Performance Marketing Strategist (Paid Search)

JD Sports/Finish Line is seeking a highly motivated and accountable Performance Marketing Strategist to join our Growth Marketing team. This role will directly own and operate Paid Search campaigns, managing multi-million-dollar budgets across platforms like Google Ads, YouTube, SA360, and Microsoft Ads. 

We’re looking for a hands-on marketer who thrives in fast-moving, performance-driven environments. The ideal candidate combines strong executional expertise with the ability to collaborate cross-functionally, bring forward proactive insights, and demonstrate accountability for results. This person will report directly to the Paid Media Manager.

This role is critical to scaling JD Sports’ and Finish Line’s performance marketing engine while maintaining a culture of ownership, responsiveness, and collaboration. This individual should effectively exhibit JD Finish Line’s core values of Customer, People, Winning, Community, and Financial Responsibility in everything they do by performing the following main duties:

Key Responsibilities:

Day-to-Day Channel Management & Optimization

• Manage the daily execution of Paid Search (Google, SA360, Bing) and YouTube campaigns.

• Continuously optimize campaigns to hit performance targets (ROAS, CAC, revenue) while maintaining budget pacing.

• Conduct regular performance analysis, identifying trends, diagnosing issues, and implementing solutions.

• Test, learn, and scale campaigns across audience segments, creatives, placements, and bidding strategies.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with brand, creative, analytics, and agency teams to align strategy, creative messaging, and execution.

• Work closely with internal and external partners to troubleshoot tracking, tagging, and measurement issues.

• Translate performance data into actionable insights and communicate clear recommendations to leadership.

Accountability & Reporting

• Provide accurate weekly and monthly performance updates, with transparency on wins, misses, and next steps.

• Own budgets with rigor, ensuring spend aligns with forecast, channel strategy, and business objectives.

• Maintain a high standard of responsiveness, consistency, and ownership in communication with leadership.

​Strategic Contribution

• Identify growth opportunities and risks across Paid Search to inform media strategy.

• Support campaign planning for seasonal and product launches, aligning execution with business priorities.

• Bring forward new testing ideas, platform innovations, and channel strategies to drive efficiency and scale.

Required Education and/or Experience: 

• 3–5 years of hands-on experience managing Paid Search (Google Ads, SA360, Microsoft Ads).

• Proven success managing monthly budgets while achieving performance KPIs (ROAS, CAC, revenue).

• Strong working knowledge of analytics platforms, including: Looker, GA4, Google Ads Manager, and campaign reporting tools.

• Experience working with brands managing thousands of SKUs (eCommerce or retail preferred, but not required).

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple campaigns across channels and brands simultaneously.

• Demonstrated qualities of coachability, collaboration, accountability, responsiveness, and ownership — critical for thriving within our team culture.

• Collaborative, detail-oriented, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced retail environment.

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence stakeholders and proactively address issues.

• Self-starter with a problem-solving mindset, capable of operating independently without heavy oversight.

Preferred Qualifications

2 or more years of experience planning or managing Paid Social campaigns (Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, or Pinterest) at budgets of $300,000/month or more. 

Required Computer and/or Technical Skills

Excellent computer skills, including basic to intermediate knowledge and abilities with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Google. 

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Sit for more than 6 hours per shift

• Use hands to finger, handle and feel

• Reach with hands and arms

• Talk and/or hear

• Stand for up to 2 hours at a time regularly

• Walk or move from one location to another regularly

• Periodically may need to climb, balance, stoop, kneel, or crouch

• Lift and/or move up to 10 pounds regularly and up to 50 pounds occasionally

• Punctuality and regular attendance consistent with the company’s policies are required for the position.

• Average work week is (40-50) hours, which can vary depending on business need.

• The work environment for this position is a moderately noisy office setting.

The company reserves the right to modify this job description with or without notice. Employees may be asked to perform additional duties outside of normal job scope on a temporary basis per the company policy. Pay range: $63,000 - $72,000 (Depending on Experience); 10% bonus target. This role will be eligible for medical, dental, vision, 401k, sick leave, parental leave, and company paid time off plan.

#LI-DNI

The company reserves the right to modify this job description with or without notice. Employees may be asked to perform additional duties outside of normal job scope on a temporary basis per the company policy. Pay range: $63,000 - $72,000 (Depending on Experience); 10% bonus target. This role will be eligible for medical, dental, vision, 401k, sick leave, parental leave, and company paid time off plan.

This job description is not intended to cover all aspects, duties, and/or responsibilities required of employees.  Employees may be asked to perform additional duties outside of normal job scope on a temporary or permanent basis per company policy. ​The company reserves the right to modify this job description with or without notice. 

EEO Statement:

The Finish Line, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and is committed to complying with all federal, state, and local EEO laws.  The Finish Line, Inc. prohibits discrimination against employees and applicants for employment based on race or color, religion or creed, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, marital status, sex, pregnancy status, age, military status, disability, or any other characteristic or class protected by law.  The Finish Line, Inc. provides reasonable accommodations in accordance with applicable laws, including for disabilities, pregnancy, and religious practices.

Need accessibility assistance to apply?
Applicants who require accessibility assistance to submit an employment application can either call Finish Line at  (317) 613-6890 or email us at talentacquisition@finishline.com.  A member of our Talent Acquisition team will respond as soon as reasonably possible. (This email address and phone number is only for individuals seeking accommodation when applying for a job.)