Senior Paid Media Strategist, Platforms & Innovation

Great stories start with extraordinary people. We’re bringing together exceptional creative talent to tell the stories of people shaping the future. Work alongside people who raise your standards, champion your ideas, and give you room to do the best work of your career. Story inspires science. Science makes story real. Story is looking for an experienced paid media strategist to lead planning, execution and optimization across client campaigns, while helping us navigate the changing digital advertising landscape. You’ll bring deep expertise in established platforms and an active understanding of emerging channels, formats and buying opportunities. We need someone who can identify where audiences are moving, assess which opportunities matter for our clients, and turn those insights into effective campaigns. This role combines strategic thinking with direct campaign execution. You’ll work closely with Story’s strategy, creative and production teams, client marketing teams and external partners. What you’ll own: Media strategy and channel discovery Translate client objectives into audience strategies, channel recommendations, budgets and measurable goals. Plan across paid social, search, video, professional networks, retail and commerce media, contextual advertising and emerging platforms. Evaluate opportunities across platforms such as LinkedIn, Reddit, TikTok, Amazon and Uber, alongside emerging AI advertising environments such as ChatGPT as offerings become available. Stay current on platform launches, targeting changes, privacy developments, measurement capabilities and shifts in audience behavior. Assess new opportunities against audience fit, buying access, minimum investment, creative requirements and measurement potential. Build focused test plans with clear criteria for scaling, adjusting or stopping investment. Campaign execution and optimization Build, launch and optimize campaigns directly, with deep expertise in Meta and Google Ads and demonstrated execution across additional platforms, including LinkedIn. Manage budgets, pacing, bidding, placements and campaign quality. Coordinate with platform representatives and specialist partners where campaigns require managed buying or additional expertise. Audit account setup, tracking and landing pages before launch. Apply current platform policies and data requirements. Creative and experimentation Partner with Story’s creative team to develop ideas and assets suited to each channel. Translate audience insights and performance findings into actionable creative briefs. Lead structured tests across messaging, formats, audiences and landing pages. Bring proactive recommendations for new placements, partnerships and advertising experiences. Measurement and client partnership Define success metrics tied to each client’s business objectives. Implement or coordinate tracking, analytics and relevant CRM integrations. Evaluate results beyond platform reporting and communicate attribution limitations clearly. Present concise recommendations on performance, learnings and future investment. Set realistic expectations around budgets, timing, technical dependencies and results. What you’ll bring: Typically five or more years of relevant paid media experience, or equivalent evidence of independently leading successful campaigns. Deep practical expertise in Meta and Google Ads, plus strong working experience with LinkedIn and other advertising platforms. A track record of identifying, testing and evaluating new channels. Experience across brand awareness and acquisition objectives. Strong knowledge of analytics, conversion tracking, attribution and experimentation. Creative judgment and confidence working directly with clients. Curiosity backed by disciplined evaluation: you can explain when a new platform deserves investment and when it doesn’t. The ability to execute independently and bring in specialist support when needed.