Paid Search Strategist

At Forbes Advisor, our mission is to help readers turn their aspirations into reality. We arm people with trusted advice and guidance so they can make informed decisions they feel confident in and get back to doing the things they care about most. We are an experienced team of industry experts dedicated to helping readers make smart decisions and choose the right products with ease. Forbes Advisor boasts decades of experience across dozens of geographies and teams, including Content, SEO, Business Intelligence, Finance, HR, Marketing, Production, Technology and Sales. The team brings rich industry knowledge to Forbes Advisor's global coverage of consumer credit, debt, health, home improvement, banking, investing, credit cards, small business, education, insurance, loans, real estate and travel. About the Role Forbes Advisor is looking for a Paid Search Strategist to join the Forbes Advisor Performance Marketing team, supporting Forbes Advisor's Financial Services business. This role is responsible for driving the strategic direction and long-term growth of key paid search categories. The ideal candidate combines deep SEM expertise with strong commercial acumen, strategic thinking, and the ability to influence stakeholders across the organization. They will identify new opportunities, develop scalable growth strategies, champion innovation, and serve as a key driver of business outcomes across their owned verticals. If you're looking for challenges and opportunities similar to those of a start-up, with the benefits of an established, successful company, read on. The Paid Search Strategist will own category growth, shape roadmap priorities, influence cross-functional initiatives, and work closely with publishers, Product, Business Development, Data, Engineering, Finance, Compliance, and leadership teams to unlock new opportunities and drive meaningful business results. Responsibilities: Strategic Leadership & Growth Own the strategic direction, growth plans, and commercial success of key categories. Develop and execute short-term and long-term growth strategies aligned with business objectives. Build clear category roadmaps that balance immediate performance opportunities with long-term capability development. Identify, prioritize, and champion high-impact initiatives that drive sustained growth and competitive advantage. Act as the subject matter expert for owned categories, proactively identifying market trends, opportunities, and risks. Influence performance beyond directly owned accounts through thought leadership, best-practice development, and cross-category initiatives. Generate innovative ideas that challenge existing approaches and establish new best practices across the organization. Evaluate emerging industry trends, platform developments, and product innovations to maintain competitive advantage. Performance Ownership Take full ownership of category performance, including revenue, profitability, volume, efficiency, and growth targets. Drive category growth through data-driven decision making and strategic allocation of resources. Develop forecasting models and growth plans for owned categories, ensuring alignment with business objectives. Analyze performance trends, identify root causes of variance, and communicate strategic recommendations to stakeholders. Conduct regular business reviews and account audits to identify opportunities for optimization and expansion. Utilize advanced analytical approaches to identify growth opportunities across campaigns, audiences, funnels, landing experiences, and partner ecosystems. Innovation & Testing Design and own testing frameworks that support strategic category growth. Identify, prioritize, and scale innovative PPC tactics, automation opportunities, audience expansion strategies, and emerging platform capabilities. Drive experimentation initiatives from conception through implementation and performance evaluation. Build strong hypotheses based on data, market insights, and business needs to unlock new growth opportunities. Scale successful initiatives across additional categories and share learnings broadly within the organization. Partner directly with publishers and platform representatives to leverage beta programs, product innovations, and new capabilities. Stakeholder Influence & Cross-Functional Leadership Build strong relationships with Business Development, Product, Engineering, Finance, Compliance, Analytics, and Leadership teams. Influence stakeholders and obtain buy-in for strategic initiatives through compelling data, analysis, and business cases. Partner with Business Development teams to identify new partner opportunities, market expansion opportunities, and monetization initiatives. Collaborate with Product and Engineering teams to identify and prioritize enhancements that improve business performance. Present category performance, growth strategies, recommendations, and insights to senior stakeholders an