---
title: 'Associate Vice President, Paid Search - EDU at Zeta Global'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/associate-vice-president-paid-search-edu-zeta-global-united-states-5s9cdze0a27q'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-10'
---

# Associate Vice President, Paid Search - EDU at Zeta Global

- **Company:** Zeta Global
- **Location:** United States
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-06-11
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-10
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/zetaglobal/jobs/6018655004

## Job description

## WHO WE ARE

Zeta Global (NYSE: ZETA) is the AI-Powered Marketing Cloud that leverages advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and trillions of consumer signals to make it easier for marketers to acquire, grow, and retain customers more efficiently. Through the Zeta Marketing Platform (ZMP), our vision is to make sophisticated marketing simple by unifying identity, intelligence, and omnichannel activation into a single platform – powered by one of the industry’s largest proprietary databases and AI. Our enterprise customers across multiple verticals are empowered to personalize experiences with consumers at an individual level across every channel, delivering better results for marketing programs. Zeta was founded in 2007 by David A. Steinberg and John Sculley and is headquartered in New York City with offices around the world. To learn more, go to [www.zetaglobal.com](https://www.zetaglobal.com/).

## The Role

We’re looking for an Associate Vice President (AVP) of Paid Search to lead strategy, performance, and growth across a portfolio of Higher Education clients. This role is responsible for setting the vision for Paid Search within the vertical, scaling best-in-class performance frameworks, and driving measurable business outcomes across complex, multi-account portfolios.

This role serves as a senior strategic partner to both clients and internal stakeholders. You will elevate our approach to enrollment marketing through data-driven decisioning, advanced platform capabilities, and deep vertical expertise.

Thought Leadership

- Define and evolve Paid Search strategy for Higher Education clients, aligned to enrollment cycles, program mix, and institutional goals
- Translate industry trends (e.g., seasonality, program demand, attribution challenges) into scalable, actionable frameworks
- Establish POVs on bidding strategies, funnel optimization, and audience targeting specific to EDU

Client Strategy & Leadership

- Serve as executive sponsor across key EDU client relationships, guiding long-term strategy and investment decisions
- Oversee performance across portfolio, ensuring delivery against KPIs such as CPL, enrollment volume, and efficiency targets
- Identify and unlock growth opportunities including new channels, budget expansion, and testing roadmaps
- Lead QBRs and executive presentations with a focus on business outcomes and forward-looking strategy

## Team Leadership

- Lead, mentor, and develop a Search team, ensuring strong performance management and career growth
- Define team structure, resourcing models, and capacity planning to support current and future business needs
- Elevate team capabilities in platform innovation
- Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement

Performance Ownership

- Ensure best-in-class execution across campaigns, including account structure, budget pacing, and optimization strategies
- Implement standardized frameworks for testing, reporting, and performance analysis across accounts
- Partner with analytics to refine attribution approaches and measurement strategies, particularly for long consideration cycles
- Drive consistency and rigor in how insights are translated into action and client impact

Analysis & Reporting

- Partner with analytics and ops teams to improve reporting, automation, and scalability
- Monitor industry trends, platform changes, and competitive landscape
- Deliver clear, data-driven performance reports and insights to clients, diving into the “why” behind the data
- Recommend testing strategies, budget allocation shifts, and bid strategy adjustments based on performance trends
- Ensure accuracy, consistency, and timeliness of reporting

## Qualifications

- 12+ years of relevant paid search experience
- Deep expertise in lead generation and performance marketing, ideally within Higher Education or similar verticals
- Proven ability to manage and grow multimillion-dollar budgets across Google Ads and Microsoft Ads
- Strong track record of driving measurable business outcomes and client growth
- Exceptional client communication and executive presence
- Experience building and scaling teams, including talent development and organizational design
- Advanced analytical mindset, with the ability to translate complex data into clear strategic direction

## BENEFITS & PERKS

- Unlimited PTO
- Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Employee Equity
- Employee Discounts, Virtual Wellness Classes, and Pet Insurance And more!!

## SALARY RANGE

The salary range for this role is $140,000-$160,000, depending on location and experience.

## PEOPLE & CULTURE AT ZETA

Zeta considers applicants for employment without regard to, and does not discriminate on the basis of an individual’s sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, status as a veteran, or national or ethnic origin; nor does Zeta discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.

