Senior SEM Account Manager

About Softline Solutions

Softline Solutions is a full-service digital marketing agency based in Southern California that helps businesses grow online by increasing visibility, generating leads, and boosting sales. They build tailored, data-driven campaigns across key digital channels and manage everything from strategy to execution and reporting. The goal is measurable growth, not buzzwords.

About the role

Softline Solutions is seeking a Senior SEM Account Manager to lead strategy, execution, and performance growth for a portfolio of larger lead generation-focused accounts. This is a high-impact, high-ownership role for an experienced paid media professional who combines deep analytical intelligence with client-facing leadership and hands-on campaign execution expertise.

The ideal candidate brings expert-level command of Google Ads and paid search in particular, alongside meaningful experience across Meta and supporting platforms. You will go deep on campaign data, surface non-obvious insights, and translate them into concrete strategies that move the revenue needle - while also serving as the primary point of contact for client-facing reviews, planning sessions, and growth discussions.

This role sits at the intersection of paid search leadership, performance analytics, and cross-functional strategy. You will partner closely with our Creative, CRO, Analytics, and Development teams - both to improve conversion performance and to ensure paid media intelligence is actively informing creative direction, copy development, and go-to-market planning.

This is a senior individual contributor and client leadership role with significant strategic ownership, visibility, and growth potential within Softline's Managed Services Division.

Core Responsibilities

Paid Search Campaign Management & Execution

• Build, launch, manage, and optimize paid search campaigns across:
• Google Ads - Search, Performance Max, Display, Demand Gen, YouTube
• Microsoft Advertising
• Additional platforms including Meta (Facebook/Instagram), LinkedIn, TikTok, Criteo, AdRoll, and emerging channels
• Manage a focused portfolio of larger lead generation accounts with complex funnels and aggressive growth goals
• Develop and own campaign architecture, ad group structure, keyword strategy, match type governance, bid strategy configuration, and budget allocation frameworks
• Execute Responsive Search Ad (RSA) copy testing cycles, PMAX asset group optimization, and Shopping feed hygiene for accounts where applicable
• Conduct technical account audits covering structure, naming conventions, Quality Score factors, automation settings, and tracking integrity - delivering written reports with prioritized action plans

Performance Analysis & Reporting

• Conduct comprehensive, platform-level deep-dives across Google Ads (Search, Display, Demand Gen, PMAX, YouTube) and Meta Ads, analyzing campaign structure, ad set efficiency, creative performance, copy effectiveness, audience segmentation, bidding strategies, and budget allocation
• Build and own recurring performance reports and executive-level dashboards using GA4, Looker Studio, and native platform reporting - ensuring insights are actionable and clearly tied to client business KPIs
• Identify performance trends, anomalies, and attribution gaps across the full funnel - from impression to closed revenue and develop structured recommendations from findings
• Develop forecasting models, budget allocation recommendations, and KPI reporting frameworks for client accounts
• Perform competitor analysis and benchmark client performance against industry standards to contextualize results and identify growth whitespace
• Conduct post-campaign retrospectives and A/B test analyses with statistically sound methodology, translating results into documented learnings for future campaign cycles

Attribution & Measurement

• Serve as a senior practitioner on Google Analytics 4 - including event schema design, conversion configuration, custom reporting, attribution modeling, and data layer governance
• Lead UTM taxonomy governance and QA across all paid channels to ensure clean, consistent tracking that enables accurate multi-touch attribution
• Implement and troubleshoot conversion tracking across Google Ads, Meta Pixel, CAPI (Conversions API), GA4, GTM, and third-party platforms
• Evaluate and advise on attribution model selection (data-driven, linear, time-decay, position-based) relative to client business models and funnel complexity
• Manage or contribute to CRM integrations, offline conversion imports, and enhanced conversions to improve signal quality and reduce dependence on cookie-based tracking
• Stay current with evolving privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA), browser-level tracking restrictions, and their implications for measurement strategy

