Paid Social Media Manager in Oakland, California at H/L Agency

The Paid Social Media Manager be the core driver of all paid social advertising initiatives. This is a crucial, high-impact role blending hands-on, expert-level campaign execution with team leadership and client strategy. You will be responsible for strategizing, launching, optimizing, and reporting on high-performance campaigns across all relevant platforms, while also mentoring and managing a small team of paid social specialists.

This is a hybrid role, with both office-based work at the H/L Oakland, CA office and remote work. While preference may be given to candidates in the Oakland area, we are also open to remote candidates located in the U.S.

What you will do:

Strategy & Execution

● Lead, Develop, execute, and manage sophisticated paid social advertising campaigns from concept to completion across platforms including, but not limited to, Meta (Facebook/Instagram), TikTok, Pinterest, Reddit, and Snapchat.

● Conduct in-depth audience research, competitive analysis, and strategic targeting to maximize campaign performance, ROAS, and client profitability.

● Expertly manage substantial monthly advertising budgets, ensuring optimal allocation, continuous testing, pacing, geos and utilization of advanced bidding strategies (e.g., CBO, target ROAS, bid caps).

● Provide data-driven feedback to the Creative/Content team on which ad formats, copy, and visuals are driving the highest conversion rates, constantly refining the creative testing roadmap.

● Establish and scale A/B testing frameworks across ad copy, creative, audience targeting, and campaign structure.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Optimization

● Proactively partner with cross-functional teams (e.g., Media Planning, Search, Display, Creative) to share performance insights and collaborate on unified optimization strategies.

● Serve as a thought leader in paid social, finding systematic ways to distribute information and learnings that can affect other teams' strategies to optimize and create efficiencies at scale.

● Present strategy and key performance takeaways derived from social learnings to cross-functional teams, translating campaign data into actionable, holistic media and marketing recommendations.

● Maintain a deep understanding of the agency's broader media landscape to identify and execute opportunities for channel integration and budget synergy.

Leadership & Team Management

● Lead, manage, mentor, and provide ongoing professional development and performance reviews for a team of Paid Social Specialists.

● Oversee the team's workload and time utilization, ensuring both client needs and agency project profitability goals are met.

● Serve as the internal subject matter expert, keeping the team and leadership informed of platform updates, new features, and the application of AI/automation in ad management.

● Develop and implement standardized, best-practice workflows and quality assurance processes for all paid campaign launches.

Client Communication & Analysis

● Act as a strategic, client-facing resource, presenting detailed campaign plans, results, and actionable recommendations with clarity and confidence.

● Generate comprehensive performance reports, providing clear, strategic narratives that translate complex data into business impact for clients.

● Utilize advanced analytics and measurement tools (e.g., Google Analytics, platform attribution) to track campaign effectiveness and prove ROI across all paid channels.

● Contribute strategic insights and data to new business pitches and proposals.

About you:

● 4+ years of dedicated experience executing and managing high-budget, direct-response paid social media campaigns in an agency or fast-paced brand environment.

● 1+ years of experience directly managing or leading a team/junior specialists.

● Expert-level proficiency in all major advertising platforms; knowledge of newer/niche platform ad systems (e.g., Reddit Ads, Snapchat Ad Manager) is required.

● Proven track record of driving significant, measurable results for diverse clients.

● Exceptional analytical skills with expertise in utilizing third-party automation tools and native platform features to drive efficiency.

● Demonstrated ability to manage client expectations and present complex data simply.

● Strong presentation skills with the ability to articulate complex paid social strategy and learnings to both clients and internal cross-functional stakeholders.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unable to provide an individual response to every candidate.

For SF Bay Area / California-based candidates: H/L provides projected compensation ranges for each position as an estimate of the company’s reasonable pay range for the role. The salary range for this position is expected to be between $85,000 and $100,000 annually. Actual compensation offered to a successful candidate will be determined based on a variety of factors, including the scope and responsibilities of the role, the candidate’s experience and qualifications, budget considerations, internal pay equity, geographic location, and market compensation data for similar positions. Compensation for candidates outside of California is determined based on the same factors and varies by geographic area.

About H/L Agency

Since 1985, H/L has been fiercely independent and making Momentum. Our strengths include local and national media activations, creative development, insights and analytics, full-scale digital and video production, multicultural marketing, and PR.

We’re headquartered in Oakland, California, with people in 20 states and offices in Atlanta, Miami, Phoenix, and St. Louis. What unites H/Lers across the country is a common drive—to pioneer new ways to push clients’ businesses forward and serve the communities we call home. Learn more at www.hl.agency.

H/L participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. only after a job offer is accepted and Form I-9 is completed. For more information on E-Verify, please refer to the following attachments: EVerify Participation & IER Right to Work.