Paid Search Manager

This role sits in our Activation team, working closely with the Planning and Data teams, and other channel specialists (e.g. audio, TV, programmatic and social). The Paid Search Manager runs campaigns end to end and implements best-in-class strategy and processes.

This is a comprehensive Planner/Buyer position, responsible for the planning and output of search campaigns. However, we’d strongly encourage and invest in training in other channels (such as retail media, SEO, influencers or social), depending on the person’s individual career goals and business needs.

Beyond full service management of client campaigns, this role may also cover strategic projects, audits and temporary support of clients’ in-house PPC activity.

The Paid Search Manager will work with the Performance Director, Head of Digital, Business Directors, and other Digital Managers to continually evaluate the market and onboard the best technology, data partners and media vendors.

Analytics, attribution and data visualisation are a key part of this role. You’ll be intrinsic in the agency’s evaluation and implementation of measurement, test and learn framework and targeting solutions, in the short and long term.

This role is very client-facing and requires someone who can see ‘the bigger picture’ and understand how all channels fit together to deliver our clients’ objectives, not only their specialist disciplines. Your search activity is often part of an integrated media plan featuring both “offline” and “online” channels, and must work cohesively with these touchpoints, as well as owned and earned communications.

The role will always cover a mix of advertisers across different verticals. As a young independent agency, we regularly work with start up and scale up brands, occasionally launching advertisers’ very first media activity. Therefore you need to understand onboarding/account set up processes comprehensively.

This role will include line management responsibilities, taking ownership of team members’ growth and development, ensuring they also work towards Bicycle’s key values of Drive, Balance, and Freedom.

This role reports into the Performance Director, who in turn reports to the Head of Digital. It's based in our Farringdon office 3+ days a week.

Essential skills & experience:
- 3+ years’ experience in paid search; you’re highly proficient in planning, activating, optimising and reporting across diverse campaign types and advertiser categories. This doesn’t have to be solely agency-side, but some agency experience is strongly preferred.
- Strong knowledge of the latest techniques, developments and challenges in the market - e.g. new ad products, data, tracking, audiences. - Experience in dashboarding and data querying is a plus. You monitor and communicate paid search landscape developments to the wider agency, and ensure they’re integrated into media plans. Experience with technical aspects of campaign setup such as enhanced conversions and consent mode is a plus. GA4 and Campaign Manager experience is also beneficial.
- Experience across Google Ads and SA360; knowledge of advanced SA360 features such as Inventory Management is beneficial. Retail Media experience across the likes of Amazon Ads and Citrus is also preferred.
- Strategic capabilities: you’re able to translate clients’ business problems into suitable media KPIs, thinking beyond media metrics. This is not solely an implementational role - you need to be able to translate non-search specific campaign briefs, and brands’ challenges, into effective search plans.
- You have an understanding of the ways in which Paid and Organic search compliment one another. You do not need to have implementation experience in SEO, but a general knowledge of Organic concepts and frameworks is useful.
- Skilled in analytics. You identify and interpret meaningful insights, and proactively ensure they’re acted upon. You have experience working with reporting platforms such as LookerStudio.
- Able to build and develop strong, positive, productive relationships with clients, as well as our vendor contacts, internal teams and other external stakeholders (e.g. creative agencies).
- Contribute to internal resources, process development and the upskilling of both colleagues and junior clients.
- Participate in pitches, and manage the onboarding of new clients within your channels.
- You’re proactive, positive, collaborative, well-organised, adaptable, numerate, commercially-minded and have strong attention to detail.
- You have excellent written and verbal communication skills, and show an aptitude to presenting to senior clients and stakeholders.
- You ensure that billing is completed accurately and quickly.
- You’re passionate about media and communications, and want to do great work that will make our clients and the agency famous.
- You’re enthusiastic and proactive about your development, actively working with your line manager and the wider agency to make the most of the training on offer and continually enhance your skillset.


Please send a cover letter alongside your CV, outlining why you're interested in Bicycle and well-suited for the role.

Annual salary up to £45,000, dependent on experience

Benefits include:
- Private healthcare
- Pension, death in service, employee assistance programme
- Discretionary performance-related bonus up to 8.33% of salary
- 26 days paid leave (plus bank holidays)
- Additional day paid leave for volunteering
- Additional day paid leave post 2 years employment, each year up to 30 days
- Annual 2 week working overseas allowance
- Monthly socials & annual away day
- Dog-friendly office
- Generous training budget
- Free Audible membership
- 'Momentum Fund' to explore personal hobbies
- Cycle to work scheme
- Brompton bikes for getting to meetings around town
- Financial incentives for introducing successful new colleagues or business leads

Bicycle was founded by four people in 2021 because they believed that a better type of agency wasn’t just possible, but needed.

We are 100% independent, with no external investment whatsoever and proudly offer a full-service media and creative solution with fully global capabilities. We’re built on the power of ‘And’: creative & media, brand & performance, art & science, data & creativity, man & machine.

We are now 40 strong and one of the fastest growing agencies in the world. We already count Livescore, Carwow, Virgin Bet, OFX, Sarson’s, Zenb, ANNA Money, CVH Spirits, Tate & Lyle, Kroo, Royal British Legion, Branston Pickle, Movember, Moju and Estrid amongst our clients.

We won The Drum’s Global Start-up of the Year Award in 2022 and were recently shortlisted for Campaign’s Start-up of the Year Award.

Development is core to our growth and is evidenced by us being accredited IPA CPD Gold status in 2023 and 2024. We are home to smart people who want to create incredible work on interesting brands.

In 2023, we were awarded B-Corp status and shortlisted for The Drum’s Best Places To Work.

In 2024, we were accredited the People First Promise badge by the IPA in recognition of our commitment to our people and their mental wellbeing.

Our mission:
To leave the industry better than we found it. To create famous and impactful work that you want to tell your mum about. To make a living and have fun doing it.