PPC Specialist Job Description: Template and Pay Guide
Job Descriptions
PPC Specialist Job Description: Template and Pay Guide
A precise PPC Specialist job description is the difference between hiring someone who protects your ad budget and someone who quietly wastes it. This guide gives HR managers and Heads of eCommerce a free, copy-paste template, the skills and platforms to specify, current UK pay benchmarks, and how to write a brief that attracts candidates who deliver return, not just spend.
£35-50k
Typical UK PPC Specialist salary
Robert Half, 2026
Typical UK PPC Specialist salary
Robert Half, 2026
£72k
PPC manager top end
Morgan McKinley, 2026
PPC manager top end
Morgan McKinley, 2026
Free
Copy-paste JD template below
Ready to post
Copy-paste JD template below
Ready to post
10-25%
London pay premium
Market standard
London pay premium
Market standard
Quick Answer
A strong PPC Specialist job description defines the person who plans, builds and optimises your paid advertising across Google Ads, Microsoft Ads and paid social to hit a return on ad spend target. It should set out the role purpose, key responsibilities, required platform skills, KPIs, reporting line and salary. In the UK a PPC Specialist typically earns £35,000 to £50,000. The free template below is ready to copy, edit and post.
Section 01
What a PPC Specialist Does
A PPC Specialist plans, builds, and optimises paid advertising campaigns to drive measurable commercial return. They own the day-to-day management of paid channels, typically Google Ads and Microsoft Ads, and often paid social on Meta, TikTok and Amazon Ads, with direct responsibility for how effectively the advertising budget converts into revenue. In most eCommerce and digital businesses the role reports into a PPC Manager, Head of Paid Media, or Head of eCommerce.
This is a role where a small difference in skill produces a large difference in commercial outcome. A capable PPC Specialist can improve return on ad spend by double digits through better structure, bidding, and creative testing, while a weak one can burn through a significant budget with little to show for it. That is why the job description matters: it must screen for people who think in terms of return, not just activity.
Section 02 · Free Template
Free PPC Specialist Job Description Template
Copy the template below, replace the bracketed placeholders with your own detail, and trim any responsibilities that do not apply. It is written to attract candidates who understand that paid media is a commercial discipline, not a button-pushing one.
Job Title
PPC Specialist
Reports To
[PPC Manager / Head of Paid Media / Head of eCommerce]
Location
[Location, hybrid, two to three days in office]
Salary
[£35,000 to £50,000, plus bonus and benefits]
Role Purpose
To plan, build, manage and optimise [Company]’s paid advertising campaigns across [Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Meta, Amazon Ads] to grow revenue and improve return on ad spend, while managing the paid media budget efficiently and reporting on performance.
Key Responsibilities
- Plan, build and manage paid search and paid social campaigns across [Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Meta, Amazon Ads].
- Own day-to-day optimisation: bids, budgets, keywords, audiences, negatives and placements.
- Improve return on ad spend (ROAS) and cost per acquisition (CPA) against agreed targets.
- Plan and run structured A/B tests on ad copy, creative, and landing pages.
- Manage keyword research, campaign structure, and account hygiene.
- Monitor spend daily to stay on budget and flag pacing issues early.
- Track and report performance against KPIs, weekly and monthly.
- Work with content, design and eCommerce teams on landing pages and feeds.
- Keep current with platform changes, new ad formats, and AI-driven bidding.
Skills and Experience
- Hands-on experience managing paid campaigns in Google Ads (and ideally Microsoft Ads).
- Experience with paid social (Meta, TikTok) or Amazon Ads is an advantage.
- Strong analytical skills, confident in GA4 and Excel or Google Sheets.
- A clear understanding of ROAS, CPA, CTR, conversion rate and attribution.
- Experience running structured tests and reading results correctly.
- Commercially minded, focused on return rather than activity.
- Google Ads certification is desirable.
Key Performance Indicators
- Return on ad spend (ROAS) against target.
- Cost per acquisition (CPA) and conversion rate.
- Revenue and volume from paid channels.
- Budget pacing and spend efficiency.
What We Offer
[Salary range, performance bonus, pension, hybrid working, training budget and platform certifications.]
Section 03
Key Responsibilities Explained
If you are tailoring the template, these are the responsibility areas that define a genuine PPC Specialist, and separate a commercial operator from someone who simply maintains campaigns.
Section 04
Skills and Tools to Specify
Be specific about platforms and metrics in the job description. Vague requirements like “experience with digital marketing” attract generalists; specific ones attract genuine PPC operators. These are the capabilities to prioritise.
ℹ
Name the exact platforms your role uses in the advert. A job description that says “Google Ads and Meta, managing a £40k monthly budget to a 4x ROAS target” attracts far stronger candidates than one that says “manage paid campaigns.”
Section 05 · Pay Guide
PPC Specialist Pay Guide
Always publish a salary band in the job description, since strong candidates skip roles without one. A UK PPC Specialist typically earns £35,000 to £50,000, with executives from around £26,000 and managers reaching £72,000. Figures below draw on Robert Half, Morgan McKinley and our own UK eCommerce Salary Guide.
| Level | Experience | UK salary |
|---|---|---|
| PPC Executive | 0 to 2 years | £26,000 to £35,000 |
| PPC Specialist | 2 to 4 years | £35,000 to £50,000 |
| PPC / Paid Media Manager | 4 to 7 years | £50,000 to £72,000 |
| Head of Paid Media | 7 years and up | £85,000 to £120,000 |
Indicative 2026 UK ranges. Add roughly 10 to 25 per cent for London. Combined SEO and PPC roles and candidates with strong analytics and AI skills sit at the upper end.
