Senior Digital Design Manager – Paid Media (All Genders)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Digital Design Manager – Paid Media

Company: zooplus SE

Location: Munich, Bavaria, Germany (with options for Madrid, Krakow, Wroclaw, London, Vienna)

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Marketing Operations / Creative Operations / Performance Marketing Design

Date Posted: April 21, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 years (Senior)

Remote Status: Hybrid (approx. 60% office, 40% remote)

🚀 Role Summary

• Leads creative performance strategy and execution for all paid media channels, including META, Google Ads, Affiliate, and App campaigns.

• Drives operational excellence in creative workflows, ensuring scalability, speed, and quality through structured processes and automation.

• Owns the creative automation setup and optimization within Smartly.io, leveraging modular design and data feeds to enhance campaign effectiveness.

• Translates brand goals and performance insights into actionable creative concepts and designs, ensuring brand consistency across diverse platforms and markets.

• Acts as a key decision-maker for creative direction, proactively identifying opportunities for innovation, AI integration, and process improvement within the GTM function.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a senior individual contributor with significant ownership and leadership in the creative aspects of performance marketing. The emphasis on "operational leadership," "structure," "decision-making," and "scalable impact" indicates a strong focus on revenue operations and GTM efficiency, rather than purely artistic design. The requirement for Smartly.io expertise and a structured, outcome-driven approach points towards a Revenue Operations or Marketing Operations leaning within the broader GTM strategy.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Creative & Conceptual Ownership:

  • Develop and execute creative concepts for paid media campaigns from initial brief through to final asset delivery.
  • Proactively define and guide creative direction, establishing frameworks and scalable solutions that align with brand identity and performance objectives.
  • Translate overarching brand goals and granular performance insights into creative concepts that resonate with target audiences across various channels.
  • Maintain strict brand consistency while effectively adapting creative assets for different platforms, audience segments, and regional markets.
  • Serve as a confident creative decision-maker, guiding stakeholders through complex creative choices and ensuring forward momentum.
  • Deliver high-quality design executions, encompassing ideation, conceptualization, and the creation of master assets.

• Paid Media & Performance Design:

  • Manage the complete creative lifecycle for paid media campaigns across META, Google Ads, Affiliate, and App channels, ensuring seamless delivery.
  • Consistently uphold superior quality standards in both creative conceptualization and final execution.
  • Drive rigorous A/B testing strategies, iterative design processes, and performance-based optimizations informed by analytics.
  • Anticipate future campaign needs by proactively preparing necessary assets, standardized templates, and robust creative solutions in advance.

• Creative Operations, Planning & Prioritization:

  • Ensure meticulous planning, strategic prioritization, and effective structuring of all creative projects within the paid media pipeline.
  • Simplify complex workflows by implementing straightforward, scalable processes and design frameworks.
  • Guarantee that all deliverables are communicated clearly, consistently, and with a strong focus on achieving defined outcomes.

• Automation & Smartly.io Integration:

  • Take full ownership of the creative automation setup within Smartly.io, continuously evolving and improving its functionality.
  • Develop and meticulously maintain modular Figma templates that are directly aligned with the logic and requirements of the automation platform.
  • Manage data feeds, conditional logic, and automation rules, likely utilizing tools such as Google Sheets for feed management.
  • Enhance overall efficiency, scalability, and creative quality through strategic implementation and optimization of automation capabilities.

• Innovation, Enablement & Collaboration:

  • Proactively identify and explore opportunities for innovation, including the integration of AI technologies and continuous process improvement initiatives.

  • Experiment with emerging design tools and platforms, translating learnings into practical, implementable solutions for the team.

  • Foster strong collaborative relationships with Paid Media, Brand, and other cross-functional stakeholders.

  • Provide clear, structured feedback, and engage in confident, professional communication to ensure alignment and drive results.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly delineate a hybrid role blending creative expertise with strong operational and strategic capabilities. The emphasis on "ownership," "proactive improvements," and "automation" points towards a need for someone who can not only design but also architect and manage the creative engine for paid media, aligning with GTM operations and efficiency goals.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in digital design, paid media creative, or creative operations roles.

• Demonstrated track record of successful creative work specifically for performance marketing channels.

Required Skills:

• Digital Design Expertise: Advanced proficiency in graphic design principles and digital asset creation.

• Paid Media Creative: Deep understanding of creative best practices and requirements for performance marketing channels (META, Google Ads, Affiliate, App).

• Creative Operations: Experience in managing creative workflows, project prioritization, and process optimization within a GTM context.

• Smartly.io or Similar Automation Platforms: Hands-on experience with creative automation tools, including setup, management of feeds, and logic implementation.

• Figma Proficiency: Advanced skills in Figma for design, prototyping, and building modular, automation-ready templates.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Strong command of core Adobe applications (e.g., Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects) for asset creation and manipulation.

