Senior Manager of Paid Media and Growth
Huda Beauty · Dubai
Who We Are: At Huda Beauty, our Vision is to lead in creating a democratized beauty industry where power is given back to people to define, create, and enjoy beauty for themselves! Launched by award-winning beauty powerhouse Huda Kattan in 2013, Huda Beauty is one of the world’s fastest growing beauty brands. As a company, we are fueled by purpose and not profit, this allows us to approach things differently so that we can create products, content, and a community like no other. A lot has changed since our launch in 2013, but something that will forever remain at the core of Huda Beauty is our focus on business excellence and our unwavering passion for kindness!
Summary: As Senior Manager, Paid Media and Growth, you will drive the brand’s paid media execution excellence as well as build our media capabilities and operations internally. You will own the omni-media strategy and planning across launch campaigns and core products, using consumer journey insights and data to connect media investment with brand metrics & business outcomes across markets (both retail and DTC). You will drive our end-to-end media management, manage the paid media budget and key platform partnerships, and develop a high-performing team of media experts.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Consumer Journey Mapping
- Map consumer journeys for the brand (launch campaigns, repushes and always-on), identifying the moments, platforms and signals (search, social engagement, site behavior, retailer activity) that drive awareness, consideration and purchase
- Use first-party, platform, retailer and social listening data (where possible and compliant) to define audience segments and journey-based activation strategies by campaign and by market (e.g. acquisition, conquest, retention, reactivation etc.)
Omni-Media Planning
- Define and refine the role of each channel across top/mid/bottom of funnel, balancing brand building and performance
- Lead and develop annual, campaign, seasonal & always-on media strategies and plans, including audience targeting, channel and platform mix, budget allocation and phasing
- Brief the Paid Media Content Strategist on creative needs by platform and funnel stage so assets are fit-for-purpose and built for paid media performance
- Coordinate with the Global Affiliates Manager to ensure the affiliate program (incl social commerce) is activated in sync with media activations where it makes sense
- Share performance insights with local market teams, eCommerce and broader Marketing teams (content production team/agency, design, brand marketing…) to align messaging and channel roles across the funnel
End-to-End Media Management
- Drive our end-to-end media management – from strategy and planning, to execution (buying & optimization) and reporting across paid social, influencer amplification, digital/programmatic, retail media and performance marketing
- Define RACI, ways of working and operating standards: campaign briefing, plan approval setup, QA and trafficking processes; pacing and optimization cadences; campaign naming/reporting templates (in partnership with the Data Analytics Manager); and service model (SLA) with internal stakeholders
- Evaluate and recommend the tech stack (DSPs, ad servers, verification, dashboards, workflow tools) in partnership with the Technology team
- Minimize spend wastage by ensuring brand safety, ad verification, and privacy/platform policy compliance across all buys
- Protect business continuity and knowledge transfer through ownership of account structures & media activation data as well as contingency planning
- Track and report paid media performance metrics (cost savings, efficiency, speed, data ownership, performance improvement)
Platform Partnerships Management
- Manage platform partnerships and relationships with media owners and ad tech vendors
- Negotiate joint business plans (JBPs) incl preferential rates, value-adds and preferred partner programs benefiting local markets/DTC teams
- Stay ahead of platform, privacy and industry changes and adapt our media operations approach accordingly
AI-Enabled Media Ecosystem
- Integrate/Embed key platform-native AI tools (Meta Advantage+, TikTok Symphony, Google AI Max/AI Brief…) into our E2E media management e.g. asset generation/copywriting variation, content editing, smart bidding, A/B testing…
- Leverage native/custom automated dashboard reporting, in collaboration with the Data Analytics Manager, for near-real-time campaign learnings & optimization opportunities
- Provide access to and continuously upskill the Paid Media & Growth team on the latest AI-enabled products/formats offered by our platform partners
Budget Management and Team Leadership
- Manage the paid media budget with the Senior Director, including allocation, forecasting, pacing, reconciliation and invoicing in partnership with Finance and Markets
- Drive media efficiency and effectiveness targets (e.g. CPM, cost per reach, CPC, CPA, ROAS) and recommend budget reallocations based on performance/potential
- Recruit, onboard and lead a team of media vertical experts
- Set clear objectives, provide regular coaching and feedback, and build development plans for each team member
- Create an ongoing upskilling program (platform certifications, partner training, internal knowledge sharing) to keep the media desk team and broader organization up to speed in a fast-changing media landscape
Requirements
- 10+ years of experience in paid media strategy, planning and buying, from agency-side and/or client-side experience (beauty/fashion/CPG/retail brands with B2B2C and B2C models strongly preferred)
- Bachelor's degree in Media, Marketing, Business or related relevant field
- Deep understanding of omni-channel planning and buying across paid social, influencer, programmatic, search, and eRetail media
- Hands-on know-how of major platforms (e.g. Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, Pinterest, YouTube) and the respective DSPs (e.g. Meta Ads Manager, Google Ads, SA360, DV360, Teads…); Relevant platform certifications preferred (Meta Blueprint, Google, TikTok Academy).
- Experience with retailer media networks and co-op media
- Track record of managing large, multi-market media budgets and delivering against both brand and performance KPIs
- Experience in leading internal media capabilities/team on client-side highly prefererred
- Strong command of measurement approaches (attribution, incrementality and lift testing, MMM) and the ability to leverage data into clear decisions. Experience in AI application to media buying and optimization highly preferred.
- Experience working across multi-market (global/regional, mature/emerging) and local market structures
- Strategic thinker who can also go hands-on in the platforms when needed
- Strong commercial acumen and comfort with data, incl forecasting and measurement
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication, able to present to specialist & non-specialist audiences and senior leadership and simplify complexity where needed
- Process and systems builder with a bias for structure/scalability and suited for agility
- Curious and adaptive, staying current on media platforms, AI and industry changes
- Collaborative leader who builds trust across Creative, Data, Markets & eCommerce
- Demonstrated people leadership, including hiring, coaching and continuously upskilling expert team
Benefits
- Monthly “Self Love Days” – at company discretion
- Premium Medical/Dental/Vision coverage for employee plus dependents
- Monthly coaching sessions with our in-house Success Coach
- Employee discounts on all Huda Beauty products
- Quarterly product gifting
Huda Beauty is committed to building diverse and inclusive teams and upholding an equal employment workplace that is free from discrimination. We hire stellar individuals regardless of their race, color, ancestry, religion, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, medical conditions, disability, or veteran status. If you need reasonable accommodations at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know.