Growth Marketing Specialist, Paid Media - Temp

POSITION SUMMARY: The Growth Marketing Specialist, Paid Media is a full-time, temporary position on the Growth Marketing team within Audience Development and Marketing at American Public Media Group. Over an assignment of approximately three months, this role manages day-to-day paid media campaigns across Meta, Google, and other social and search platforms in support of audience growth, member acquisition, and program promotion for Minnesota Public Radio regional brands and American Public Media national brands. This is a hands-on campaign management role. The person in this position builds and launches campaigns, manages audiences and budgets, monitors performance daily, runs creative and targeting tests, and reports results to the Growth Marketing team. The role works closely with Creative Services on ad creative and with Analytics and Insights on tracking and attribution, and delivers documented, well-organized ad accounts at the close of the assignment. *This is a temporary role and will last for three months. Expected Compensation Range: $29 -$31 per hour. The exact salary rate is determined by experience and education related to the role, organizational compensation structure, and internal equity. Location: Hybrid, St. Paul, MN Application Process: Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time. ASSIGNMENT TERMS: Temporary, full-time assignment of approximately three months (40 hours per week) Anticipated start date: Sept. 1; anticipated end date: Nov. 30 Benefits eligibility per APMG policy for temporary employees [confirm with Human Resources] Extension of the assignment and conversion to a regular position are not implied or guaranteed POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES: Paid Social Campaign Management Build, launch, and manage paid campaigns in Meta Ads Manager across Facebook and Instagram, including campaign structure, placements, bidding, and budget allocation Develop and maintain audience strategy, including custom audiences, lookalike audiences, retargeting segments, and exclusion lists built from CRM and website data Manage campaigns on additional social platforms as assigned, which may include TikTok, LinkedIn, Reddit, or Pinterest Monitor campaigns daily for delivery, pacing, frequency, and creative fatigue, and make in-flight adjustments to protect performance Paid Search and Display Build and manage Google Ads campaigns across search, display, YouTube, and Performance Max, including keyword research, ad copy, extensions, and negative keyword management Manage the Google Ad Grant account in compliance with program requirements, including account structure, conversion tracking, and click-through rate thresholds Optimize bids, budgets, and targeting against cost-per-acquisition and return-on-ad-spend goals Creative and Testing Partner with Creative Services to brief, source, and iterate ad creative, including static, video, and platform-native formats Run structured creative, audience, and landing page tests, with clear hypotheses and enough volume to read results Maintain a creative library and testing log so that winning concepts and past learnings are documented and reusable Coordinate with the department external testing and paid media agency on shared roadmaps, test design, and results review Tracking, Reporting, and Budget Implement and verify conversion tracking, including Meta pixel and Conversions API, Google Ads conversion tags, GA4 events, and consistent UTM parameters Track spend against budget weekly, flag pacing risks early, and reconcile platform spend with finance and department records Build and maintain recurring performance reporting across platforms, including cost per acquisition, conversion rate, and channel contribution to member and audience goals Work with Analytics and Insights to resolve tracking gaps and attribution discrepancies between platform-reported and CRM-reported results Collaboration and Handoff Coordinate day to day with Growth Marketing, Brand Marketing, Creative Services, Analytics and Insights, and Membership colleagues to align paid media with campaign calendars and on-air drives Keep ad accounts organized with consistent naming conventions, clean campaign structure, and documented settings Participate in team stand-ups, planning sessions, and campaign retrospectives Complete a written handoff summary and account walkthrough with the Director, Growth Marketing during the final two weeks of the assignment POSITION REQUIREMENTS: Education and Experience Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, or a related field; OR equivalent work experience 2+ years of hands-on experience managing paid social and paid search campaigns Demonstrated experience building and optimizing campaigns directly in Meta Ads Manager and Google Ads Experience managing campaign budgets and reporting on performance against acquisition or revenue goals Experience with Google Ad Grants, nonprofit fundraising, membership, or subscription marketing preferred Skills, Knowledge and Abilities Fluency in paid social and paid search platform mechanics, including audience building, bidding strategies, and campaign structure Working knowledge of conversion tracking and measurement, including pixels, server-side tracking, GA4, Google Tag Manager, and UTM discipline Ability to read performance data, identify what is driving results, and act on it without waiting for direction Familiarity with A/B testing methodology, including how tests are structured and how results are read Working knowledge of Salesforce or a comparable CRM and comfort connecting platform data to downstream outcomes Strong attention to detail in budget management, tracking setup, and creative trafficking Ability to ramp quickly, manage multiple concurrent campaigns, and communicate status, risks, and blockers proactively Commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and access in day-to-day work Reporting To This Position None Physical Demands and Working Conditions Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation May require occasional evening and weekend work during campaign launches and on-air drives Physical Demands: Required to move about in an office environment and sit for extended periods of time Frequent use of hands for data entry/keystrokes and simple grasping Working Conditions: Moderate noise level APMG offers a comprehensive benefits package including Medical plans with HSA and FSA options, Dental, Vision, Life and AD&D, Short-Term and Long-Term Disability, Paid Parental Leave and Paid Caregiver Leave after 1 year, Vacation (3 wks./per year, pro-rated, based on hours worked), Sick time (12 days, pro-rated, based on hours worked), Holiday Pay (10 holidays + 2 floating holidays each year), Volunteer Time (8 hours per year), Long-Term Care and Critical Illness insurance options, Employee Assistance Program, 403(b) Retirement Plan, and more. Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. We are committed to hiring a breadth of diverse professionals and encourage members of diverse groups to apply.