Senior Manager, Paid Media

WorldStrides is the global leader in educational travel and experiential learning. The company was founded in 1967 to provide middle school travel programs to Washington, D.C. and has grown to provide a wide range of programs for more than half a million students annually to over 100 countries around the world. WorldStrides offers experiential learning programs in educational travel, performing arts, language immersion, career exploration, service-learning, study abroad, and sports. Each of these experiences helps students to see beyond the classroom and to see the world – and themselves – in new ways.

Job Description:

WorldStrides is reorienting its Marketing organization around lead generation and pipeline growth — and Paid Media is the engine that will get us there at scale. As Senior Manager of Paid Media, you will own the full paid media strategy across all three segments (K-12, International, Performing Arts) and all channels (Search, Social, Display, Programmatic, YouTube). You have a test-and-learn mindset, a deep command of performance data, and the creativity to build campaigns that move educators and students. You will own significant media budget and be accountable for MQL targets. 

Responsibilities:

 Paid Media Strategy & Execution 

• Develop and own the annual paid media strategy across K-12 Domestic, International, and Performing Arts — aligning channel mix, budget allocation, and audience targeting to MQL and pipeline goals
• Manage and optimize campaigns across Google Ads (Search, Display, YouTube), Meta (Facebook, Instagram), TikTok, and programmatic platforms
• Build a systematic test-and-learn framework — testing audiences, creative formats, bidding strategies, and landing pages to improve performance quarter-over-quarter
• Expand into new channels including direct mail amplification and streaming audio where ROI warrants 

 Budget & Performance Management 

• Own the paid media budget — reporting weekly on spend efficiency, CPC, CPL, and MQL contribution by channel and segment
• Build attribution models with Marketing Ops ensuring paid media receives accurate funnel credit
• Manage agency relationships and platform partnerships, holding them accountable to performance SLAs 

 Creative & Landing Page Collaboration 

• Brief Creative on paid ad requirements by channel and test hypothesis — creative is your partner, not your vendor
• Partner with the Sr Manager, Website Content to ensure landing page experience matches paid messaging and converts efficiently 

 WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE 

• Paid media channels delivering agreed % of total MQL volume each quarter
• Cost-per-MQL improving year-over-year through systematic optimization
• Test-and-learn cadence delivering at least 2 validated performance improvements per quarter
• Full attribution model in place with Marketing Ops by Q2 

Qualifications:

• 5–7 years of hands-on paid media experience including direct budget ownership
• Expert-level proficiency in Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager, and programmatic buying platforms
• Demonstrated experience owning MQL or pipeline targets in a B2C or B2B2C environment
• Strong analytics skills — you live in dashboards, GA4, and performance data
• Experience managing external media agencies and holding them accountable
• Experience in K-12 education, travel, or seasonal consumer categories with long consideration cycles (preferred)
• Familiarity with Salesforce or HubSpot attribution and CRM integration (preferred)
• Experience using AI tools for creative testing and media optimization (preferred)

Work Perks

• Comprehensive health benefits: medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D, accident, critical illness, disability insurance, FSA/HSA options with employer HSA contributions, and a generous 401(k) match.
• Generous paid time off including 11 paid company holidays, 25 PTO days the first year (prorated), 1 paid volunteer day, 4 mental health days, and bereavement
• Professional development support, including up to $5,250 annually for tuition reimbursement and up to $1,000 for certifications annually
• Opportunities for paid and discounted travel
• Flexible work schedule providing on-site, remote, and hybrid office opportunities
• Encouraged participation in a wide variety of Employee Resource Groups
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and wellness resources, including fitness centers at select locations
• Paid parental, caregiver, and disability leave
• Team Member Discount Program
• Engaging, collaborative, and fun work environment