We’re committed to building a workplace culture of trust and belonging, so everyone feels invited to bring their whole selves to work. We provide a forum for employees to celebrate, support and advocate for one another. Learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion here:  https://zetaglobal.com/blog/a-look-into-zetas-ergs/

ZETA IN THE NEWS!

https://zetaglobal.com/press/?cat=press-releases

## #LI-MR1

#LI-Remote

## About Zeta Global

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Zeta Global is an AI-powered marketing cloud platform that unifies identity, intelligence, and omnichannel activation to help enterprise brands acquire, grow, and retain customers.
- **Entity Type**: Public (NYSE: ZETA)
- **Headquarters**: New York, NY, USA
- **Founded**: 2007
- **Founders**: David A. Steinberg and John Sculley (former Apple CEO and Pepsi President)

## Core Business
- Primary industry/industries: Marketing technology (MarTech), Advertising technology (AdTech), Artificial Intelligence
- Target customers: Enterprise brands and scaled enterprises (defined as customers generating at least $100,000 in trailing twelve-month revenue); over 450 such customers across diverse verticals
- Mission or purpose statement: "Accelerate Brand Growth" by enabling brands to build repeatable and scalable programs that drive higher ROI on marketing investments

## Products & Services
- **Zeta Marketing Platform (ZMP)**: The core omnichannel marketing platform that leverages proprietary AI and trillions of consumer signals. It unifies identity, intelligence, and activation into a single platform, enabling personalized experiences across email, social media, web, SMS, connected TV, video, and more.
- **Athena by Zeta™**: An agentic AI solution that puts AI at the center of every marketing decision, enabling automated workflows, spend optimization, and scaling of impact across the customer journey.
- **Data & Analytics**: A proprietary opt-in database of unique global identifiers, providing deterministic attribution, real-time intent data, and interest/intent audiences for precise targeting and measurable outcomes.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Publicly traded on NYSE; market cap fluctuates (latest data not specified in search results)
- **Key Metric**: Over 450 scaled enterprise customers; over 1,700 employees globally (as of investor relations page), with recent headcount exceeding 2,000 (as of life-at-Zeta page)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Co-founded by John Sculley (former Apple CEO); recent strategic partnership announced with Palantir (June 2026) to build unified data and AI infrastructure for marketing
- **Growth Signals**: Strategic partnership with Palantir; launch of Athena by Zeta™ for agencies; consistent expansion of enterprise customer base; global office presence across 12+ locations

## Competitive Advantages
- **Proprietary Identity Data**: One of the industry’s largest proprietary opt-in databases, providing a unique foundation for deterministic attribution and real-time intent targeting.
- **Unified Platform**: Combines identity, intelligence, and activation into a single platform, eliminating the need for multiple point solutions and vendor silos—directly addressing a key pain point for CMOs.
- **AI-First Approach**: Leverages advanced AI and agentic AI (Athena) to automate and optimize marketing workflows, making sophisticated marketing simple and scalable.
- **Founding Leadership**: Co-founded by a former Apple CEO, bringing deep industry credibility and strategic vision.

## Strategic Focus
- **AI and Automation**: Deepening investment in agentic AI (Athena by Zeta) to automate marketing decisions and workflows, reducing manual effort for marketers.
- **Partnership Ecosystem**: Expanding strategic partnerships (e.g., Palantir) to build unified data and AI infrastructure, opening new capabilities for enterprise clients.
- **Agency Channel**: Bringing Athena by Zeta to agencies, extending the platform’s reach beyond direct enterprise customers.
- **Global Expansion**: Maintaining and growing a global footprint with offices in the US, India, Europe, and South America to serve multinational clients.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture & Values**: Emphasizes "Achieving the Impossible™" with virtues like "Curiosity Beats Certainty," "Fearless Exploration," "Always Learning," and "Humanize." The culture is described as collaborative, innovative, and supportive of individual growth.
- **Diversity & Inclusion**: Active Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) for LGBTQIA+, women, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian & Pacific Islander, Black community, neurodiverse employees, and sustainability-focused groups.
- **Work Policy**: Offers hybrid and remote work options, with in-office events and virtual engagement. Specific policies vary by role and location.
- **Benefits**: Competitive pay equity, 401k with company match, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, flexible time off, generous parental leave, wellness programs (Caravan app, gym discounts), commuter benefits, and adoption assistance. In the US, includes medical, dental, vision, STD/LTD, life insurance. EMEA offices offer pensions, work-from-home allowances, and lunch vouchers.
- **Career Growth**: Emphasizes "Always Learning" as a core virtue, with opportunities for mentorship, cross-functional collaboration, and internal mobility. Hiring process includes a first chat with Talent, team interviews, and an onboarding program designed for connection.
- **Global Presence**: Opportunity to work in major hubs like New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Nashville, London, Paris, Prague, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and more.

## Sources
1. [Zeta Global Official Site](https://zetaglobal.com/)
2. [Zeta Global - Our Story and Mission](https://zetaglobal.com/about/our-story/)
3. [Zeta Global - Benefits and Hiring](https://zetaglobal.com/about/benefits-and-hiring/)
4. [Zeta Global - Investor Relations](https://investors.zetaglobal.com/overview/default.aspx)
5. [Zeta Global - Life at Zeta](https://zetaglobal.com/about/life-at-zeta/)
6. [Zeta Global - Careers Page (Greenhouse)](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/zetaglobal)

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