Associate Director, Paid Search and Social

Department
Booth Marketing: Global Marketing 1
About the Department
The University of Chicago Booth School of Business is the second-oldest business school in the U.S. and second to none when it comes to influencing business education and business practices. Since 1898, the school has produced ideas and leaders that shape the world of business. Their rigorous, discipline-based approach to business education transforms students into confident, effective, respected business leaders prepared to face the toughest challenges.

Chicago Booth has the finest set of facilities of any business school in the world. Each of the four campuses (two in Chicago, one in London, and one in Hong Kong) reflects the architectural traditions of its environs while offering a state-of-the-art learning environment.

Chicago Booth is proud to claim:
-an unmatched faculty.
-degree and open enrollment programs offered on three continents.
-a global body of nearly 56,000 accomplished alumni.
-strong and growing corporate relationships that provide a wealth of lifelong career opportunities.

As part of the world-renowned University of Chicago, Chicago Booth shares the University's core values that shape the distinctive intellectual culture. At Booth, they constantly question and test ideas, and seek proof. This extraordinarily effective approach to business leads to new ideas and innovative solutions. Seven of the Booth faculty members have won Nobel Prizes for these ideas - the first business school to achieve this accomplishment. For more information about the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, please visit: http://www.chicagobooth.edu/.
Job Summary
The Associate Director of Paid Search and Social is results-driven, creative individual responsible for developing, executing, and optimizing paid digital advertising campaigns to elevate Chicago Booth's brand presence and drive prospective student engagement. This role requires a strong understanding of both paid search and paid social strategies, with a focus on lead generation. The ideal candidate will be data-driven, collaborative, and proficient in managing campaigns across various platforms.

This position is not eligible for employer-sponsored employment authorization.

Responsibilities

- Refines and optimizes paid advertising campaigns to maximize lead quality and conversion rates.
- Develops and implements a comprehensive paid social media strategy to enhance brand awareness and generate high-quality leads.
- Builds, manages, and executes campaigns across diverse social media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
- Oversees an external paid search agency by establishing priorities, evaluating strategic recommendations, reviewing implementation, and ensuring accountability for campaign performance.
- Develops, monitors, and optimizes ad performance and landing pages, leveraging A/B testing, audience segmentation, and performance analytics.
- Analyzes campaign data, generates insightful reports, and provides actionable recommendations to measure effectiveness, adjust strategies, and maximize ROI.
- Collaborates closely with content, creative, and brand teams to develop compelling ad creatives and messaging to optimize ads for an enhanced user experience and improved conversions.
- Collaborates with the data analytics, brand, and admissions teams to develop targeting strategies for paid campaigns, including global targeting for paid search and audience-based targeting, such as LinkedIn, and retargeting for paid social.
- Collaborates with web development teams to optimize website conversion paths and user experience.
- Develops annual paid-media plans, forecasts, budget allocations, and pacing recommendations to ensure investments remain aligned with program and fiscal-year objectives.
- Collaborates closely with the admissions team to ensure seamless integration between digital marketing activities and the CRM, including Slate.
- Tracks lead progression and analyzes conversion rates across the enrollment funnel.
- Stays current with industry trends, emerging ad formats, and platform updates, to continuously improve and innovate digital marketing strategies.
- Implements remarketing strategies to nurture leads and improve customer acquisition.
- Monitors paid-media spending and budget pacing throughout the fiscal year and coordinates with Finance, Accounting, agencies, and advertising platforms to support invoice processing, reconciliation, and continuity of advertising accounts.
- Maintains clear documentation of campaign structures, platform requirements, workflows, and key decisions to support consistent execution and effective cross-team collaboration.
- Develops and manages annual paid-media plans across program portfolios and global regions, aligning campaign timing, channel mix, and budget allocation with enrollment and marketing priorities.
- Develops, plans, and disseminates information designed to keep the public informed of the organization's programs, accomplishments, or point of view.
- Solves moderate to complex problems related to the writing, preparation, and/or delivery of information from or about the unit. Develop and ensure execution of strategies that increase effectiveness of communications; create metrics to drive evaluation of effectiveness.
- Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:
Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
Work Experience:
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.
Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

- Bachelor’s degree.

Experience:

- Proven experience in digital advertising and PPC campaign management.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

- Strong analytical skills with proficiency in Google Analytics, Search Ads 360, and other reporting tools. Proficient in Adobe Analytics.
- Understanding of A/B testing, audience segmentation, and conversion rate optimization.
- Familiar with CRM platforms, Slate.

Preferred Competencies

- Demonstrated success in managing social media advertising platforms and executing effective campaigns.
- Develop, execute, and manage multi-channel marketing campaigns.
- In-depth understanding of bid strategies, quality score, ad copywriting best practices, and landing page optimization.
- Outstanding verbal, written, and presentation skills, as well as organizational skills.
- Work independently with little supervision; possess a self-motivated disposition; identify opportunities for improvement and recommend effective changes, all while achieving key objectives resulting in desired outcomes.
- Excellent strategic planning, critical thinking, analytical, and persuasion skills.
- Manage multiple detailed tasks and projects simultaneously, while meeting strict deadlines and handling frequent interruptions.
- Professional demeanor, including tact, discretion, and a customer service-oriented approach.

Working Conditions

- This position is currently expected to work a minimum three days per week in the office.

Application Documents

- Resume/CV (required)
- Cover Letter (required)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.

When applying, the document(s) MUST  be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family
Communications
Role Impact
Individual Contributor
Scheduled Weekly Hours
37.5
Drug Test Required
No
Health Screen Required
No
Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
No
Pay Rate Type
Salary
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FLSA Status
Exempt
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Pay Range
$73,000.00 - $85,000.00
The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible
Yes
The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook .

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.   A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.   Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at:  http://securityreport.uchicago.edu . Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.