Purpose
Lead the club’s paid media strategy and performance across all commercial and brand areas — including eCommerce, D2C, ticketing, membership, MUTV and major commercial campaigns. The Senior Marketing Manager (Paid Channels) ensures that every campaign delivers measurable impact and aligns with the club’s marketing and commercial goals. They work closely with the Head of Brand & Consumer Marketing and the E-commerce Growth & Activation Lead, while leading paid media strategy and planning for other business areas to ensure full-funnel growth across the club’s ecosystem.
Key Responsibilities
1. Lead paid media strategy, planning, and hands-on optimisation across all club business areas
2. Translate business objectives into data-driven testable media strategies that balance reach, efficiency and conversion.
3. Partner with the Head of Brand & Consumer Marketing and the E-commerce Growth and Activation Lead to define how paid media supports commercial targets and key trading moments, including budget pacing and reallocation
4. Lead media agency relationships, ensuring campaign excellence, platform best practice, budget discipline and performance accountability.
5. Coordinate with the O&O, social and CRM teams to connect paid acquisition with owned channel journeys and fan retention.
6. Partner with Creative teams to ensure storytelling and messaging are consistent across all media formats.
7. Test and learn: pilot new formats, channels and targeting; run A/B and geo holdout tests; document results and scale winners.
8. Support key campaign launches (e.g., kit launches, ticket on-sales) with cross-channel paid strategies.
9. Provide reporting and actionable insights to inform future planning and investment decisions.
Skills & Experience
10. 5–7 years’ experience in paid media strategy or digital performance marketing across multiple products or brands, including recent hands-on buying and optimisation
11. Proven ability to manage complex budgets and deliver measurable improvements in ROAS/CPA, revenue, CAC/LTV and incremental lift.
12. Confident in interpreting analytics to inform planning and optimisation.
13. Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, able to make clear time-bound recommendations to senior leaders with experience working cross-functionally.
14. Balances creative storytelling with data-driven decisioning; spots channel and audience trends early and turns them into tests.
15. Collaborative and proactive, with a commercial mindset and continuous improvement approach.
What We Offer:
At Manchester United, we recognise that our people are at the heart of our success. That’s why we offer a range of rewards designed to support your professional and personal well-being:
16. Annual incentive scheme
17. Wellness Support with access to mental health resources, digital health checks, and & nutritionists through Aviva Digicare+ Workplace
18. Exclusive Discounts through our United Rewards platform, giving you access to exclusive deals from the club and partners
19. Gym Facilities in our onsite locations and opportunities for regular social events and team-building activities
20. Enhanced family Leave Benefits and an opportunity to purchase additional holiday days
21. Enhanced Career Development with access to professional learning platforms like LinkedIn Learning, and internal training programs
22. A Supportive Work Environment that values diversity, equity and inclusion, and individual growth