Creative & Copy Performance Intelligence

• Analyze creative and ad copy performance at a granular level - by format, messaging angle, visual treatment, CTA, and funnel stage - to identify which combinations drive qualified engagement and conversion
• Develop structured creative performance briefs that arm brand and creative teams with data-backed direction for asset development
• Partner with the Creative team on iterative testing roadmaps - providing clear hypotheses, success metrics, and post-test analysis for each cycle
• Audit ad copy for message-market fit, Quality Score alignment, and emotional resonance; deliver copy scoring reports with specific revision recommendations
• Maintain a creative intelligence repository documenting winning themes, fatigue signals, and platform-specific best practices

Client-Facing Leadership & Strategic Planning

• Lead client-facing performance reviews, QBRs (Quarterly Business Reviews), strategic planning sessions, and growth discussions - calibrating depth and communication style to the audience
• Translate business objectives into actionable media, landing page, and testing strategies with clearly defined success metrics
• Prepare and present analysis decks and ad hoc deep-dives to client marketing leaders and, where applicable, C-suite stakeholders
• Contribute to new business pitches by providing data-driven channel opportunity analyses and competitive landscape assessments
• Serve as the primary day-to-day client contact for accounts in your portfolio, maintaining strong communication cadences and high satisfaction standards

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate cross-functionally with CRO, Creative, SEO, Analytics, and Development teams to improve conversion performance and user journey outcomes
• Translate paid media insights to inform broader brand strategy, content calendars, and go-to-market planning alongside creative and brand teams
• Coordinate deliverables across internal teams while maintaining accountability and execution quality
• Document processes, analytical frameworks, and optimization playbooks that can be leveraged across the broader paid media team

Project & Workflow Management

• Manage workflows, timelines, and campaign execution using Jira and Confluence
• Maintain structured project documentation including analysis briefs, test logs, recommendation trackers, and performance scorecards
• Manage multiple concurrent account workstreams without sacrificing analytical depth or turnaround quality

Qualifications

Experience

• 5-8+ years of SEM / paid media experience within a digital marketing agency environment
• Proven experience managing larger lead generation-focused accounts with complex funnels
• Demonstrated ability to do both: campaign execution AND deep analytical work - this role requires both
• Track record managing and analyzing paid media campaigns with monthly budgets of $50K-$500K+
• Experience working directly with creative and brand teams to inform asset strategy using performance data
• History of building and presenting formal performance analysis and strategy to senior stakeholders and clients

Platform & Technical Expertise

• Expert-level proficiency in Google Ads - Search, Display, Demand Gen, Performance Max, YouTube, and Shopping
• Strong hands-on expertise in Meta Ads Manager - including campaign architecture, Advantage+ campaigns, DPA, CAPI, audience strategy, and creative testing methodology
• Deep proficiency in Google Analytics 4 - custom event configuration, attribution modeling, exploration reports, and integration with Google Ads / GTM
• Proficiency in Google Tag Manager - container management, trigger/variable configuration, conversion tracking setup, and QA debugging
• Working proficiency in Microsoft Advertising; LinkedIn Ads, TikTok Ads, or programmatic DSPs a strong plus
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and Google Sheets - pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, data modeling
• Experience with Looker Studio / Google Data Studio; Supermetrics, Tableau, Power BI, or BigQuery preferred
• Familiarity with A/B testing strategy, landing page optimization, and conversion funnel analysis
• Experience with Jira, Confluence, and structured project management workflows
• Working knowledge of HTML, JavaScript, or SQL is a meaningful differentiator

Communication & Soft Skills

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills - able to write a crisp executive summary AND walk a client through a complex attribution discrepancy without losing them
• Strong presentation skills: comfortable leading QBRs, strategy reviews, and data deep-dives with client marketing leaders
• Highly organized with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Proactive, solutions-oriented mindset with strong independent judgment
• Collaborative by default - shares insights freely, elevates teammates, and builds trust across creative, brand, and account teams

Why Join Us

• High-growth agency environment with strong career advancement opportunities
• Strategic ownership over meaningful client accounts with real accountability and visibility
• Collaborative culture with integrated Paid Media, CRO, Creative, and Analytics teams
• Opportunity to influence performance strategy, creative direction, and client growth at scale
• Annual professional development budget for certifications, conferences, and training
• Paid platform certification bonuses - Google, Meta Blueprint, LinkedIn, TikTok
• Flexible remote / hybrid work policy; Los Angeles home base preferred but not required

The pay range for this role is:

110,000 - 135,000 USD per year (Softline HQ)