Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu (On-Site)
CTC: Up to 7.5 LPA (based on experience)
Employment Type: Full-Time
Experience: 4 to 8 Years (Agency experience strongly preferred)
Growth Path:Senior Lead / Head of Paid Media
Reports To: Head of Digital & Marketing (Australia)
Apply To: [Confidential Information]
ABOUT ELEPHANT IN THE BOARDROOM
Elephant in the Boardroom is a full-service digital agency headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, with a growing India operations team. We partner with ambitious brands to deliver data-driven digital marketing, technology, and growth strategies. Our Paid Media team manages high-value campaigns across multiple client verticals — and we're looking for a leader who can raise the bar on performance strategy.
WHAT WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FOR
We need more than a Google Ads executor. This role is for someone who can walk into a client meeting, diagnose why performance is plateauing, build a strategy to fix it — and then lead a team to deliver it. If your strength is only in campaign setup and optimisation, this role is not the right fit.
ROLE OVERVIEW
We are looking for an experienced and strategic Google Paid Ads Team Lead to own and elevate paid search performance across a portfolio of client accounts. This is a hands-on leadership role — you will be personally managing campaigns while simultaneously coaching your team, shaping performance strategy, and driving measurable results for clients.
You will work closely with the Head of Digital & Marketing and client-facing teams to define, execute, and continuously improve paid media strategies that go beyond standard best practices.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Performance Strategy & Innovation
- Develop and own bespoke performance strategies for each client — not templated approaches, but tailored plans based on business goals, competitive landscape, and audience insights.
- Identify performance plateaus, diagnose root causes, and build structured action plans to drive improvement.
- Lead the team in testing frameworks — A/B tests, audience experiments, bidding strategy trials — and translate results into scaled improvements.
- Stay ahead of Google Ads product updates, beta features, and industry trends, and proactively apply them to client accounts.
- Contribute to pitch decks and strategy presentations for new and existing clients.
Hands-On Campaign Management
- Directly manage and optimise Google Ads campaigns across Search, Display, Performance Max, Shopping, and YouTube for a portfolio of client accounts.
- Own campaign builds from brief through to launch — keyword strategy, ad copy, audience targeting, bidding, and tracking setup.
- Conduct regular performance audits and proactively recommend structural improvements.
- Manage budgets across accounts with full accountability for pacing, efficiency, and ROI.
- Ensure conversion tracking, GTM, and attribution are accurately configured and maintained.
Team Leadership & Mentoring
- Lead, coach, and mentor a team of Paid Ads Specialists and Executives — setting clear performance standards and supporting their professional development.
- Review and QA team members campaign work before client delivery.
- Run structured team check-ins, share performance insights, and build a culture of learning and accountability.
- Act as escalation point for complex client or campaign issues within the team.
- Contribute to hiring and onboarding of new paid media team members.
Client & Stakeholder Management
- Present performance reports, strategy recommendations, and roadmaps directly to clients with clarity and confidence.
- Manage client expectations during periods of performance volatility or strategic pivots.
- Collaborate with SEO, content, and creative teams to ensure paid campaigns are aligned with broader digital strategy.
- Build strong client relationships that reflect EITB's standard for strategic partnership, not just reporting.
Reporting & Process
- Own the paid media reporting framework — ensuring accuracy, insight depth, and actionable commentary for all client reports.
- Define and track KPIs across accounts: ROAS, CPA, CTR, Quality Score, impression share, and conversion volume.
- Document processes, campaign templates, and SOPs to build team consistency and efficiency.
REQUIRED SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS
- 4–8 years of hands-on Google Ads experience, with a significant portion in a digital agency environment.
- Proven track record of directly managing Google Ads campaigns — Search, Shopping, PMax, Display, and/or YouTube.
- Demonstrated ability to build and communicate original performance strategies — not just optimise existing campaigns.
- Experience leading or mentoring a team, with clear examples of developing others capabilities.
- Strong analytical skills — comfortable working with data to identify trends, build hypotheses, and make decisions.
- Proficiency with Google Analytics (GA4), Google Tag Manager, and conversion tracking setup.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills — able to present strategy to clients and leadership confidently.
- Experience managing multi-client accounts simultaneously with varying budgets and objectives.
- Google Ads certification (Search, Shopping, or Measurement preferred).
GOOD TO HAVE
- Experience with paid social platforms — Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, or TikTok Ads.
- Familiarity with third-party tools such as SEMrush, SpyFu, Optmyzr, or similar.
- Experience running campaigns for political, government, or regulated industry clients.
- Exposure to programmatic advertising or demand-side platforms (DSPs).
- Understanding of SEO and its relationship to paid media strategy.
WHAT WE OFFER
- A high-ownership role with genuine influence over strategy and team direction.
- Direct access to Australia-based leadership and cross-functional collaboration.
- Exposure to a diverse portfolio of client industries and campaign types.
- Clear career progression toward Senior Lead or Head of Paid Media.
Elephant in the Boardroom is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to an inclusive workplace.
Interested candidates can share their updated resume to: [HIDDEN TEXT]
