Senior Associate, Paid Media

Location: Washington, DC preferred

Type: Full-time

About PQP

Penn Quarter Partners (PQP) is a public affairs and strategic advisory services firm with deep expertise in helping healthcare innovators navigate complex policy, regulatory, political, and business challenges. Our core competencies span analytics, communications, and advocacy, with a particular focus on public policy issues that directly affect the biopharmaceutical industry. We have a proven track record of delivering successful outcomes for clients on issues impacting patient access, coverage, and affordability of medicines, while protecting the future of medical innovation. For additional information please visit pennquarterpartners.com.

Position

We are seeking a Senior Associate, Paid Media Strategy to join our growing team at the intersection of paid media, public affairs, and healthcare communications. The Senior Associate will support paid media planning, activation, optimization, and reporting across search, social, programmatic, video, and emerging digital channels. This role is responsible for translating business objectives into media strategies, managing campaign performance, and identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, reach, and return on investment. This role is an exciting opportunity for a digitally-savvy professional with 2–4 years of experience who is eager to apply media buying expertise in a high-stakes, mission-driven environment.

The ideal candidate has hands-on experience within paid media and strategy alongside a comfort with data and reporting; and the organizational rigor to manage multiple client engagements simultaneously.

Key Responsibilities

Campaign Planning & Execution

• Support the development, activation, and optimization of paid media campaigns across Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager, LinkedIn Campaign Manager, and programmatic DSP platforms. Ensuring campaigns align with client objectives and advocacy goals.
• Collaborate with internal strategy and communications teams to ensure paid media activity is integrated with broader campaign narratives, and stakeholder engagement goals.
• Help develop and maintain media flowcharts, editorial calendars, and campaign timelines that keep client work on track and on budget across simultaneous engagements.
• Assist in the research, negotiation, and coordination of media buys, including vendor communications, insertion orders, and budget tracking, under the guidance of the Senior Director of Digital Engagement and Strategy.
  
  

Optimization, Analytics & Reporting

• Track delivery, pacing, and spending against budget benchmarks in real time, escalating variances and recommending adjustments to ensure campaigns stay on track.
• Build and maintain clear, client-ready performance dashboards and post-buy reconciliation reports, translating data into accessible narratives for non-technical stakeholders.
• Monitor and analyze campaign performance data across platforms, pulling reports to identify trends, surface actionable insights, and contribute to optimization recommendations that drive measurable outcomes for clients.
  
  

Client & Team Support

• Serve as an organized, reliable point of coordination for partner relationships, platform accounts, and media documentation, managing day-to-day account operations and campaign pacing.
• Participate in client meetings and internal strategy sessions, contributing media and media campaign and audience targeting insights that complement public affairs and communications planning.
• Develop and maintain a working knowledge of the healthcare and biopharmaceutical policy landscape, incorporating industry trends and regulatory developments into campaign context and client reporting.
  
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, advertising, analytics, statistics, business, communications, or related field.
• 2–4 years of relevant experience in digital media buying, paid advertising, or media planning, ideally within an agency, political campaign, advocacy, or public affairs environment.
• Hands-on experience with digital advertising platforms including Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager, programmatic DSPs (e.g. StackAdapt, Simpli.fi, etc.), and/or LinkedIn Campaign Manager.
• Success requires experience analyzing campaign performance and optimization toward KPI’s (CPA, CPC, CPM, CTR Conversion Rates, ROAS).
• Experience with traditional or linear media buying, including cable television or broadcast, is a plus.
• Proficiency in campaign reporting and analytics; experience building performance summaries and translating data into clear recommendations for clients or internal stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with demonstrated ability to manage media budgets, reconcile buys, and maintain accurate documentation across multiple accounts.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize technical media information for non-specialist audiences.
• Collaborative team player who also thrives when working independently; proactive, solutions-oriented, and comfortable managing competing deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to quickly develop working knowledge of complex policy issues.
• Familiarity with or strong interest in healthcare, biopharmaceutical, or public affairs subject matter is a plus.
• Experience working at or with advocacy organizations, trade associations, government affairs teams, or public affairs firms is a plus.
  
  

If interested, please email your resume to careers@pqpdc.com.