Paid Media Manager

• Full-time, Ongoing position at Level 8
• Hawkesbury campus, with flexible working arrangements
• Salary: $118,969 – $132,069 per annum, plus 17% Super and Leave Loading. 

Lead the planning, delivery, and optimisation of paid media campaigns to support student recruitment, engagement, and the university’s brand.

The Opportunity
Drive the implementation of international and domestic paid media strategies, focusing on digital and traditional advertising channels. You’ll analyse campaign performance, optimise media spend, and collaborate with stakeholders to deliver high-impact campaigns that support student recruitment and engagement. Your work will ensure the university maintains a competitive edge across diverse advertising environments.

What Success Looks Like:

• Lead integrated domestic and international paid media strategy across always-on and campaign activity, ensuring alignment with recruitment objectives, audience needs and institutional priorities
• Own media planning and buying across digital, social, video, display, SEM and selected offline channels (radio, print, OOH), with accountability for targeting, channel mix and budget allocation
• Manage agency partnerships end-to-end, from briefing and facilitation through to performance monitoring, contract compliance, issue resolution and budget governance
• Oversee paid media creative development, including briefing, copy direction, creative matrices, and collaboration with in-house design teams to ensure assets are audience-led, on-brand and campaign-ready
• Drive performance and optimisation, translating platform data and dashboards into clear insights, recommendations, and reporting for senior stakeholders
• Champion innovation, staying ahead of emerging platforms, formats, and technologies to maintain a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving media landscape
• Ensure financial rigour, with responsibility for spend pacing, ROI, forecasting and reporting in line with university financial frameworks
• Lead post-campaign reviews and journey mapping, embedding continuous improvement across media strategy and customer experience
• Manage and develop a Senior Paid Media Officer, providing leadership, direction and capability uplift

Please refer to the Position Description for full details.

About You

• A degree in Marketing, Communications, Media or a related discipline, and/or significant experience leading domestic and international paid media strategy and execution
• Extensive management-level experience (client-side) in media planning and buying, with strong capability across content and creative development for paid channels
• A proven track record delivering large-scale, high-budget, multi-channel campaigns with measurable ROI and performance optimisation
• Advanced understanding of media analytics and performance measurement, ideally within the Adobe environment
• Strong stakeholder management capability, with experience navigating complex internal environments and agency partnerships
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate technical data into clear, strategic business recommendations
• Highly developed organisational and project management skills, enabling you to lead concurrent campaigns under tight timelines

Benefits
We invest in the people who make our mission possible. Beyond a rewarding career, we offer a suite of benefits designed to support your physical, financial, and family wellbeing:

• Fitness Passport: Access hundreds of gyms and pools across the state.
• Onsite Childcare: Convenient facilities with exclusive staff discounts and salary packaging options.
• Financial Benefits: Salary sacrifice options for onsite parking and novated motor vehicle leasing,
• Holistic Support: Free Employee Assistance Program (EAP) along with discounted retail and private health cover.

Application Details

• How to Apply: Please note that only applications submitted via the University’s online recruitment system will be considered. 
• Closing Date: 11:59pm, Sunday 19 April 2026. 
• Working Rights: You must provide evidence of full-time working rights in Australia at application.
• Position Enquiries: Direct to Yasmin Spencer, Director, Marketing via Y.Spencer@westernsydney.edu.au REF252Q

Belonging at Western
We are committed to substantive equality as outlined in our Equal Opportunity Policy. We actively encourage applications from Indigenous Australians, candidates of all gender identities and expressions, people of all abilities, and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

For Reasonable Adjustments during the application process, please contact talentacquisitionteam@westernsydney.edu.au.

About Western
This is your opportunity to be part of something bigger. By joining Western Sydney University, you become a valued member of our community. As our region changes, so too does our university. Western is boldly different, energetic, global, diverse, dynamic, and youthful.

Our mission is to deliver student success, impactful research, and stronger communities. As part of our team, you will have a stake in shaping the future of education, broadening horizons, and changing lives. Making a difference starts at Western.

For the latest please visit our website and LinkedIn.