We're looking for a freelance PPC strategist to own paid media strategy and day-to-day campaign management for a B2B client's EMEA business.
This is not a translation or copy-adaptation role. You will be the strategist on the account and the client's primary day-to-day contact, working with them in German. You'll build and run the EMEA strategy independently of our US and APAC programmes, while plugging into Brafton's wider global team for knowledge sharing, SEO input and shared learnings.
We want someone with the judgment and confidence to build the right approach for EMEA from first principles.
Scope of work
Own end-to-end strategy, build and optimisation of Google Ads across EMEA — Search, Performance Max and Display, with additional channels considered where the case is there.
Join regular calls, reporting sessions and written updates in German.
Write, adapt and test German ad copy that holds brand tone and reads natively — not translated-sounding.
Build campaign structures that work across multiple EMEA markets, languages, currencies and time zones, and keep budget pacing sensible across them.
Brief and coordinate with separately contracted native French and Italian localisation support (you do not need to speak those languages yourself).
Feed into landing page and localisation decisions alongside our SEO team, including market-appropriate messaging and hreflang / localised page considerations.
Produce regional reporting that stands on its own for the client while rolling up cleanly into our global PPC reporting framework.
Partner with our US and APAC strategists to share learnings in both directions, without being dependent on their playbook.
Core competencies
Native or near-native German (C2), spoken and written, with the confidence to lead client calls and present performance in German. Fluent professional English for collaboration with our team.
Proven hands-on Google Ads experience across Search, Performance Max and Display, in a B2B lead generation context (not primarily e-commerce).
Genuine local keyword research capability for German-speaking markets — using in-market tools, search behaviour knowledge and judgment, not machine translation of English lists.
Strong analysis of German-language search term and keyword data to drive optimisations, negative keyword strategy and match type decisions.
Sound conversion tracking and measurement practice, including GA4, EU consent requirements and GDPR-compliant tracking setups.
Comfortable in Google Ads Editor, GA4 and Looker Studio (or equivalent reporting tooling).
Strategic and analytical capabilities
Able to build an EMEA paid media strategy from first principles — targeting, account structure, bidding and messaging — rather than executing a plan handed down.
Willing and able to challenge or adapt global playbook tactics where they don't suit local market norms, competitive dynamics or the client's brand-risk tolerance, and to explain that reasoning clearly to both client and agency stakeholders.
Strong client-facing communicator: can give clear written context behind optimisations and hold a strategic conversation, not just report numbers.
Comfortable collaborating asynchronously across time zones with an English-speaking team.
Professional requirements
4-5 years in paid media, ideally agency-side, with experience managing international or multi-market campaigns.
Experience in a client facing role - you will be communicating with the client regularly.
Track record with multinational or B2B clients where German-speaking or wider EMEA markets were a core target region.
Reliable overlap with UK business hours and some overlap with US Eastern time for internal calls.
Nice to have
Experience in B2B manufacturing
Experience working alongside an in-house or agency SEO team.
Familiarity with paid channels beyond Google in EMEA (LinkedIn, Bing, local platforms).
Skills Required
- Native or near-native German proficiency at C2 level, spoken and written
- Fluent professional English for team collaboration
- Hands-on Google Ads experience across Search, Performance Max, and Display
- B2B lead generation paid media experience
- German-language keyword research experience for German-speaking markets
- Experience analyzing search term and keyword data, managing negative keywords, and making match-type decisions
- Conversion tracking and measurement experience, including GA4, EU consent requirements, and GDPR-compliant tracking
- Experience with Google Ads Editor, GA4, and Looker Studio or equivalent reporting tools
- Ability to build EMEA paid media strategy from first principles
- Strong client-facing communication and presentation experience
- Four to five years of paid media experience
- Experience managing international or multi-market campaigns
- Experience with multinational or B2B clients targeting German-speaking or wider EMEA markets
- Reliable overlap with UK business hours and some US Eastern time
- B2B manufacturing experience
- Experience working with an in-house or agency SEO team
- Familiarity with paid channels beyond Google, such as LinkedIn, Bing, or local EMEA platforms
What We Do
Brafton is what happens when a bunch of creative geniuses get their hands on killer marketing data. Our goal: Provide the most impactful, creative, and scalable content marketing services and technology solutions to organizations across the globe. We've been at the forefront of content marketing since 2008, with offices in Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, London and Sydney. There’s nothing our global team of SEOs, social media mavens, wordsmiths, designers, developers, videographers and consultants can’t create: Search Performance Briefs. End-to-end inbound strategies. Landing pages. Blog posts. eBooks. White papers. Infographics. Press releases. Videos & animations. Newsletters, drips & other email content. Web design, development and UX. Much more. Content marketing is our calling. We follow it to ROI for our customers.
