Paid Media Associate

Job DetailsJob Location: STL Office - Saint Louis, MO 63104Overview

At HLK, media is not a downstream function, it’s a strategic force that amplifies creative and drives measurable business impact.

The Media Associate plays a critical role in making that happen. This position is the engine behind campaign accuracy, performance visibility, and operational excellence. You’ll support integrated media pods by ensuring campaigns are running as intended, performance signals are clear, and teams can move quickly from data to decision.

This is an entry point into a high-performance media team, ideal for someone who is detail-oriented, analytically curious, and motivated to grow into a Media Buyer or Planner role.

What You’ll Do

Ensure Campaign Integrity & Performance Visibility

Execute daily QA across paid search, paid social, and programmatic campaigns to ensure accuracy in setup, pacing, and delivery
Monitor performance and proactively flag anomalies, risks, and optimization opportunities to pod leadership
Support in-platform maintenance including creative checks, pacing adjustments, and basic optimizations

Turn Data Into Clear, Actionable Signals

Build and maintain performance reports, dashboards, and weekly summaries that translate data into insight
Deliver recurring performance updates that highlight what’s working, what’s not, and what needs attention
Support data validation and cleansing to ensure accuracy across reporting outputs
Partner with Data Intelligence to troubleshoot dashboards and improve data flow

Support Execution Across the Media Lifecycle

Assist with campaign setup, tagging validation, and QA in collaboration with Buyers and Operations
Maintain organized documentation across budgets, pacing, creative assets, and campaign status
Support billing and reconciliation processes in partnership with Finance and Operations

Enable Pod Efficiency & Growth

Act as a force multiplier for Pod Leads, handling foundational execution so strategy can move faster
Build working knowledge across platforms (Google, Meta, DV360, LinkedIn) and core performance metrics
Actively seek feedback and development opportunities to grow into planning or buying roles

What You Bring

Strong attention to detail and a high standard for accuracy
Analytical mindset with the ability to spot trends, inconsistencies, and opportunities
Comfort working with data in Excel, dashboards, or reporting tools
Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities
Clear communicator who can translate data into simple takeaways
Curiosity about media, marketing, and how campaigns drive business outcomes

What Sets You Apart

Internship or coursework in media, marketing, analytics, or advertising
Exposure to platforms like Google Ads, Meta, or programmatic buying tools
Familiarity with reporting tools (GA4, Tableau, etc.)
A proactive mindset—you don’t just report issues, you look for solutions

At HLK, you’ll find

Ownership without micromanagement
Collaboration without ego
Ambition without burnout culture
Curiosity as a core value
Leadership that develops leaders

We believe strong strategy and strong culture go hand in hand. Pods are built to give you room to lead, not just execute. If you’re ready to move from managing campaigns to driving performance and building teams, we’d love to talk.