Requirements: English
Company: TransPerfect
Region: Barcelona , Catalonia
About the Role:
TransPerfect, the worlds largest provider of language and technology solutions for global business, is seeking a results-driven, resourceful, and visionary Senior Director Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Digital Advertising to lead the creation of an in-house SEM and digital advertising function within the MarComm department. Structured like an internal performance marketing agency, this team will combine existing and net new resources to deliver scalable, measurable, and efficient search and performance strategies across all divisions of the TransPefect Global Group. Your primary mission as the leader of this team will be to deliver high performance in the areas of brand awareness and qualified lead generation through effective strategy and execution.
This role works closely with stakeholders across leadership, corporate marketing, sales, production, and vendors, always providing best-in-class service levels faster, smarter, and more cost-effectively than any agency could deliver, all while being held accountable at the same level that a third-party agency would be (where contract renewal depends on results and performance). Internal partnerships and teamwork are critical as this group will be responsible for supporting successful programs across all company divisions, verticals, and products.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategy & Leadership
- Build and lead TransPerfects in-house SEM team as a strategic center of excellence.
- Define the internal agency model, including intake process, SLAs, workflow, and campaign reporting standards.
- Serve as senior strategist and internal thought leader on paid search and digital advertising best practices, platform trends, and measurement models.
- Lead quarterly performance reviews and SEM opportunity briefings across business units.
- Develop high-trust, high-transparency relationships with key executive stakeholders and vertical/divisional leaders
Campaign Development & Execution
- Full campaign setup, brief intake, team mobilization.
- Own end-to-end campaign lifecycle from intake and planning to launch, optimization, and reporting.
- Translate internal marketing briefs into paid search strategies with aligned messaging, targeting, and budget pacing.
- Manage bidding strategies, keyword planning, and targeting refinement to ensure ROI across campaigns.
- Oversee creation and testing of ad copy, variants, extensions, and new ad formats and experimentation.
Performance Management & Optimization
- Monitor and optimize campaigns in real time, ensuring efficient spend and strong performance on key KPIs (ROAS, CTR, CPA, conversions).
- Deliver clear, actionable reports and insights to internal stakeholders on a monthly and quarterly basis.
- Highlight key wins and major highlights in real-time.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align paid search efforts with broader campaign goals and messaging.
Innovation & Proactive Program Growth
- Launch always-on programs for core services or products that run independent of formal briefs.
- Conduct quarterly SEM opportunity reviews based on search trends, competitor activity, and historical data.
- Lead a "test and learn" agenda, piloting new ad types, platforms, and strategies with measurable insights shared across the team.
- Identify content and keyword gaps to inform future campaign and SEO initiatives.
Cross-Team Partnership & Enablement
- Act as the strategic SEM partner to internal vertical and product marketing teams.
- Host regular internal SEM sessions to provide consultative support, brainstorm new ideas, and field quick-turn requests.
- Educate stakeholders on SEM capabilities and foster a culture of performance-driven marketing.
Requirements:
- 8+ years in SEM or performance marketing roles, with at least 3 years managing paid search strategy at scale.
- Demonstrated experience building or running high-volume SEM campaigns for B2B and B2C brands.
- Past experience building from zero, not just stepping in to existing roles and programs and optimizing a hybrid builder/optimizer.
- Strong understanding of Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, Google Analytics, and conversion tracking tools.
- Additional knowledge of paid channels including LinkedIn, Meta, etc.
- Extensive knowledge of top-of-funnel digital advertising strategies, including platforms and tactics used for brand awareness, audience expansion, and demand generation (e.g. YouTube, paid social).
- Ability to translate brand or campaign goals into effective upper-funnel media plans w