Paid Search Specialist

About the role

Cognita, a global family of over 90 schools across 21 countries, is hiring a Paid Search Specialist based in Dubai. You will make sure Cognita schools in the Middle East and Asia are found by the right families at the right moment, and that every dirham of media spend works hard. You report to the Digital Marketing Manager and deliver paid search within the strategy, targets and budgets set by the Head of Digital & Performance Marketing, owning execution and optimisation day to day.

Key responsibilities

• Deliver always-on, tactical paid search campaigns, from set-up and trafficking through to monitoring.
• Optimise against enquiry and conversion targets using search terms, keywords, match types, bids, audiences and ad copy.
• Control budget pacing by school, campaign and platform, and work with Finance to keep accounts and invoices paid.
• Manage keyword and search demand activity, protecting brand coverage and keeping campaigns aligned to each school and market.
• Keep accounts clean and efficient by reviewing search terms, negatives, targeting and conversion settings.
• Advise Brand and Creative teams on ad copy, calls to action and test variations.
• Run a continuous test-and-learn programme and share weekly, monthly and termly reports.
• Work with Paid Social and CRO specialists, and with Sales and Parent Experience, to understand lead quality and resolve tracking or website issues.

Required profile

• At least three years' experience in a digital agency running paid campaigns across multiple client accounts.
• Bachelor's degree in Marketing or a related field.
• Desirable: HubSpot experience, automated reporting or paid media automation tools, Google Ads and Analytics certifications, education-sector experience, and experience supporting multi-market portfolios.
• Based in Dubai with a hybrid pattern, flexible across time zones, with occasional travel across the Middle East and Asia.

Required skills

• Advanced, hands-on Google Ads skills: keyword and search term management, bidding, conversion settings, reporting and budget pacing.
• Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager.
• Sound analytical judgement, attention to detail and clear stakeholder communication.