Paid Media Specialist (Entry Level) – Austin, TX

We’re looking for an ambitious Paid Media Specialist candidate with a true interest in becoming a digital advertising expert and a drive for career growth, to join our Austin Paid Media Team. Apply now

About the Role

We’re looking for an ambitious Paid Media Specialist candidate with a true interest in becoming a digital advertising expert and a drive for career growth, to join our Austin Paid Media Team. Applicants should have some experience working with advertising campaigns in Google, Facebook or Amazon’s advertising platform. In this role, you’ll work with our expert team as you learn industry best practices and master the technology tools and analytical skills that have helped us deliver superior digital marketing services to our clients.

At Optimal, we are actively looking to scale standout candidates – those who are ready for significant opportunities and hungry to take on meaningful responsibilities that drive real business results for our clients. New employees that grow the fastest at our company are strategic problem solvers who are proactively looking to improve with innovative ideas but are also relentless at following through.

Who Are We?

Optimal is a media company on a mission, bringing together the best data, technology, and people to achieve our clients’ marketing goals. Brand, campaign, or cause: we maximize performance at every moment. We strive to make a difference for our clients, the individuals we reach, and the world around us.

Our team of mission-driven doers is leading the digital media charge. From shaping opinions and winning elections to driving growth and connecting consumers with the products and services they need to live healthier, happier lives.

Everyone at Optimal has the opportunity to learn, grow, and progress. We provide our staff with opportunities for professional development, leadership, and, of course, chances to have fun. From our staff-led DEI Taskforce that works to advance equity initiatives within the company to our Optimal Academy that builds training programs for staff, every team member has the opportunity to shape our growing company.

We’re always looking for exceptional people to join our team. If this sounds like you, please apply!

Key Qualities:

  • Analytical – Will love geeking out with us over pivot tables and diving into spreadsheets of data to understand what drives performance.
  • Creative – Appreciates that digital advertising campaigns are equal parts data analytics and good creative design. Can tap into both their right and left brain to come up with creative solutions.
  • Scientifically-Minded – Fancies themselves a bit of a mad scientist. Enjoys testing new ideas, analyzing results, and experimenting with changes to find success.
  • Growth Mentality – Embraces intellectual challenges and seizes opportunities to improve skills and seek out new knowledge.
  • Passionate – Brings it. Hungry, ambitious, motivated, and competitive, with a strong work ethic.
  • Resourceful – Will Google literally anything. A true self-starter who enjoys learning new skills and researching new ideas on their own.
  • Organized and Detail-Oriented – Obsessively makes to-do lists and can’t stand to let things fall through the cracks because they genuinely care about their clients’ success.


Essential Functions, Duties, and Responsibilities:

  • Campaign Creation – Create and build campaigns from the ground up, including account set-up, campaign planning/organization, and ad copywriting. Perform competitive analysis, research keywords, and analyze clients’ demographic data. Analyze and evaluate findings and make decisions on what campaign types and structures will be most effective to meet client goals. Use competitor keywords and competitor ads to decide what keywords, ad copy and ad creative to test within the campaigns. Create and build out campaigns and launch them in the digital media channels.
  • Reporting & Analysis – Master the art of performance analysis and client reporting through the daily use of tools such as Google Analytics, Google Ads, Facebook Analytics, Power BI, and more. Regularly analyze possible courses of action and make decisions after the various possibilities have been considered.
  • Campaign Management & Optimization – Manage campaigns to ensure that they continually improve over time. Regularly test, evaluate, and optimize bids, keywords, ad copy, ad creative, and landing pages to improve campaign performance.
  • Campaign Optimization - Manage client advertising budgets with media spends of up to seven figures, conduct performance analysis, and proactively adjust campaigns to ensure client deliverables are met and, when possible, exceeded.
  • Manage Advertising Budget - Manage monthly client advertising budgets with media spends of up to seven figures and make informed decisions about the best use of client dollars based on your experience and industry knowledge. Track daily budget pacing and adjust media spend to ensure client budgets are adhered to. Use performance analysis to make decisions on budget allocation and execute budget changes accordingly.


Minimum Qualifications & Skill Requirements:

  • 4-year Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, advertising, economics, finance, analytics, or a related field. Relevant school, internship, or work experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
  • Strong knowledge of Google Ads and/or Facebook Ads through coursework, internships, or other experience.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite with advanced knowledge of Excel and PowerPoint.
  • Strong mathematical and analytical skills.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills and client relationship skills.


Optimal is proud to offer the following:

  • Open leave (paid time off)
  • Paid Leave for new parents
  • Health insurance (including dental and vision)
  • Flex Spending Plan
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • 401K with company matching
  • Student Loan Repayment Program
  • Professional development opportunities
  • Rewards and recognition programs
  • And so much more!

Office Hours

We work on a hybrid basis, with three days per week working in the office and two days per week working from home. Work hours are consistently 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Monday - Friday, with the expectation that evening and weekend work will be required as necessary.

Please visit our Notice to Applicants and Employees to learn about our information practices in the job application and employment context.

Apply now

World-class benefits

We strive to make every work day a good day, in every way we can. We offer a range of benefits including:

Open leave

Employee matched 401k

Health benefits

Flex spending plan

Staff events and socials

Student loan repayment

Time off for volunteering

Rewards and recognition programs

Professional development