Role Blueprint: Paid Ads Manager
Let’s cut to the chase. In today’s digital world, hoping customers will just find you is not a strategy; it’s a slow death. To grow, you need to invest in advertising. But throwing money at Google or Facebook without an expert at the controls is like trying to fly a helicopter by just pulling levers randomly. It’s going to be messy and expensive.
A professional Paid Ads Manager isn’t an expense; they are a revenue-generating machine. This is the person who takes your advertising budget and turns it into a predictable stream of leads and sales. They are part scientist, part strategist, and part data detective, responsible for delivering a measurable return on every dollar you spend.
This blueprint will help you hire a top-tier Paid Ads Manager who can turn your ad spend into your most profitable investment.
1. The Job Description (The Mission, Not Just the Tasks)
Role: Paid Ads Manager
Mission: To own and manage the company’s entire paid advertising strategy across search (Google, Bing) and social (Meta, LinkedIn) platforms. Your mission is to drive profitable customer acquisition at a predictable cost, consistently meeting or exceeding our target Return on Ad Spend (ROAS). You will be the architect and pilot of our growth engine, turning clicks into customers.
Key Responsibilities:
This is a highly analytical and technical role focused on performance and optimisation. Your primary duties will include:
- Strategy & Campaign Development: Design, develop, and manage comprehensive paid advertising strategies across Google Ads, Bing Ads, Meta (Facebook & Instagram) Ads, and LinkedIn Ads.
- Campaign Execution & Optimisation: Build and launch campaigns from the ground up, including conducting keyword research, defining target audiences, writing compelling ad copy, and setting up bidding strategies.
- Budget Management: Manage and allocate the monthly advertising budget effectively across different platforms and campaigns to maximise performance and achieve target KPIs.
- A/B Testing & Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO): Continuously test all elements of your campaigns—ad copy, creative, landing pages, audiences, and bidding strategies—to improve performance.
- Performance Analysis & Reporting: Meticulously track, analyse, and report on campaign performance, creating insightful reports that go beyond the numbers to provide actionable recommendations for improvement.
- Technical Implementation: Implement and manage conversion tracking pixels and events using tools like Google Tag Manager to ensure accurate data collection.
- Market & Platform Research: Stay at the forefront of the paid media landscape, including platform updates, new ad formats, and emerging best practices to keep our strategy competitive.
- Collaboration: Work with the content and design teams to develop high-performing ad creatives and landing pages that are congruent with your campaigns.
2. Skills & Experience (The “Must-Haves” vs. “Nice-to-Haves”)
Hard Skills (The Non-Negotiables):
- Expert-level Platform Proficiency: Deep, hands-on experience with Google Ads (Search, PMax, Shopping), Bing Ads, Meta Ads Manager, and LinkedIn Campaign Manager.
- Data Analysis & Reporting: You are a wizard with numbers and can confidently use Google Analytics 4, Excel/Google Sheets to analyse performance data and build insightful reports.
- Conversion Tracking: Proficiency with implementing and troubleshooting conversion tracking via Google Tag Manager and platform-native pixels is essential.
- A/B Testing Methodology: A strong understanding of how to structure and run statistically significant tests.
- Budget Management: Proven experience managing and allocating advertising budgets to achieve specific goals.
- Advanced AI Tools Proficiency: Expertise in using AI for ad copy generation (e.g., Anyword, Jasper), audience insights, and leveraging platform-native AI features like Google’s Performance Max and Meta’s Advantage+ campaigns.
- Compelling Ad Copywriting: Ability to write direct, persuasive copy that drives clicks and conversions.
Soft Skills (The Game Changers):
- Highly Analytical: You are driven by data, not by ego or gut feelings.
- Extremely Detail-Oriented: You understand that a single misplaced setting can cost thousands of dollars.
- Strategic Problem Solver: You can diagnose underperforming campaigns and develop a clear plan to fix them.
- Proactive Communicator: You can clearly explain complex performance data and your strategic recommendations to stakeholders.
Experience:
- Required: 4+ years in a hands-on paid advertising role, managing campaigns across both search and social platforms.
- Required: Demonstrated experience managing monthly ad budgets of at least $5,000 and achieving specific ROAS or CPA targets. Be prepared to discuss your results and strategies.
