Paid Media & Search Manager

Who We Are

Join a team that puts its People First! Since 1889, First American (NYSE: FAF) has held an unwavering belief in its people. They are passionate about what they do, and we are equally passionate about fostering an environment where all feel welcome, supported, and empowered to be innovative and reach their full potential. Our inclusive, people-first culture has earned our company numerous accolades, including being named to the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® list for ten consecutive years. We have also earned awards as a best place to work for women, diversity and LGBTQ+ employees, and have been included on more than 50 regional best places to work lists. First American will always strive to be a great place to work, for all. For more information, please visit www.careers.firstam.com.

What We Do

As part of our Performance Marketing Center of Excellence (CoE), the Paid Media & Search Manager is responsible for driving performance across paid and organic search channels—ensuring every marketing dollar is invested efficiently while maximizing visibility and demand capture. You will own paid media + SEO strategy and execution, manage cross-channel investment and optimize search visibility to fuel pipeline growth. As a people leader, you will coach and develop talent while building scalable processes to support future team growth. This role requires a strategic marketer with deep expertise in Google Ads, paid social, SEO optimization, and SEM strategy, who knows how to deliver measurable ROI.

What You'll Bring

• Paid Media Strategy & Execution
  • Design and manage paid media strategy across search, social, display, and programmatic.
  • Build and maintain account structures for clarity, scalability, and optimization.
  • Provide creative specs and performance insights to Brand & Creative for high-impact asset production.

• SEO & SEM Ownership
  • Conduct keyword research and map high-value keywords for paid and organic search.
  • Build SEO briefs in collaboration with Brand & Creative.
  • Execute SEM optimizations (bids, ad copy, extensions) and monitor SERP landscape.
  • Align paid + organic search strategies to maximize visibility and minimize cannibalization.

• Budget, Optimization & Reporting
  • Monitor pacing, budget allocation, and efficiency across all paid channels.
  • Optimize campaigns through audience targeting, bid strategies, creative testing, and SEO refinements.
  • Report on performance against CAC, ROI, and pipeline contribution benchmarks.

• People Leadership
  • Manage and coach direct reports, ensuring clarity of goals, accountability, and professional growth.
  • Foster a culture of testing, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
  • Build scalable team structures and processes that can expand as the CoE grows.

• Collaboration & Integration
  • Partner with Demand Gen, Lifecycle Marketing, and Ops to ensure campaigns are integrated across the funnel.
  • Share performance insights across teams to inform broader marketing strategy.

Tools & Technology

• Fluency with core paid media and analytics platforms, including:
  • Advertising: Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager, LinkedIn Campaign Manager, programmatic DSPs.
  • Search & Optimization: Google Search Console, SEMRush, or equivalent SEO/SEM tools.
  • Analytics: Google Analytics (GA4), attribution and reporting platforms.
  • Collaboration & Workflow: Project management and campaign orchestration tools.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

Required Education, Experience, Certification/Licensure

• 6–8 years in paid media management, SEM, and/or SEO roles.
• Proven expertise in Google Ads, paid social platforms, and SEO optimization.
• Experience managing budgets and pacing across multiple paid channels.
• Strong people leadership skills, with experience coaching direct reports and/or leading cross-functional contributors.
• Analytical and data-driven, with a track record of improving ROI and conversion performance.
• Collaborative marketer with the ability to work across brand, creative, and analytics teams.

Mindset

• Thinks big picture: Growth is holistic, expanding beyond just acquisition and performance marketing.
• Experimental: Naturally curious; makes data-driven decisions, in a timely manner, to solve problems and propose ideas.
• Forward thinking: Demonstrates a continuous improvement mindset, respecting the past while remaining flexible and open to new ideas and driving transformation.
• Acts like an owner: Keeps the big picture in mind while managing the inputs daily to achieve intentional outcomes. Holds accountability in the highest regard and instills others to follow suit. Translates results into digestible information and avoids buzzwordy jargon.

Why Join Us

• Be part of a newly formed Performance Marketing CoE with executive visibility, where your work directly shapes enterprise growth strategy.
• Own both paid and organic search performance within a new Performance Marketing CoE.
• Lead a high-impact team, developing talent while driving measurable results.
• Be at the center of optimizing how marketing investment turns into pipeline and revenue growth.

Salary Range:$95,400.00 - $127,100.00

This hiring range is a reasonable estimate of the base pay range for this position at the time of posting.  Pay is based on a number of factors which may include job-related knowledge, skills, experience, business requirements and geographic location.

What We Offer

By choice, we don’t simply accept individuality – we embrace it, we support it, and we thrive on it! Our People First Culture celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion not simply because it’s the right thing to do, but also because it’s the key to our success. We are proud to foster an authentic and inclusive workplace For All. You are free and encouraged to bring your entire, unique self to work. First American is an equal opportunity employer in every sense of the term.

Based on eligibility, First American offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401k, PTO/paid sick leave and other great benefits like an employee stock purchase plan.