SEM Operations Lead, Paid Search Activation

The U.S. Consumer Cards organization delivers a wide array of credit card services to individual consumers, small businesses, andforour co-branded and retail partners. Our core offerings are focused on credit cards, providing a comprehensive suite of products designed to meet various client payment and lending needs.

To deliver on our brand promise, weoperateas a truly client-centric organization, driving a high tech, high touch experience for the full Citi relationship, particularly in the U.S. To do so, we have aligned our structure with our strategy, to ensure we win in the U.S., our largest market, and drive greater client-centricity across product,segmentand geography.

Media is a critical area of focus and growth for CitiU.S. Consumer Cards. TheU.S. Consumer CardsMedia team iscomprisedof product and channel marketers whoare responsible fordriving growth while transforming our digital marketing capabilities to shift the quality and mix of digitally sourced accounts. This includes profitablyacquiringnew accounts, managing key acquisitions channels, bringing new and refreshed products to market,partnering onthrough-the-line campaigns, testing new tactics, and driving marketing innovation.

We areseekingahighly skilledSEM Operations Leadto join our Paid Search Activation team.This role willleadend-to-end SEMhands-on keyboardoperations, controls, andcampaignexecution forall Paid Search acquisition marketing campaigns. Thisincludes managingthe channel'send-to-end execution and operationalstrategy, technical optimization,budgeting, A/B testing, and reporting processes. Theideal candidatewillpossessdeep technicalexpertise, exceptional leadership capabilities, and a proventrack recordof scaling complex SEM programs within a large enterprise, preferably in the financial services sector.Strong cross-functional collaboration is essential, as the role requires working closely with Digital Channels, Data Science, Risk, Legal, and external partners to ensure flawless campaign delivery, operational excellence, and compliance in a highly regulated environment.

Responsibilities:

• Ownand lead hands-on keyboardset up and execution of all SEM/paid search campaigns, frominitialbuild through end-to-end flight.

• Lead a large, hands-on keyboard campaign execution team responsible for building and trafficking campaigns, performing QA and managing large budgets, pacing,QAand reporting, ensuring consistency across multiple lines of business. 

• Build and enforce a standardized QA framework covering bulk sheets, pre-live and post-livevalidationsand end-to-end campaign delivery checklists, with strict adherence to Citi risk and controlsframework.

• Establish SLAs for campaign launches, traffickingupdatesand invoice reconciliation to ensure zero operational risk. 

• Create and own playbooks for execution tasks, ensuring continuity across all lines of business,accountsand product lines. 

• Oversee the creation and approval of insertion orders, credit line management, billing reconciliation, and pacing controls. 

• Ensure flawless trafficking of ad copy, creative rotations, sitelinks, end-to-endtrackingand audience lists. 

• Partner with Legal, Risk, and Compliance teams to uphold stringent advertising standards, including disclosures, disclaimers, and data privacy adherence.

• Identifyopportunities to implement workflow automation, process tools, and AI solutions to enhance efficiency and reduce manual errors.

• Establish KPIs such as campaign launch accuracy, error rate reduction, and speed-to-market. Hold the team accountable for achieving these metrics, driving continuous improvement in operational efficiency.

• Maintain senior-level partnerships with Google, Microsoft, SA360, and other technology vendors.Negotiate contractsand driveproduct roadmapstoensure operational excellence and innovation. 

• Partner with data/engineering to design scalable solutions for tagging, tracking and real-time pacing and performance monitoring. 

• Act as the primary subject matter expert for SEM technology platforms (e.g., Google Ads, SA360). Drive adoption of advanced features and integrations, partnering with data/engineering for scalable solutions.

• Establish a culture of data-driven insights by partnering with analytics teams for comprehensive reporting frameworks, dashboards, and attribution models. 

• Collaborate with Risk & Controls teams to ensure SEM activities adhere to stringent internal policies and regulatory requirements. Build and enforce a standardized QA framework, and partner with Legal for advertising standards and data privacy.

• Establish and enforce SLAs for campaign launches and invoice reconciliation to ensure zero operational risk. Create and own playbooks,identifyingopportunities for workflow automation and AI solutions to enhance efficiency.

• Ensure flawless trafficking of ad copy, creative rotations, sitelinks, end-to-end tracking, and audience lists. 

• Foster strong relationships with senior leaders across Marketing, Technology, Product, Legal, and Finance. Effectively communicate SEM strategy and operational needs to diverse stakeholders.

• Providecritical guidance, mentorship, and thought leadership toother SEM team members. Elevate collectiveexpertiseand capabilities, fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth.

• Appropriately assess risk when business decisions are made, demonstrating particular consideration for the firm's reputation and safeguarding Citigroup, its clients and assets, by driving compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations, adhering to Policy, applying sound ethical judgment regarding personal behavior, conduct and business practices, and escalating, managing and reporting control issues with transparency, as well as effectively supervise the activity of others and create accountability with those who fail to maintain these standards.

Qualifications:

• 10+ years of hands-on keyboard experience in Search Engine Marketing (SEM), witha significant portiondedicated to leading large-scale execution and delivery programs within a complex, regulated environment, especially in a leadership capacity. 

• Proven experience managing execution teams and large-scale SEM budgets, consistently driving substantial performance improvements (e.g., ROAS, conversion rates).

• Proven ability to lead operational transformation in high-budget, highly regulated industries, such as financial services.

• Mastery of Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, SA360, Adobe Analytics, Looker Studio, GA4, GTM, and related workflow tools. Deepexpertisein major SEM platforms, advanced bid management strategies, and automation tools.

• Strong understanding of digital analytics, attribution modeling, A/B testing, and data visualization tools. Exceptional strategic thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills, with the ability to translate complex data into actionable insights.

• Extensive experience with risk management, compliance frameworks, and navigating regulatory landscapes, especially within financial services. Strong understanding of compliance frameworks in financial services.

• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively at all levels of an organization.

• Exceptional organizational, project management, and problem-solving skills. Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks/projects simultaneously and drive solutions to complex problems.

• Resourceful and pragmatic self-starter and problem-solver, who is partner-focused and excels inmaintainingstrategic vision while diving into the details of coordinating multiple projects with varying timelines simultaneously.

• Superior attention to detail, with a process-oriented mindset.Strong senseof accountability and decisiveness within a strong work ethic culture.

Education:

• Bachelor’s/University degree,Master’sdegree preferred

This job description provides a high-level review of the types of work performed. Other job-related dutiesmay be assigned asrequired.