Marketing - Manager, Paid Media and Activation

DeVry University strives to close our society’s opportunity gap by preparing learners to thrive in careers shaped by continuous technological change. As the Manager, Paid Media and Activation, you will oversee the operational execution of paid media campaigns and collaborate with internal teams to ensure campaigns align with broader business goals.

Responsibilities:

• Lead activation and operational management of paid media campaigns across digital channels (social, programmatic, video, display, etc.)
• Partner with Senior Manager to execute media plans aligned to university goals and enrollment priorities
• Coordinate campaign launches, timelines, deliverables, and optimization workflows across internal teams and agency partners
• Ensure campaigns are launched accurately, efficiently, and aligned to strategic direction
• Manage ongoing optimization discussions and ensure campaign changes are implemented effectively
• Support testing initiatives including audience testing, creative testing, and in-market optimization efforts
• Serve as the primary day-to-day lead with AoR, ensuring strong collaboration, accountability, and executional excellence
• Manage campaign timelines, deliverables, reporting cadences, and optimization workflows with agency partners
• Lead weekly performance and optimization discussions with agency teams
• Ensure agency recommendations and execution align with broader media strategy and business goals
• Coordinate issue resolution, campaign adjustments, and operational efficiencies across campaigns
• Foster a collaborative and solutions-oriented partnership with agency teams
• Partner closely with analytics resources to review campaign performance and identify optimization opportunities
• Translate performance insights into actionable recommendations and activation changes
• Monitor campaign pacing, performance trends, and in-market optimizations across channels
• Support a test-and-learn culture focused on continuous improvement and campaign effectiveness
• Ensure performance reporting and campaign learnings are communicated clearly across stakeholders
• Partner closely with brand, creative, web, enrollment, and analytics teams to ensure seamless campaign execution and alignment
• Coordinate campaign launch readiness across stakeholders, ensuring timelines, assets, tracking, and approvals are completed effectively
• Align messaging, creative, and activation plans to campaign objectives and audience needs
• Facilitate communication and collaboration across teams to improve operational efficiency and campaign effectiveness
• Serve as a key connector across internal and external teams throughout campaign lifecycles

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Advertising, Business, or a related field
• 5–8+ years of experience in paid media, digital marketing, or related field
• Strong experience working with media agencies, ideally including Omnicom or similar large agency networks
• Experience leading paid media activation and optimization across digital channels
• Strong operational and project management skills with high attention to detail
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex campaign workflows across multiple stakeholders and timelines
• Strong analytical mindset with the ability to translate data into insights and action
• Familiarity with digital marketing platforms (Meta, DV360, LinkedIn, programmatic/display platforms, video platforms, etc.) and analytics tools (PowerBI, Looker Studio, GA4)
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to manage multiple campaigns and priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Experience in higher education or a complex, multi-touch sales cycle environment is a plus