• Conceptual Thinking & Execution: Ability to translate strategic goals into compelling creative concepts and execute them to a high standard.

• Performance Data Analysis: Capacity to interpret A/B testing results and performance metrics to inform creative iterations and optimizations.

• English Fluency: Professional fluency in English, both written and spoken, for effective communication in a multinational environment.

Preferred Skills:

• Familiarity with HTML5 ad creation and other performance-driven digital formats.

• Experience with AI-powered design tools or creative automation trends.

• Understanding of broader GTM strategies and how creative impacts conversion funnels.

• Basic knowledge of feed management principles for e-commerce.

• Experience working in a fast-paced e-commerce or retail environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Ownership Traits" listed under Qualifications are crucial for this role. They highlight a need for an individual who is not just a skilled designer but also a proactive problem-solver and strategic thinker, capable of driving significant operational improvements. This aligns with the expectations of a senior role in a dynamic GTM environment.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Conceptual Frameworks: Showcase examples of how you've developed and applied creative frameworks or conceptual directions for paid media campaigns.

• Performance-Driven Design: Include case studies demonstrating creative solutions that directly led to measurable improvements in paid media KPIs (e.g., CTR, conversion rates, ROAS).

• Automation & Scalability: Present work that highlights your ability to design for automation, such as modular templates or standardized asset systems used in tools like Smartly.io.

• Cross-Channel Adaptation: Demonstrate instances where you've successfully adapted creative concepts across different paid media platforms and audience segments while maintaining brand integrity.

• Problem-Solving Scenarios: Include examples where you've simplified complex creative processes or overcome significant operational challenges in creative production.

Process Documentation:

• Candidates will be expected to articulate their process for developing creative from brief to execution, including:

  • Workflow design and optimization methodologies for creative asset production.

  • Implementation of automation tools and techniques to enhance efficiency and scale.

  • Measurement and analysis of creative performance against defined KPIs, with a focus on continuous improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior role focusing on performance and operations, the portfolio should not just be a collection of pretty pictures but a testament to strategic thinking, process management, and measurable impact. Emphasis should be placed on how the candidate has leveraged design and automation to drive business outcomes.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Benefits:

• Generous Paid Time Off: 28 Annual Vacation Days to ensure work-life balance.

• Health & Wellbeing: Private Medical Health Insurance for comprehensive healthcare coverage.

• Flexible Work Environment: Hybrid working model, allowing up to 40% of time to be worked from home, promoting flexibility and autonomy.

• International Work Opportunities: Option to work remotely from approved countries for up to 20 days per year, offering global flexibility.

• Career Development: Robust development opportunities designed to help shape individual career paths.

• Continuous Learning: Excellent training and support programs to foster skill enhancement.

• Wellness Programs: Access to various wellbeing offers to support employee health.

• Commuting Support: Subsidised transport or bike leasing options to ease commuting.

• Employee Discount: A significant 20% discount on all zooplus products, reflecting the company's passion for pets.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours, estimated at 40 hours per week, with flexibility offered through the hybrid work model.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on general market data for senior creative/marketing roles in Munich. A detailed salary negotiation would depend on the candidate's specific experience, portfolio, and proven impact in performance marketing and creative operations. The benefits package is comprehensive, emphasizing work-life balance and employee well-being.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: E-commerce (Pet Supplies)

Company Size: zooplus SE is a significant player in the European pet e-commerce market, likely employing hundreds to thousands of individuals globally, with a strong presence across multiple European countries. This size suggests structured processes but also opportunities for impact.

Founded: Over 25 years ago, indicating a mature, established company with deep industry experience and a proven business model, now embracing digital transformation and growth.

Team Structure:

• The role reports into a function that likely sits within Sales & Marketing (as per the provided department tag).

• It will involve close collaboration with Paid Media specialists, Brand Managers, and potentially other GTM teams (e.g., CRM, Analytics).

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Strong emphasis on using performance data from paid media channels to inform creative direction and optimization.

• Agile & Iterative Processes: The role requires adaptability and a continuous improvement mindset, characteristic of agile marketing operations.

• Automation & Efficiency: The focus on Smartly.io and scalable processes highlights a commitment to leveraging technology for operational efficiency and effectiveness.

Company Website: https://www.zooplus.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: zooplus's long history and focus on e-commerce suggest a company that values both established expertise and innovative approaches. The "power of plus" slogan implies a culture of growth, collaboration, and continuous improvement, which will be relevant for operations professionals seeking roles where they can make a tangible impact.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior-level role, indicating a high degree of autonomy, responsibility, and expected impact. It requires not just execution but also strategic input, process ownership, and the ability to mentor or guide others indirectly.

Reporting Structure: The role is likely to report to a Head of Paid Media, Performance Marketing, or GTM Operations Manager. The emphasis is on close collaboration with peers and stakeholders across marketing and brand functions.

