Remote Programmatic Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

We are looking for an Integrated Activation Specialist to build, launch, and improve paid search campaigns for our pharmaceutical clients. This is a hands-on execution role. You will manage campaign setup and trafficking. You will run QA against compliance and platform standards. Additionally, you will monitor pacing and performance daily. You will also produce the recurring reporting that brand teams and senior media leads rely on. You will work under the direction of the Paid Search Supervisor. You will also work with media subject matter experts in programmatic, ad operations, social, and SEO. Your goal is to keep search activation accurate, on pace, and aligned with the broader media plan and industry regulations.

• Campaign Activation

  • Build and traffic paid search campaigns across Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising, including account structure, keywords, ad copy, extensions, and conversion tracking

  • Apply established SEM best practices and pharmaceutical compliance requirements to every build

  • Run pre-launch QA on all campaigns using the team's standard checklist, covering match types, negatives, budgets, bids, landing page URLs, tracking parameters, and required disclaimer/ISI elements

  • Manage day-to-day trafficking and change requests, turning them around within agreed timelines

  Tools and Platform Updates

  • Use platform AI and automation tools such as automated bidding, responsive search ads, and audience signals where they improve efficiency, within compliance guardrails

  • Stay current on Google and Microsoft platform releases and flag features worth testing to the Paid Search Supervisor

  • Maintain working familiarity with how AI-driven results (e.g., Google AI Overviews) affect search behavior and campaign performance

  • Support pilots of new tools and tactics by handling setup, tracking, and results documentation

  Campaign Management

  • Monitor pacing and performance daily across Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising, adjusting bids, budgets, keywords, and negatives to hit target KPIs

  • Execute optimizations directed by senior team members and document what changed, when, and why

  • Support keyword research and ad copy development for relevant therapeutic areas, routing all creative through required medical, legal, and regulatory review

  • Troubleshoot live performance issues and reporting discrepancies across platforms, ad servers, and analytics tools, implementing fixes and escalating root causes that need senior input

  Team Collaboration

  • Partner with the Center of Excellence, brand teams, ad operations, programmatic, social, and SEO counterparts to keep search activation aligned with the broader media plan

  • Support brand teams on day-to-day campaign questions and join client status calls to walk through performance and next steps alongside the Paid Search Supervisor

  • Share what you learn from campaign work with the wider team to keep execution consistent

  • Maintain training and process documentation for campaign setup, pacing, and QA so the SEM process stays consistent team to team

  Reporting and Analytics

  • Build and maintain recurring SEM performance reports and pacing trackers, delivered accurately

  • Pull and QA data from Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, SA360, and analytics platforms, reconciling discrepancies before reports go out

  • Write clear performance callouts and optimization recommendations for internal review

  • Support test documentation and case study materials with clean data and results summaries

  • Assist with budget pacing and forecasting inputs based on campaign delivery to date

• 2+ years of paid search experience

• Hands-on proficiency in Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising; working knowledge of SA360, Google Analytics, and SEM tools (e.g., SEMrush, AdThena)

• Hands-on experience activating paid social and programmatic campaigns is a significant plus, given the integrated nature of the role

• Excel skills, including pivot tables, lookups, and building recurring performance reports

• QA discipline, especially in a regulated environment

• Familiarity with pharmaceutical advertising regulations and MLR review, or and work within compliance requirements

• Comfortable using AI tools

• Commitment to staying informed about platform updates, industry trends, and regulatory changes, and a passion for continuous learning

We are committed to equal employment opportunities and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds. If you're excited about this role but don't meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply-you may be the right fit for this or another role within our team.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.