Section 06
Writing a JD That Attracts Talent
1
Name the platforms and the numbers
State exactly which platforms the role covers and which metrics it owns (ROAS, CPA). Specificity attracts real PPC operators and filters out generalists.
2
Publish the salary band
PPC talent is in high demand and knows its worth. A stated band signals seriousness and removes the mismatched applications that waste screening time.
3
Test for commercial thinking at interview
Ask candidates how they would improve a campaign’s ROAS or diagnose rising CPA. Look for structured, numbers-led answers, not tool name-dropping.
4
Use a specialist recruiter for the search
Strong PPC candidates are often passive and rarely on job boards. A specialist eCommerce recruiter can reach them and benchmark your offer against the market.
Section 07
PPC Specialist Versus PPC Manager
A common hiring error is blurring the PPC Specialist and PPC Manager levels, which produces a mismatched job description and salary. Map the difference before you write the brief.
PPC Specialist
£35,000 to £50,000
+Builds, optimises and reports on campaigns hands-on
+Executes the day-to-day paid media work
+Usually no direct reports
PPC / Paid Media Manager
£50,000 to £72,000
+Owns the paid strategy and budget across channels
+Sets targets and reports to leadership
+Often manages one or more specialists
✅
Rule of thumb
If the role builds and optimises campaigns day to day, it is a PPC Specialist. If it owns the paid strategy, budget and targets across channels, it is a PPC Manager. Match the job description and salary to the real level, a brief that asks for strategy ownership on a specialist salary will not convert.
Getting Your PPC Specialist Job Description Right
A precise PPC Specialist job description does most of the screening for you: it filters for people who think in return on ad spend, sets the right salary expectation, and names the platforms and metrics that matter. Start from the free template above, tailor it to your channel mix, and be clear about the level and the package. Three steps will keep your brief sharp.
1
Confirm the level, PPC Specialist or PPC Manager, before you write a word.
2
Use the template, name the platforms and metrics, and always publish the salary band.
3
Benchmark the package with a specialist recruiter before the role goes live. See also our eCommerce salary guide.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
01What does a PPC Specialist do?
A PPC Specialist plans, builds, manages and optimises paid advertising campaigns across platforms such as Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Meta and Amazon Ads. They own day-to-day optimisation of bids, budgets, keywords and audiences, run structured tests, monitor spend, and are accountable for improving return on ad spend and cost per acquisition against agreed targets.
02What should a PPC Specialist job description include?
A PPC Specialist job description should include the job title, reporting line, location and working pattern, a salary band, a clear role purpose, key responsibilities, required platform and analytics skills, the KPIs the role is measured on (ROAS, CPA, conversion rate), and what the company offers. Naming specific platforms and metrics attracts genuine PPC operators rather than generalists.
03What skills should a PPC Specialist have?
A PPC Specialist should have hands-on Google Ads experience (ideally Microsoft Ads too), strong analytics skills in GA4 and Excel or Google Sheets, a clear understanding of ROAS, CPA, CTR and attribution, experience running structured A/B tests, and commercial numeracy so decisions are based on profit rather than clicks. Paid social and Amazon Ads experience and a Google Ads certification are valuable additions.
04How much does a PPC Specialist earn in the UK?
A UK PPC Specialist typically earns £35,000 to £50,000 in 2026. PPC Executives start around £26,000 to £35,000, PPC or Paid Media Managers earn £50,000 to £72,000, and a Head of Paid Media commands £85,000 to £120,000. London pays roughly 10 to 25 per cent above the national average, and combined SEO and PPC roles sit at the upper end.
05What is the difference between a PPC Specialist and a PPC Manager?
A PPC Specialist executes: they build, optimise and report on campaigns hands-on, usually with no direct reports, earning £35,000 to £50,000. A PPC or Paid Media Manager owns the paid strategy and budget across channels, sets the targets, and often manages a specialist or two, earning £50,000 to £72,000. Match the title, scope and salary to the level you actually need.
06What tools should a PPC Specialist know?
The core tools are Google Ads and Microsoft Ads for paid search, Meta Ads Manager and TikTok Ads for paid social, and Amazon Ads for marketplace advertising. On the measurement side, GA4, Google Tag Manager and strong spreadsheet skills are essential, along with familiarity with automated and AI-driven bidding such as Performance Max and smart bidding. The exact mix depends on your channel strategy.
07What KPIs should a PPC Specialist be measured on?
A PPC Specialist is typically measured on return on ad spend (ROAS) against target, cost per acquisition (CPA), conversion rate, revenue and volume from paid channels, and budget pacing and spend efficiency. KPIs should be set in line with commercial goals and margin, so the role is rewarded for profitable growth rather than clicks or impressions.
08How do I write a PPC Specialist job description that attracts strong candidates?
Name the specific platforms and metrics the role owns, publish a salary band, lead with the commercial impact of the role rather than a list of tasks, and keep the requirements tight. Test for commercial thinking at interview by asking how candidates would improve ROAS or diagnose rising CPA. Start from a proven template and benchmark the salary against the live market, ideally with a specialist recruiter, before publishing.
Sources and Further Reading
- Robert Half: SEO and PPC Specialist Salary in London, 2026
- Morgan McKinley: SEO and PPC Manager Salary in London, 2026
- Indeed: PPC Specialist Salary in the United Kingdom, 2026
- ITJobsWatch: PPC Specialist Job Trends and Salaries, 2026
- Elite X Recruit: UK eCommerce Salary Guide, Live Benchmarks by Role
By the Elite X Recruit team, UK eCommerce recruitment specialists. REC members.
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