Operations Impact: The Senior Digital Design Manager has a direct and measurable impact on revenue through the optimization of paid media creative. By improving conversion rates, ROAS, and campaign efficiency, this role directly contributes to customer acquisition and retention goals within the e-commerce funnel.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in creative automation, advanced paid media design techniques, or AI-driven creative solutions.

• Leadership: Transition into a team lead role for a creative operations or paid media design team, or move into broader GTM Operations management.

• Strategic Roles: Evolve into a more strategic position focusing on GTM creative strategy, MarTech stack optimization, or digital marketing innovation.

• Cross-Functional Moves: Opportunity to move into broader Marketing Operations, Digital Marketing Management, or even Brand Management roles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers a clear path for individuals looking to specialize in the intersection of creative, performance marketing, and operations. The company's focus on growth and innovation suggests ample opportunities for learning and advancement for proactive individuals.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid working model, with approximately 60% of time spent in the office and 40% remote. This balance is designed to foster collaboration and team cohesion while providing flexibility.

Office Location(s): While headquartered in Munich, Germany, the role's scope and team collaboration may involve interaction with colleagues in other zooplus offices, including Madrid, Krakow, Wroclaw, London, and Vienna. This implies a multinational and diverse work environment.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office environment is expected to facilitate teamwork, brainstorming sessions, and in-person strategic discussions with cross-functional teams.

• Tool and Technology Access: Employees will have access to the necessary design software (Adobe, Figma), automation platforms (Smartly.io), and other collaborative tools to perform their duties effectively.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities to engage directly with paid media specialists, brand managers, and other marketing professionals, fostering a dynamic and supportive atmosphere.

Work Schedule:

• Standard full-time schedule, likely adhering to CET working hours, with the flexibility to work remotely for a portion of the week. This schedule accommodates the need for focused design work and collaborative team activities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model and multinational office presence suggest a modern, flexible work environment that values both individual contribution and team synergy. For operations professionals, this means adapting to a blend of independent work and collaborative problem-solving.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Likely a brief call with HR or a recruiter to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and interest.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion focused on experience, role understanding, and alignment with the team's objectives. Expect questions about your approach to creative operations, paid media design, and automation.

• Portfolio Presentation & Case Study: A key stage where you'll present your portfolio, showcasing specific projects that demonstrate your conceptual thinking, execution quality, and impact on performance marketing. You may be asked to walk through a specific case study, detailing your process, challenges, and results.

• Technical/Skills Assessment: Potentially a practical exercise or a deep dive into your experience with Smartly.io, Figma, and Adobe Suite, possibly involving a small design challenge or problem-solving scenario.

• Cross-Functional Stakeholder Interview: Meeting with key collaborators (e.g., Paid Media Lead, Brand Manager) to assess communication, collaboration style, and strategic alignment.

• Final Interview: Often with a senior leader to discuss overall fit, long-term vision, and potential contributions to zooplus.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: Curate your portfolio to highlight projects where your creative work directly influenced paid media performance (e.g., increased CTR, conversion rates, ROAS). Quantify results wherever possible.

• Showcase Process: For each project, briefly explain your thought process, the problem you were solving, your design choices, and how you leveraged automation or structured workflows.

• Highlight Automation Expertise: Include examples of your work with Smartly.io or similar platforms, demonstrating your ability to build modular templates, manage feeds, and implement automation logic.

• Demonstrate Brand Adaptability: Show how you maintain brand consistency while adapting creative for different channels, audiences, and campaign objectives.

• Structure for Clarity: Organize your portfolio logically, perhaps by channel, campaign type, or skill, making it easy for interviewers to navigate and understand your capabilities.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared to discuss how you would approach developing creative campaigns for specific zooplus products or promotions.

• Practice articulating your process for A/B testing creative elements and iterating based on performance data.

• Think about how you would streamline creative workflows for a high-volume e-commerce business.

• Prepare to discuss your experience with AI in design and how you see it evolving creative operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process heavily emphasizes practical application and demonstrable results. A strong portfolio that clearly links creative execution to business outcomes and showcases proficiency in operations tools like Smartly.io will be critical for success.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Smartly.io: Core platform for creative automation in paid media. Deep proficiency in campaign setup, feed management, dynamic creative optimization, and template building is essential.

• Figma: Primary design tool for creating modular templates, UI elements, and assets that integrate seamlessly with automation platforms. Experience with collaborative Figma features is beneficial.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Standard suite for graphic design and asset creation, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and potentially After Effects for motion graphics or video assets.

• Google Sheets: Likely used for managing data feeds, campaign parameters, and conditional logic for automation within Smartly.io.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly mentioned as a primary tool for this role, familiarity with analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Meta Ads Manager reporting, internal BI tools) is crucial for understanding performance data and informing creative optimizations.

