Director, Paid Media & Performance Marketing

Project Kitty Hawk is dedicated to building pathways for adult learners to earn high-quality degrees and credentials. They are seeking a Paid Media & Performance Marketing Director to lead performance-driven paid media initiatives, focusing on driving demand and improving enrollment outcomes across the UNC System.

Responsibilities:

• Manage end-to-end paid media strategy and execution across a full-funnel mix, including: High-intent, down-funnel paid search and conversion-focused campaigns and upper-funnel awareness and demand-generation campaigns across paid social, forums, and other platforms
• Translate enrollment goals, program demand, and partner brand considerations into tailored channel strategies and performance plans
• Ensure campaign structure, messaging, and targeting align with institutional brand standards and program positioning
• Actively monitor and optimize campaigns to improve CPL, CPA, conversion rates, and lead quality
• Reallocate spend based on performance trends, program priorities, and seasonal enrollment cycles
• Identify underperforming tactics quickly and pivot strategy to maximize efficiency and impact
• Design and optimize campaigns using advanced targeting tactics, including geotargeting, geofencing, remarketing, and retargeting
• Develop audience strategies that balance reach, intent, and efficiency across the funnel
• Continuously refine targeting and segmentation to improve lead quality and conversion performance
• Evaluate, test, and scale new paid media platforms, formats, and channels based on program-specific and partner-specific needs
• Identify when more targeted or alternative approaches (e.g., affiliate marketing, niche platforms, contextual placements) are appropriate to test
• Apply a disciplined test-and-learn framework to assess impact, efficiency, and scalability before broader investment
• Partner closely with SEO and content teams to evaluate paid vs. organic opportunity by program, keyword, and market
• Adjust paid media investment as organic performance improves to lower overall cost of acquisition
• Collaborate with web and CRO teams to improve landing pages, conversion paths, messaging, and forms based on performance data
• Support experimentation efforts including A/B testing of creative, landing pages, and funnel flows
• Analyze full-funnel performance from click through enrollment to identify trends, gaps, and optimization opportunities
• Provide clear, actionable insights and recommendations to marketing leadership and internal stakeholders
• Partner with admissions and analytics teams to assess lead quality, speed-to-lead, and downstream outcomes
• Support evaluation of new program opportunities by analyzing search demand, keyword volume, audience intent, and competitive density
• Partner with marketing leadership and business development to develop lead volume, CPL, and enrollment projections for prospective programs
• Use paid media and search insights to inform go-to-market recommendations, channel mix, and budget expectations
• Identify early indicators of program risk or opportunity based on market signals and performance benchmarks
• Collaborate closely with the Director/Head of Marketing on strategy, planning, and forecasting
• Align with admissions teams to ensure paid media supports conversion efficiency and enrollment goals

Requirements:

• 7+ years of hands-on experience in paid media and performance marketing, with direct responsibility for strategy, execution, and optimization
• Deep expertise in high-intent, down-funnel paid search campaigns and conversion-focused optimization
• Proven experience running upper-funnel awareness and demand-generation campaigns across paid social, forums, and diverse media platforms
• Strong experience with advanced targeting tactics, including geotargeting, geofencing, remarketing, and retargeting
• Demonstrated ability to test and scale new channels, platforms, and tactics based on performance data and program-specific needs
• Experience conducting or supporting market demand analysis and program viability assessments using search and competitive data
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate data into forecasts, insights, and recommendations
• Experience working cross-functionally with SEO, web, CRO, and analytics teams
• Hands-on experience with major paid media platforms, including: Google Ads (Search, Display, YouTube), Microsoft Advertising (Bing), Meta (Facebook & Instagram), LinkedIn Campaign Manager
• Experience with analytics and measurement tools, such as: Google Analytics (GA4), Google Tag Manager, Attribution and reporting tools (e.g., Looker, Tableau, or similar BI tools)
• Familiarity with SEO and market research tools, including: Google Search Console, Keyword and competitive research platforms (e.g., SEMrush, Ahrefs, or similar)
• Experience collaborating with web and CRO tools and workflows, such as: A/B testing platforms (e.g., Optimizely, Google Optimize, or similar), CMS and landing page platforms (e.g., WordPress or comparable systems)
• Experience in higher education is a plus
• Additional platforms such as Reddit, programmatic DSPs, or affiliate networks a plus