Associate Director of Performance Marketing

Associate Director of Performance MarketingLocation: Remote, U.S.-based onlyType: Full-timeStarting Salary: $100,000 per yearAbout BrightsideBrightside is a performance marketing agency specializing in fitness, wellness, franchise, lead generation, and e-commerce brands. We build high-performing customer acquisition systems across Meta, Google, YouTube, TikTok, and emerging digital channels, combining paid media with audience intelligence, creative strategy, conversion optimization, attribution, and analytics. We're a collaborative, supportive team that cares deeply about excellent work and helping each other grow. We move quickly, communicate openly, and believe talented people do their best work when they're trusted, supported, and empowered to contribute.The RoleWe're hiring an Associate Director of Performance Marketing to work closely with our Marketing Director and take significant ownership of paid media strategy, execution, and performance across a portfolio of client accounts.This is a senior, hands-on position for someone who has spent years inside advertising platforms, understands what drives results, and has developed the judgment to know not just how to optimize campaigns, but where to focus, what to prioritize, and when a different strategy is needed.We're not looking for someone who has moved away from the platforms into a purely managerial role.We want someone who enjoys investigating performance, building campaigns, analyzing data, identifying opportunities, solving complicated problems, and helping others become better marketers.You'll independently lead performance across assigned accounts, contribute to broader acquisition strategy, and serve as a trusted technical resource for the team.We value initiative, sound judgment, and the ability to turn insights into action. If performance changes, you investigate. If something isn't working, you develop a plan. If you see an opportunity, you bring it forward. And when a decision is made, you're comfortable getting into the platforms and executing.What You'll OwnPaid Media Strategy & ExecutionLead the strategy, execution, and optimization of paid media campaigns across Google Ads, Meta Ads, TikTok Ads, and other relevant platformsRemain deeply hands-on with campaign creation, management, testing, and optimizationBuild and optimize campaign structures across Google Search, Performance Max, YouTube, Demand Gen, Meta, and other acquisition channelsDevelop full-funnel acquisition strategies aligned with client objectives, budgets, and conversion goalsIndependently manage multiple brands, markets, locations, and advertising budgetsMake informed decisions around bidding, budget allocation, audience targeting, conversion objectives, and creative testingIdentify opportunities to scale successful campaigns while maintaining acquisition efficiencyCollaborate with our Marketing Director on strategic planning and account performancePerformance Analysis & OptimizationWe don't just need someone who can explain what happened. We need someone who understands why it happened, what it means for the business, and what we should do next.Take ownership of performance across assigned client accountsAnalyze CTR, CPC, CPM, CVR, CPL, CPA, ROAS, conversion quality, acquisition costs, and revenue outcomesDiagnose performance challenges across platforms, audiences, bidding strategies, creative, landing pages, and conversion funnelsIdentify opportunities to improve efficiency, increase conversion volume, and scale resultsDevelop testing strategies with clear hypotheses, success metrics, and actionable conclusionsTranslate performance data into recommendations and execute approved optimizationsProactively identify risks and opportunities before they become urgentWe want someone who takes responsibility for improving results, not simply reporting them.Tracking, Attribution & MeasurementStrong technical knowledge is essential.Demonstrate advanced working knowledge of GA4, GTM, Google Ads conversion tracking, Meta Pixel, Conversions API, UTMs, and attributionTroubleshoot conversion discrepancies, tracking issues, and data-flow problemsEvaluate conversion quality and downstream business outcomes rather than relying exclusively on platform-reported metricsIdentify measurement gaps and recommend improvementsCollaborate with technical resources when complex implementation support is neededYou don't need to be a developer, but you should be technically confident, resourceful, and capable of diagnosing problems before escalating them.Creative Strategy & Conversion OptimizationGreat performance marketing requires more than managing media.Analyze creative performance to identify winning concepts, messaging, offers, and audience responsesRecognize creative fatigue, audience saturation, and testing opportunitiesProvide data-backed creative recommendations to our creative and account teamsIdentify friction within landing pages, lead forms, and conversion funnelsRecommend improvements that increase lead quality, conversion rates, and acquisition efficiencyYou won't be expected to design advertisements, but you should know what effective creative looks like and be able to explain why something is or isn't working.Technical Leadership & Team DevelopmentYou'll serve as a senior technical resource and trusted partner to our Marketing Director, helping elevate the quality and consistency of work across the team.Provide technical guidance and mentorship to performance marketing specialists and managersHelp troubleshoot challenging account and campaign issuesReview campaign structures, optimization approaches, and tracking configurations when neededShare best practices, platform updates, and emerging opportunitiesHelp strengthen internal processes, quality assurance, and campaign management standardsLead by example through expertise, accountability, curiosity, and collaborationWe believe leadership is demonstrated through actions, not titles. You don't need to have all the answers, but you should have the experience to ask the right questions, the confidence to make recommendations, and the humility to collaborate with others.Client Strategy, Communication & OwnershipAgency life moves quickly. Successful leaders know how to balance competing priorities without sacrificing quality.Contribute to client strategy discussions, performance reviews, forecasting, and budget recommendationsExplain complex advertising performance in clear, actionable termsManage multiple client accounts, deadlines, budgets, and performance objectives simultaneouslyPrioritize work based on urgency, impact, and client needsMaintain excellent organizational and quality assurance practicesCommunicate proactively when results change, priorities shift, or additional resources are neededIdentify opportunities to improve workflows and operational efficiencyTake initiative without waiting to be told what needs attentionSometimes a client request that arrives at 10:00 AM really does need to be executed that afternoon. We value people who can assess the situation, communicate clearly, make decisions, and move.What You Bring6+ years of hands-on performance marketing experience, preferably in an agency or multi-brand environmentDeep expertise in both Google Ads and Meta Ads, including campaign architecture, bidding, optimization, audience development, and troubleshootingAdvanced Google Ads experience across Search and Performance Max; YouTube and/or Demand Gen experience preferredProven experience developing and executing acquisition strategies across multiple accounts or brandsDemonstrated success improving campaign performance, scaling acquisition, and managing meaningful advertising budgetsStrong analytical capabilities and the ability to independently diagnose complicated performance challengesAdvanced working knowledge of GA4, GTM, conversion tracking, pixels, attribution, and CRM data integrationExperience building campaigns and account structures from scratchAbility to connect media performance with lead quality, customer acquisition costs, revenue, and business outcomesExperience mentoring or providing technical guidance to other marketersExcellent communication, organization, prioritization, and QA habitsA demonstrated track record of initiative, independent judgment, and accountabilityA genuine interest in remaining hands-on with campaign execution and optimizationStrongly PreferredSignificant agency experience managing multiple client accountsMulti-location, franchise, or geographically targeted advertising experienceFitness, wellness, healthcare, or membership-based business experienceTikTok Ads experienceLooker Studio, dashboard development, or advanced reporting experienceCRM integrations and offline conversion tracking experienceGoogle Ads, Meta, or GA4 certificationsProgrammatic advertising or CTV exposureThe Person We're Looking ForYou're a technically exceptional performance marketer who combines analytical thinking with initiative, sound judgment, and a genuine desire to improve results.You're confident enough to challenge assumptions, humble enough to welcome feedback, and experienced enough to take ownership without constant direction.You enjoy solving difficult problems, helping teammates succeed, and turning insights into measurable improvements.Most importantly, you don't view your job as maintaining advertising accounts. You view it as finding ways to make them perform better.We don't measure success by how busy you are or how many campaigns you manage. We measure it by the quality of your decisions, the improvements you drive, the problems you solve, and the value you create for our clients and team.