Monitor daily pacing towards goals, and work with the media buyer to pivot when needed.

Media Buyer Management

• Delegate reporting, data pulls, and routine optimization tasks to Media Buyer(s), reviewing their output rather than producing it yourself
• Coach Media Buyers on execution quality, catching errors and skill gaps early
• Translate high-level strategy into clear, actionable direction the Media Buyer can implement

Client & Cross-Functional Communication

• Communicate strategic rationale to internal stakeholders and, where needed, directly to clients
• Partner with attribution/analytics resources to ensure account decisions are grounded in accurate performance data (e.g., properly crediting top-of-funnel activity via multi-touch attribution)
• Assist the Account Director and Chief Strategist in preparing client-facing communications, including talking points, strategic narratives, and QBR/audit presentations
• Support client meetings and presentations as needed, providing account-level detail and answering tactical questions the Account Director or Chief Strategist can't speak to directly

What We're Looking For

• 6+ years managing Google Ads for ecommerce accounts, including meaningful experience at high monthly spend levels ($500k+/month)
• 1+ years of client facing experience, co-presenting on calls and communicating effectively with clients
• Deep, current expertise across Search, Performance Max, Shopping, and Demand Gen
• Track record of making scale-vs-efficiency tradeoff calls under real budget and margin pressure
• Ability to assess account performance holistically — reading a full campaign portfolio rather than optimizing individual campaigns in a vacuum
• Strong bias toward new customer acquisition, with a critical eye for accounts that look healthy on paper but are propped up by branded search conversions
• Experience reviewing or auditing someone else's account work, not just building your own
• Comfort delegating and managing a Media Buyer's day-to-day workload without micromanaging
• Strong grasp of attribution concepts (click vs. view-through, multi-touch models) and how they affect strategic decisions
• Sharp, structured communicator — able to explain "why" behind a strategic call to both a media buyer and a client

Nice to Have

• Experience with Windsor.ai, NorthBeam, or similar cross-account reporting/attribution tools
• Agency background managing a portfolio of brands rather than a single in-house account
• Experience building or reviewing client-facing audit decks

Compensation: $90,000–$130,000 annually

Final compensation will depend on experience, qualifications, and overall fit for the role.

Benefits: Full-time W-2 employees are eligible for company-sponsored medical coverage, with Mirasma covering 100% of the employee-only premium. Dental and vision coverage are also available, along with employer-paid basic life and long-term disability insurance. Benefits begin after a 60-day waiting period and are administered through ADP TotalSource.