Paid Search Executive in Portsmouth

Highrise is the leading performance marketing agency specialising in full-funnel growth for Direct-to-Consumer brands. We work with household names like Simba, AG1 and Grind, brands we've scaled from launch through to Series B or acquisition. Our team has successfully managed over £200m in direct response ad spend, taking brands from 0 to £100m+ in annual sales. Running and scaling brands is in our DNA. Unlike other agencies, we don't just buy media. We combine data, platform innovation, tailored ad creative and CRO to deliver on our clients' business objectives. Highrise is the full funnel performance marketing agency. We are a small, growing agency with big ambitions. Our clients' success is our success and we see ourselves as true growth partners, not vendors. If you want a role where you directly shape the trajectory of ambitious D2C brands, work alongside people who elevate each other, and see the real impact of your work every day, Highrise is the place for you.

THE ROLE

As a Paid Search Executive at Highrise, you will own the day-to-day performance of Search, Shopping, PMAX, YouTube, and Demand Gen campaigns across a portfolio of D2C clients. This is a hands-on role; you will be actively managing, testing, and optimising, not just reporting. You will work closely with the Paid Search Lead and Growth Manager to push accounts forward, surface meaningful insights, and help set the standard for how Paid Search is executed at Highrise.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Campaign Execution & Optimisation: Own the day-to-day management of Search, Shopping, and PMAX campaigns across a designated client portfolio performing active & intentional optimisation tailored to the clients needs. Structure campaigns and account architectures underpinned by clear rationale: logical bid strategy hierarchy, deliberate segmentation, and documented reasoning behind proposals & initiatives. Stay ahead of Google's evolving product suite (AI Max, Demand Gen, Smart Bidding signal shifts, Ads in AI Mode etc), and proactively assess how updates affect client accounts and how they can be utilised. Manage YouTube and Demand Gen campaigns & Support Paid Search Lead in full funnel strategy as well as measurement, contributing to creative strategy decisions alongside performance execution.
• Testing & Incrementality: Build and execute structured test hypotheses rooted in real data. Every test should answer a specific performance question, not just generate activity. Support the Paid Search Lead to help design and interpret incrementality experiments (geo holdout tests, conversion lift studies, MTA tools) to validate what's actually driving new customer growth, beyond what the platform reports. Contribute to knowledge dissemination across the agency through maintaining clear and thorough documentation of test setups, results, and learnings in Asana and Slack.
• Analysis & Insights: Interrogate performance data to surface non-obvious patterns: efficiency leaks, channel cannibalisation, immediate flags and diminishing returns. Translate complex data into clear and prioritised actions, not just observations. Contribute to client reporting. What's working, what isn't, and logical next steps via Google Sheets dashboards, in-platform, MTA tools. Support the Paid Search Lead and Growth Manager with ad hoc performance queries, providing actionable analysis and insights.
• Collaboration & Growth: Work closely with the Paid Search Lead and Growth Manager to challenge assumptions and pressure-test ideas. Proactively flag relevant industry developments such as platform betas, algorithm changes, measurement shifts. Contribute to the planning on how they may apply to client strategies. Collaborate across the wider Highrise team to share learnings and help raise collective standards.

HIGHRISE PAID SEARCH PILLARS

• Implement Proven Best Practice. We don't blindly follow Google's recommendations. We apply Highrise best practices, tailored to each client's goals and stage of growth. We know the difference between best practice worth adopting and one worth questioning.
• Conduct Meaningful Testing. We hypothesise meaningful tests based on historic and current data. We don't test for the sake of activity; every experiment is designed to answer a specific question that moves the account forward.
• Scrutinise Incrementality. We prioritise true incrementality over standard platform reporting. We use geo tests, MTA tools, lift studies and more to interrogate what's actually working.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Minimum 2 years of hands-on experience managing Search, Shopping, and PMAX campaigns, with a strong grasp of how these campaign types interact with one another.
• Demonstrable experience working with D2C or eCommerce brands, with an understanding of both on-platform and website funnel performance metrics.
• Comfortable pulling, manipulating, and interrogating data in Google Sheets or Excel, and translating findings into clear next steps.
• Experience, or a strong appetite to develop your knowledge in YouTube and Demand Gen campaigns, including the creative strategy that underpins them.
• Proven ability to follow a structured test-and-learn methodology. You can design a test, interpret results, and know when findings are statistically meaningful.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with high attention to detail.
• Highly organised, with consistent use of project management and communication tools (we use Asana and Slack).

MINDSET & APPROACH

• Status Quo Challenger: You don't accept "best practice" at face value. You think critically about what's actually driving performance and build initiatives that give clients a genuine competitive edge. You're sceptical of platform-reported ROAS and push for measurement that reflects true business impact.
• Proactive Ownership: You take independent ownership of growth initiatives from start to finish. You don't wait to be directed - you identify what needs to happen and make it happen.
• Contrarian Thinker: You're comfortable forming and defending a view that runs counter to the consensus when there’s strong opportunities.
• Continuous Learner: You have a genuine drive to stay ahead; tracking platform changes, reading industry developments, and thinking about how they apply to your clients before anyone asks you to.
• Collaborative by Nature: You thrive in a team where knowledge is shared openly. You enjoy discussing results, debating approaches, and helping the people around you improve.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Salary in the range of £30,000–£35,000 p.a. depending on experience.
• Pick a work mode that suits you; London office, fully remote, or a co-working space funded by us.