Communications Specialist III

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Agency

Department

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Job Description

Why work for Texas A&M Engineering?

Engineering has been part of Texas A&M University since its opening in 1876 as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. Today, the College of Engineering is the largest college on the College Station campus with more than 25,000 engineering students enrolled in 15 departments. Its mission is to serve Texas, the nation and the global community by providing engineering graduates who are well-founded in engineering fundamentals, instilled with the highest standards of professional and ethical behavior, and prepared to meet the complex technical challenges of society.

As the research arm of Engineering, the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) is a state agency within the Texas A&M University System with a mission to improve lives through basic and applied engineering research, workforce development and technology transition. Our collaborations with industry, academia and government provide cutting-edge solutions to global technical challenges.

We are deeply committed to recruiting and retaining a talented workforce that embraces our core values of Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, and Service, by offering competitive salaries, an array of benefits, an extensive support network, and above all, an enriching and highly collaborative working community that is deeply passionate about our vision for higher education, research, and public service.

Job Description

Purpose:

The Paid Media Strategist leads the college's paid media strategy and execution across digital advertising channels to support enrollment, reputation, engagement and other strategic marketing objectives. This position develops integrated paid media plans, manages advertising investments, oversees campaign execution and optimization, and uses performance data to continually improve audience reach, engagement and conversion.

The position serves as the college's subject-matter expert for paid media and partners closely with the Associate Director of Marketing Strategy and Visibility, Marketing Campaigns Manager, Marketing Analytics and central Engineering Communications teams to translate marketing objectives into effective, measurable paid media strategies.

Responsibilities:

Paid Media Strategy & Planning - 30%

• Develop and execute paid media strategies aligned with college marketing and campaign objectives.

• Translate campaign goals, audiences and messaging into channel and media strategies.

• Recommend appropriate platforms, audiences, placements, budgets, and flighting based on campaign objectives.

• Develop media plans and budget recommendations for recruitment, reputation, awareness, and other priority campaigns.

• Identify opportunities to expand or refine paid media capabilities as platforms and audience behaviors evolve.

• Serve as the Texas A&M Engineering's primary subject-matter expert and strategic advisor on paid media.

Campaign Management & Optimization - 30%

• Manage paid campaigns across platforms such as Google Ads, Meta and LinkedIn, as appropriate.

• Build, launch, monitor and optimize campaigns throughout their lifecycle.

• Manage audience targeting, retargeting, bidding, budgets, placements, and creative rotation.

• Conduct ongoing testing of audiences, messaging, creative, placements, and campaign strategies.

• Identify performance issues and proactively recommend adjustments.

• Ensure campaigns are implemented accurately and consistently with institutional brand and marketing standards.

• Manage relationships with advertising platforms and external vendors when applicable.

Performance Measurement & Insights - 20%

• Partner with Marketing Analytics to establish campaign KPIs, conversion goals, and measurement strategies.

• Monitor campaign performance and identify trends, opportunities, and areas for improvement.

• Analyze performance across platforms and audiences to inform optimization and future campaign planning.

• Translate paid media data into actionable recommendations for marketing and campaign stakeholders.

• Contribute to campaign reporting and presentations for college leadership and other stakeholders.

• Develop benchmarks and continually improve the college's paid media measurement practices.

Integrated Marketing & Collaboration - 15%

• Partner with the Campaign Manager to develop integrated campaign strategies and media plans.

• Collaborate with creative, social media, web, analytics, and other Engineering Communications partners to ensure paid media supports broader campaign objectives.

• Provide paid media expertise during campaign planning, creative development, and post-campaign evaluation.

• Advise on landing-page experiences, audience journeys, and conversion opportunities when relevant to paid campaigns.

• Stay informed about emerging advertising technologies, privacy changes, platform developments, and higher education marketing trends.

Governance & Continuous Improvement - 5%

• Establish and maintain paid media best practices, documentation, and standards.

• Ensure appropriate use of tracking parameters, conversion events, and audience data in partnership with Analytics.

• Maintain knowledge of platform policies, privacy requirements, and institutional guidelines.

• Evaluate new platforms, tools, and advertising opportunities and make recommendations based on strategic value and anticipated return.

What we need:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Four years of related experience.

What is Helpful:

• Five years of professional experience in digital advertising, paid media, performance marketing or a related field.

• Demonstrated experience independently developing and managing paid media strategies.

• Experience managing paid campaigns across multiple digital advertising platforms.

• Experience managing or making recommendations for paid media budgets.

• Experience analyzing campaign performance and using data to optimize campaigns.

• Demonstrated ability to translate organizational goals into measurable digital marketing strategies.

• Seven or more years of relevant experience, particularly for someone expected to immediately establish and own the college's paid media function.

• Experience in higher education, enrollment marketing, nonprofit, government, or another complex institutional environment.

• Google Ads certification and/or relevant platform certifications.

• Experience with Meta Ads Manager, and LinkedIn Campaign Manager.

• Experience with recruitment or enrollment marketing.

• Experience managing significant advertising budgets.

• Experience developing paid media testing frameworks and performance benchmarks.

Work Location:

• Main Campus - College Station, TX.

Salary:

• The starting salary for this position is $62K per year.

About Engineering Communications:

Engineering Communications develops and implements communications and marketing plans focusing on key priorities of the engineering program as defined by the engineering leadership team. It also serves as a communications resource for many stakeholders and, as time allows, accommodates requests for assistance. An award-winning team of communications, marketing, graphic design, web, and public relations professionals, focuses on strengthening the brand and image of the Texas A&M University College of Engineering, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, Texas A&M Engineering Program, Texas A&M University and The Texas A&M University System.

Texas A&M Engineering provides an outstanding benefits package including but not limited to:

• Competitive medical insurance benefits through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas and Prescription coverage by Express Scripts.
• Options for Vision, Dental, Life, and Long-Term Disability insurance.
• A defined benefit retirement plan with the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) with 8.25% employer contribution.
• Additional Voluntary Retirement Programs: Tax Deferred Account 403(b) and a Deferred Compensation Program 457(b).
• Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses
• Generous paid time off with holidays, vacation and sick leave.
• Robust free training access through LinkedIn Learning plus professional development opportunities.
• Tuition assistance and Educational release time to further your academic pursuits.
• Access to Engineer Your Wellness programs that provide opportunities for employees to engage in health and fitness.
• Wellness release time offered to employees to promote work/life balance.

Helpful Applicant Information

Required Materials for Application:

• Resume/CV
• Three work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor/former supervisor.
• Letter of interest

Applications received by Texas A&M Engineering must have all required job application data entered.

Failure to provide all job application data could result in an invalid submission and a rejected application.

Compensation Philosophy:

• Recruit and retain a high-performing workforce through competitive compensation and career development including career pathing, coaching and skills development.
• Recognize and reward exceptional performance based on individual and team contributions to the growth and success of Texas A&M Engineering.
• Offer total rewards through flexible benefits, professional development, and work-life balance. Maintain an equitable and transparent process for compensation decisions.
• Support, reinforce, and align compensation decisions with budgetary and financial strategies to ensure growth and sustainability.

Employment Eligibility Verification

• If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in delay of start date.

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.