Performance Marketing Manager

About Us

Across the FT Group, our people are united by a mission to deliver world-class information, news and services to our global audiences. We're a digital-first organisation made up of journalists, technologists, product managers, event planners, strategists, commercial and finance experts, marketing and communications specialists - and much more. Our strength is in our employees.

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace

At the FT, we aim for employees across all regions to have a voice so that diverse perspectives are heard and valued. We believe that a supportive workplace is one where employees feel they can be themselves at work and have the flexibility they need to meet their personal needs. We'll continue to remove barriers for all, and in particular barriers facing employees from underrepresented groups.

The Performance Marketing Manager is primarily responsible for managing the delivery of our global performance marketing campaigns to drive the acquisition of new individual subscribers. The successful candidate will be a great collaborator, creating media plans, delivering performance marketing campaigns and providing recommendations for innovation to key stakeholders within the Consumer Marketing teams. The candidate will also work closely with internal teams across the Consumer Revenues Group as well as leading day to day conversations with our partner agencies. 

The Performance Marketing Manager acts with an inquisitive mindset to strategic marketing and will design and implement effective campaigns to increase performance across our suite of digital products. This is a role for an experienced digital marketer who loves numbers, applies data and utilises technology to drive continual improvements in what we do and how we do it. It requires somebody with growing commercial acumen and an equally strong eye for detail who enjoys working with cross-functional teams and can both inspire and motivate others to innovate and increase marketing impact.

Job Responsibilities: 

Planning & Forecasting

• Manage the implementation of tailored performance marketing campaigns and approaches for the FT’s broadening product suite, from standard subscriptions, app subscriptions and customer registration; 
• Ensure campaigns perform to agreed CPA targets and look to maximise ROI;
• Collaborate with our partner agencies to produce suitable plans and forecasts as the business requires; 
• Present media plans to the Senior Performance Marketing Manager for approval and once approved, ensure plans are executed on time and within budget.

Budgeting

• Optimise our monthly global Performance Marketing budget allocations effectively, ensuring tight accounting processes and reallocating budgets based on results and identified opportunities. Discuss and agree on these plans in partnership with the Consumer Marketing team;
• With support from the Senior Performance Marketing Manager, manage the month-end management accounting process where actual spend is reconciliation against forecast and budget is rephased for the remaining period; 
• Ensure effective delivery against monthly, quarterly and annual subscription acquisition targets and KPIs across performance marketing channels.

Campaign & Channel Management 

• Working closely with the Product & Performance Marketing teams, develop several large tactical campaigns globally per annum, to include both ATL media buying across TV, OOH and BTL media channels - search, social, display etc
• Coordinate campaign formation with the Senior Digital Conversion Manager and Marketing Technology Manager to ensure suitable user journeys are created and sufficient tracking and attribution is in place prior to launch; 
• Manage the day to day running of our Performance Marketing campaigns across search, social, display, audio and other channels proposed. Also manage our day to day mobile marketing activities across paid and earned channels;
• Collaborate with the Content and Creative team to ensure suitable creative assets are produced for agreed campaigns, on time and on budget. Ideate and brief in new ad formats for test and learn campaigns.

Innovation

• Working with the Marketing Technology Manager, identify and quantify the impacts of upcoming changes to cookie usage and devise solutions and tactics to prioritise the use of first party data throughout our campaigns;
• By gaining support from the Marketing Technology Manager, utilise existing and emerging marketing technologies that enable effective audience targeting on and off site, such as leveraging Bloomreach (CDP) server to server connections, the Google Privacy Sandbox and more; 
• Stay abreast of industry trends and best practices, attend appropriate industry events and make recommendations of tests and experiments that we can adopt within the FT. 

Team  & Agency Management 

• Line management of one Performance Marketing Executive, working closely with each other to ensure core team KPIs are reached. Nurture their growth and career development within the FT. Set regular performance reviews and relevant annual and bi-annual objectives; 
• Ensure effective collaboration with our agencies, managing the day-to-day running of global performance marketing campaigns against agreed media plans across paid, owned and earned media.

Reporting, Insights & Analysis

• Interrogate our data and performance reports and subsequently work with colleagues across CRG to synthesise key learnings and insights into marketing performance and ensure they are fed back to key decision makers effectively;
• Working directly with the Senior Performance Marketing Manager and the MP&T Director, ideate and implement a suitable measurement framework for Performance Marketing campaigns and activities; 
• Investigate any occurring errors or sudden unexplained alterations in performance and make recommendations for resolution; 

Required Skills

• Minimum 4 years experience in a commercially focused digital marketing role delivery bottom-line impacts through marketing;
• Previous experience working in marketing for a subscriptions business is desirable, with a proven track record of delivering successful campaigns for a B2C organisation;
• Previous experience working in a news organisation or with editorial teams is also desirable;
• A strong understanding of third-party marketing platforms - search, display and social media advertising and mobile marketing; 
• Commercially-minded and confident in implementing and tracking large scale performance marketing campaigns, as well as managing budgets and invoice process;
• Excellent analytical skills and strong numerical acumen to form data driven analysis that measure and report on the effectiveness of campaigns against primary business objectives; 
• A ‘test and learn’ approach, is comfortable with initiative and the ability to propose new ideas and solutions that meet business needs;
• Demonstrable professionalism and proven ability to operate in a complex, fast-paced, matrixed business environment.

What’s in it for you? Our Benefits

Our benefits vary depending on location, but we are committed to providing best in class perks across all our offices as well as an inclusive environment to develop your career. Examples of our benefits include; generous annual leave allowances, flexible working (including working from home), medical cover, enhanced maternity & paternity packages, subsidised gym memberships and Giving Back opportunities. Full details of our benefits can be found here.

Further Information

The FT is committed to providing an inclusive working environment for all. We are an equal opportunities employer who seeks to recruit and appoint the best talent regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We also promote flexible working and will consider specific requests around flexibility for all roles where it can be accommodated. Please let us know if you require any adjustments as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements, or have any questions, please contact a member of our HR team who will be happy to help. 

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