Senior Growth Marketing Specialist (Google Ads & Paid Media)

About Us:

Ground News is a news comparison platform dedicated to helping users navigate media bias, compare sources, and engage critically with the news. Unlike most news companies, we are politically neutral and do not rely on algorithms for user retention. Instead, we are reader-supported, offering tools for informed decision-making in an era of polarization and distrust.

Our mission is to foster a community of mindful readers through our mobile app, web app, and browser extension. We have achieved recognition with #1 on Product Hunt, #2 on 2025 Apple Design Awards (Social Impact), and multiple US App of the Day awards, including a win at CES Mobile Apps Showdown.

The Opportunity:

Ground News is seeking a Senior Growth Marketing Specialist to scale our Google Ads presence from a small budget to a major revenue driver. This role involves building a zero-to-scale Google Ads strategy, including Search, Performance Max, Demand Gen, and YouTube, while maintaining discipline on Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and subscriber payback.

You will partner with product, engineering, and sponsorships teams, with full budget ownership and minimal bureaucracy. The role requires 5+ years of experience managing high-scale Google Ads, particularly in subscription, DTC, or app-based businesses.

What You’ll Do:

• Build Google Ads from scratch, including account structure, campaign architecture, naming conventions, and scalable testing frameworks.
• Scale Google Ads spend from a low base to a major share of total paid budget, optimizing for CAC and subscriber payback.
• Own Search, Performance Max, Demand Gen, and YouTube campaigns, including budget allocation and bidding strategy.
• Collaborate with external agencies to develop a YouTube creative engine, including briefing, testing, and ad format iteration.
• Build, test, and iterate on Google landing pages for dedicated campaigns.
• Establish a measurement foundation, including conversion tracking, Enhanced Conversions, app + web attribution, and incrementality testing.
• Experiment with adjacent paid channels (e.g., social media, CTV) while maintaining rigorous testing and attribution.
• Partner cross-functionally with product, engineering, and analytics teams to deliver paid media needs.
• Provide honest, tactical performance reporting, including identifying underperforming areas.

What You’ll Bring:

• 5+ years of experience managing Google Ads at scale, ideally in subscription, DTC, or app-based businesses.
• Proven track record of scaling accounts from small to large, not just managing established ones.
• Hands-on YouTube experience, including scaling video campaigns beyond Performance Max.
• Strong analytical skills, comfortable with GA4, spreadsheets, and BI tools, and capable of distinguishing signal from noise.
• Creative fluency in briefing high-performing video ads and diagnosing ad failures.
• A bias toward action, thriving in small teams with large budgets and rapid learn-build-ship cycles.
• Experience managing campaigns on paid channels beyond Google, without requiring a full team.
• Genuine interest in news and media is a plus.

Bonus Points:

• Experience with diverse paid social platforms, including scaling a channel from 0 to 1.
• Experience with CTV/OTT and linear TV buying (e.g., Netflix, Hulu, Roku, Amazon, YouTube TV).
• Experience with AppsFlyer (MMP setup, SKAN configuration, attribution debugging).
• Experience with Firebase (event tracking, audience building, app-side conversion signal).
• Experience with landing page development, collaborating closely with design and engineering teams.
• Experience with Apple Search Ads or app-install campaigns.
• Familiarity with Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) or geo-lift.

Why Work at Ground?

Ground News offers a mission-driven environment where you can contribute to a cooperative, civil debate culture and accountable media. Enjoy a remote-first work model, competitive total rewards, and opportunities for professional growth. Join a collaborative, creative team dedicated to building meaningful products with real-world impact.