CRM & Automation:

• Understanding of CRM principles and how paid media creative interacts with customer journeys is beneficial, though direct CRM management is likely outside the scope of this role.

• Familiarity with marketing automation concepts and their application in driving personalized creative experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Smartly.io and Figma is paramount for this role, indicating a strong focus on operational efficiency and automated creative delivery within the paid media landscape.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Data-Driven Impact: A core value is the commitment to using data and performance metrics to drive creative decisions and demonstrate tangible business impact.

• Efficiency & Scalability: Emphasis on creating processes and assets that are efficient to produce, easy to manage, and scalable across multiple campaigns and markets.

• Proactive Ownership: A culture where individuals take initiative, anticipate needs, and drive improvements without constant direction.

• Collaboration & Communication: Open communication channels and a collaborative spirit are vital for working effectively with cross-functional teams in a multinational environment.

• Continuous Improvement: A mindset of always looking for ways to enhance creative quality, operational processes, and campaign effectiveness.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Expect to work closely with Paid Media specialists, Brand teams, and potentially E-commerce managers, requiring strong interpersonal and communication skills.

• Structured Feedback Loops: A culture that encourages clear, constructive feedback on creative work and operational processes to foster mutual growth and refinement.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouragement to share best practices, new tool learnings, and innovative approaches within the team and across departments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to value proactive, data-informed individuals who can thrive in a collaborative, fast-paced, and internationally distributed team environment. The emphasis on "power of plus" suggests a forward-thinking, growth-oriented organization.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Creativity and Performance: Continuously ensuring that creative output is both brand-aligned and highly effective in driving paid media performance metrics.

• Managing High Volume and Speed: Operating efficiently within a fast-paced e-commerce environment that demands rapid creative iteration and deployment across numerous campaigns.

• Evolving Automation Landscape: Staying abreast of advancements in creative automation tools, AI, and digital advertising trends to maintain a competitive edge.

• Stakeholder Alignment: Effectively managing expectations and ensuring clear communication with diverse stakeholders across marketing, brand, and potentially product teams.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Automation Skills: Deepen expertise in Smartly.io, exploring advanced features, new integrations, and best practices for creative automation.

• AI in Creative: Explore and experiment with AI-powered design tools and workflows to enhance efficiency and generate innovative creative concepts.

• Performance Marketing Analytics: Enhance analytical skills to better interpret complex data sets and translate them into actionable creative strategies.

• GTM Strategy Exposure: Gain a broader understanding of the end-to-end Go-To-Market strategy, understanding how creative fits into the larger customer acquisition and retention funnel.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents significant opportunities for growth for individuals passionate about the intersection of creative design, performance marketing, and operational efficiency, particularly within the dynamic e-commerce sector.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for developing creative concepts for a new paid media campaign from scratch, considering both brand and performance objectives."

• "How would you approach optimizing creative assets for a high-volume e-commerce client like zooplus on platforms like Meta and Google Ads?"

• "Walk me through a time you used automation tools like Smartly.io to significantly improve creative efficiency or campaign performance. What were the key steps and results?"

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about zooplus as a company and the pet e-commerce industry?"

• "How do you approach collaboration with performance marketing managers or brand teams who may have different priorities?"

• "Describe your ideal work environment and how you contribute to a positive team culture."

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Quantify Impact: For each portfolio piece, clearly state the objective, your role, the specific creative solutions implemented, and the measurable results (e.g., "% increase in CTR," "ROAS improvement of X%").

• Highlight Process & Tools: Explain your workflow, the tools you used (especially Smartly.io and Figma), and any specific challenges you overcame.

• Demonstrate Automation Savvy: If possible, show examples of modular templates or how you designed for dynamic creative optimization.

• Tell a Story: Frame each project as a narrative – the challenge, your approach, the solution, and the outcome. This makes your presentation more engaging.

• Prepare for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your design choices, decision-making process, and how you handle feedback.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating not just design skill but also strategic thinking, operational capability, and a results-oriented mindset, particularly concerning paid media performance and automation.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Digital Design Manager – Paid Media position:

• Submit your application through the provided Smartrecruiters link.

• Tailor your Resume: Highlight experience directly relevant to paid media creative, performance marketing, creative operations, Smartly.io, and Figma. Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select your strongest work that showcases conceptual thinking, execution quality, and measurable impact on paid media KPIs. Ensure it clearly demonstrates your proficiency with automation tools like Smartly.io and design platforms like Figma.

• Prepare Your Case Study: Be ready to present one or two key projects that exemplify your problem-solving skills, operational efficiency, and ability to drive results through creative strategy.

• Research zooplus: Understand their brand, product offerings, and current marketing efforts to articulate your interest and how your skills align with their business goals.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.