- Highly Regarded: Google Ads and/or Meta Blueprint certifications.
- Nice to Have: Experience with reporting tools like Looker Studio or Supermetrics.
3. Remuneration Structure (The Complete Picture)
This is a high-impact, technical role with a direct line to revenue generation. To attract an experienced professional in the Philippines, the salary must be competitive.
- Base Salary Range (Annual):
- ₱960,000 – ₱1,680,000 Philippine Pesos (PHP)
- $24,000 – $42,000 Australian Dollars (AUD) (approx. at a 1:40 exchange rate)
- This is paid bi-monthly on the 15th & final day of the month and is highly dependent on the candidate’s demonstrated experience managing significant ad spend and delivering results.
- The Aussie SMB Guide to Filipino Remuneration: (Assuming employed locally vs an independent contractor)
- 13th Month Pay: This is a legally mandated bonus in the Philippines, equivalent to one month’s salary, paid in December. You must budget for this.
- Health Insurance (HMO): Providing private health insurance is the #1 most sought-after benefit and a key differentiator for being an employer of choice. Budget approx. ₱25,000 – ₱40,000 per year for a quality plan.
- Contributions: The employer is also responsible for contributions to SSS (Social Security), PhilHealth (National Health Insurance), and Pag-IBIG (Home Development Fund).
- Fully Loaded Cost: As a rule of thumb, you should budget an additional 15-20% on top of the base salary to cover the 13th-month pay, benefits, and government contributions.
4. Reporting Structure (Who Answers to Whom)
- Direct Manager: This role reports directly to the Head of Marketing or the Business Owner/CEO.
- Direct Reports: This is a specialist role with no direct reports.
- Key Collaborators:
- Works closely with the Content Marketing Manager to ensure landing page copy is optimised for conversion.
- Collaborates with the Graphic Designer and Social Media Manager to request and test new ad creative.
5. Success Measurement (How We Keep Score)
This role is defined by numbers. There is no ambiguity. Success is measured by the profitable performance of your campaigns.
- Primary KPI – Profitability: Maintain an average Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) of 4:1 across all platforms.
- Primary KPI – Efficiency: Achieve a Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) of under $50 for new customers.
- Secondary KPI – Quality: Improve the average Conversion Rate (CVR) of key landing pages by 10% quarter-on-quarter.
- Secondary KPI – Health: Maintain a healthy Click-Through Rate (CTR) and Quality Score/Ad Relevance score across platforms.
6. Onboarding (The First 90-Day Flight Plan)
- First 30 Days (Audit & Access):
- Gain full access to all ad accounts, analytics platforms, and historical performance data.
- Conduct a comprehensive audit of all existing and past campaigns to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities.
- Deeply understand the business’s unit economics, customer lifetime value, and profit margins.
- Present a detailed audit report with a clear 60-day action plan.
- First 60 Days (Optimise & Test):
- Implement “quick win” optimisations to stop budget wastage and improve immediate performance.
- Begin restructuring campaigns for better tracking, targeting, and scalability.
- Launch your first series of structured A/B tests for ad copy and creative.
- First 90 Days (Scale & Report):
- Develop a strategic 6-month roadmap for testing new channels, audiences, and campaign types.
- Begin to carefully scale the budget for winning campaigns.
- Establish a clear performance dashboard and reporting rhythm to be shared with stakeholders.
7. Processes (How We Do Things ‘Round Here)
- Campaign Launch Protocol: A detailed checklist that must be completed before any new campaign goes live, covering tracking setup, audience configuration, creative checks, and budget confirmation.
- Weekly Optimisation Routine: A documented set of tasks to be performed weekly, including reviewing search term reports, analysing audience performance, adjusting bids, and refreshing ad creative.
- Monthly Performance Review Process: A standard template and agenda for the monthly reporting meeting, focusing on results, insights, and the plan for the month ahead.
8. Tools & SaaS Stack (The Tools of the Trade)
- Ad Platforms: Google Ads, Bing Ads, Meta Ads Manager, LinkedIn Campaign Manager
- Analytics: Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager
- Reporting: Looker Studio, Google Sheets/Excel
- AI & Copywriting: Anyword, Jasper, ChatGPT
- Creative: Canva
- Project Management & Communication: Asana, Slack, Google Workspace