Paid Search Marketing Consultant (Fintech)

About The Role

We're seeking senior freelance Paid Search Managers to own and scale non-branded search programs for our fintech and financial services clients. This is a hands-on operator role, not an oversight seat: you'd be in the accounts daily, managing structure, bidding, targeting, and testing across Google Ads and Bing, with efficiency against a cost-per-acquisition or cost-per-funded-account target as the number that matters.

The clients we're placing against operate at six figures per month plus in paid search spend, in regulated environments with real compliance and creative review in the loop. They need someone who arrives with a point of view on account structure, can rebuild pieces of a program from zero when that's the right call, and knows how to prove what's working. Experimentation and data rigor are central to this work. Several of these engagements include incrementality projects run alongside data science teams, using geo-based or holdout methodology rather than standard conversion tracking or platform lift studies.

Contract projects typically range from 10 to 40 hours per week, depending on client needs and project scope.

Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day strategy and execution of non-branded paid search campaigns across Google Ads and Bing.

• Drive efficient volume against growth targets, with a focus on improving cost per acquisition or cost per funded account.

• Design and run rigorous incrementality tests, including geo-based experiments and holdout methodology, to evaluate channel and campaign contribution.

• Partner with data science and analytics teams on measurement that goes beyond standard conversion tracking.

• Take channels or campaign types from zero to one, with a clear approach to testing, validating, and scaling over a 6 to 12 week horizon.

• Set expectations and success criteria before launching new initiatives, then run them end to end.

• Continuously optimize campaign structure, bidding, targeting, keyword strategy, and account hygiene.

• Manage significant monthly budgets with clear pacing discipline and forecasting.

• Translate performance data into clear, actionable recommendations for internal stakeholders and senior leadership.

• Collaborate with paid social, programmatic, and lifecycle counterparts to align strategy and pacing across channels.

• Navigate compliance and legal review processes on ad copy and landing pages in regulated categories.

Requirements

• Senior manager level or above, with substantial hands-on paid search experience.

• Fintech experience required. Equivalent experience in another regulated, high-consideration financial services vertical (lending, banking, credit, or insurance) considered in exceptional cases.

• Experience managing mid six figures per month in paid search spend, in an environment with the creative, compliance, and testing rigor of a mid-market or enterprise account, rather than primarily SMB-scale accounts.

• Proven track record taking a channel from zero to one, including setting up rigorous testing and validation frameworks.

• Strong experimentation background, including working with data science on incrementality studies such as geo-experiments, not just standard A/B testing.

• Comfortable owning a channel independently in a fast-moving, evolving organization.

• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to turn performance data into recommendations senior stakeholders can act on.

• Experience in considered-purchase, high-value consumer categories where the conversion event sits well past the click.

Tools & Platforms

• Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising (Bing), including Performance Max and Shopping where relevant.

• Search management and bid platforms such as Skai (Kenshoo), Marin, or equivalent.

• Incrementality and measurement platforms such as Haus, Measured, or in-house geo-testing frameworks.

• Analytics and BI tools including GA4, Looker, Tableau, or Mode, plus SQL for pulling your own data.

• Google Tag Manager and conversion tracking implementation.

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