Senior Digital Design Manager – Paid Media (All Genders)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Digital Design Manager – Paid Media

Company: zooplus SE

Location: Madrid, Spain

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Marketing Operations / Creative Operations / Performance Marketing Design

Date Posted: May 19, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead creative performance across paid media channels, driving measurable results through strategic design and optimization.

• Own the end-to-end creative delivery lifecycle for major platforms like Meta, Google Ads, Affiliate, and App campaigns, ensuring brand consistency and platform-specific adaptation.

• Lead and evolve creative automation strategies, particularly leveraging Smartly.io, to enhance efficiency, scalability, and creative quality.

• Act as a key decision-maker in creative conceptualization and execution, translating brand goals and performance insights into actionable design frameworks.

• Drive innovation in creative processes, exploring new tools and AI applications to continuously improve speed, effectiveness, and operational maturity within the marketing function.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Senior Digital Design Manager with a strong emphasis on performance marketing design and creative operations. The primary focus is on the intersection of creative strategy, execution, and the operational efficiency of paid media campaigns, particularly through automation. The role requires a blend of creative vision, strategic thinking, technical proficiency with automation tools, and strong leadership qualities to drive impactful results. It is not a purely creative role but one that leverages creative expertise to optimize operational outcomes in paid media.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the conceptual development and execution of creative assets for paid media campaigns, from initial brief to final delivery.

• Proactively define and implement creative directions, scalable frameworks, and innovative design solutions for diverse paid media initiatives.

• Translate overarching brand objectives and granular performance insights into creative concepts that resonate across various platforms, audiences, and markets.

• Ensure unwavering brand consistency while skillfully adapting creative executions to suit specific channel requirements, audience segments, and regional nuances.

• Serve as a decisive creative authority, confidently guiding stakeholders through the creative process and making informed decisions to advance campaign objectives.

• Deliver high-quality design executions, encompassing the full spectrum from initial ideation and concept refinement to the creation of master assets and variations.

• Take full ownership of the end-to-end creative delivery for Meta, Google Ads, Affiliate, and App campaigns, ensuring timely and impactful asset deployment.

• Drive continuous improvement in creative quality and execution effectiveness through rigorous A/B testing, data-driven iteration, and performance analysis.

• Anticipate future campaign needs and proactively prepare necessary assets, templates, and innovative solutions to ensure readiness and agility.

• Oversee the planning, prioritization, and structuring of all creative projects, ensuring alignment with marketing calendars and strategic priorities.

• Simplify complex creative workflows by developing and implementing straightforward, scalable processes and robust frameworks.

• Ensure all deliverables are communicated clearly, consistently, and with a strong focus on achieving desired business outcomes.

• Own, manage, and continuously evolve the creative automation setup within Smartly.io, maximizing its potential for efficiency and impact.

• Build and maintain modular design templates within Figma that are strategically aligned with automation logic and dynamic content requirements.

• Manage creative feeds, conditional rules, and automation logic, potentially leveraging tools like Google Sheets for data integration.

• Drive significant improvements in efficiency, scalability, and overall creative quality through the strategic application of automation technologies.

• Proactively identify and champion opportunities for innovation, including the integration of AI, new creative technologies, and process enhancements.

• Experiment with emerging tools and platforms, translating acquired learnings into practical, beneficial solutions for the wider team.

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

• Provide clear, structured feedback, precise direction, and confident communication to internal teams and external partners.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary responsibilities clearly delineate a role focused on performance-driven creative operations. This involves not just design execution but strategic oversight of the entire creative workflow for paid media, with a significant emphasis on automation and operational efficiency. The expectation is for the candidate to be a proactive leader who can simplify complexity, drive data-informed decisions, and scale creative output effectively.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

Required Skills:

• Paid Media Design Expertise: Demonstrated ability to create compelling and effective creative assets specifically for performance marketing channels (e.g., Meta Ads, Google Ads, App campaigns).

• Creative Automation Proficiency: Hands-on experience with automation platforms such as Smartly.io or similar solutions, including managing feeds, rules, and template-based generation.

• Design Software Mastery: Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects) and strong, practical skills in Figma for collaborative design and template creation.

• Performance-Driven Mindset: Proven experience in driving A/B testing, analyzing performance data, and iterating on creative to optimize campaign effectiveness and ROI.

• Conceptual Thinking & Execution: A strong portfolio showcasing the ability to develop creative concepts from scratch and execute them to a high standard across various formats.

• Creative Operations Acumen: Understanding of workflow management, project prioritization, and process optimization within a creative production environment.

• HTML5 & Performance Formats: Familiarity with HTML5 ad creation and an understanding of various performance-driven creative formats and their technical requirements.

• Strong Communication: Ability to articulate creative vision, provide clear direction, and communicate complex ideas effectively to diverse stakeholders.

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

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with other ad automation platforms or Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO) tools.

• Familiarity with feed management tools and e-commerce specific creative requirements.

• Basic understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for ad creation and troubleshooting.

• Experience working in a fast-paced e-commerce or digital marketing agency environment.

• Knowledge of AI-powered creative tools and their application in paid media.

📝 Enhancement Note: The qualifications emphasize a blend of creative talent, technical skill in design software and automation platforms, and a deep understanding of performance marketing dynamics. The portfolio requirement is critical for demonstrating conceptual thinking and execution quality in a performance context. The "Ownership Traits" section further clarifies the expected professional behaviors, highlighting proactivity, structured thinking, and a results-oriented approach.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Performance Creative Case Studies: Showcase at least 2-3 detailed case studies of paid media campaigns you've significantly contributed to, highlighting the creative strategy, execution, and quantifiable performance improvements (e.g., CTR, CPA, ROAS).

• Automation Workflow Examples: Include visual examples or descriptions of how you've utilized automation platforms (like Smartly.io) to scale creative production, manage variations, or optimize campaign delivery. Demonstrate modular template design from Figma.

• Brand Adaptation Examples: Present how you've maintained brand consistency while effectively adapting creative assets across different platforms (Meta, Google), audiences, and markets.

• Process Improvement Documentation: If possible, include a brief document or slide outlining a process you've streamlined or optimized within a creative or paid media workflow, detailing the "before" and "after" states and the impact.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Be prepared to discuss how you approach designing and optimizing creative workflows for paid media, focusing on efficiency, speed, and quality control.

• Automation Implementation: Demonstrate understanding of implementing and managing automation logic, feed integration, and template-based creative generation within platforms like Smartly.io.

• Performance Measurement & Iteration: Explain your methodology for tracking creative performance, deriving insights from A/B tests, and implementing iterative improvements to creative assets based on data.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role focused on creative operations and performance, the portfolio must go beyond just visual aesthetics. It needs to demonstrate a candidate's ability to connect creative output to business results, manage complex workflows, and leverage technology for scale and efficiency. Case studies that highlight quantifiable improvements driven by creative strategy and automation are paramount.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Benefits:

• Hybrid Working Model: Flexibility to balance office-based collaboration with remote work, with approximately 60% of time in the office.

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

• Career Development: Access to development opportunities designed to help shape individual career paths and foster professional growth within the organization.

• Comprehensive Training & Support: Robust training programs and ongoing support to enhance skills and knowledge relevant to the role and industry.

• Wellbeing Offers: Programs and initiatives focused on employee health and well-being, promoting a balanced work-life environment.

• Subsidised Transport: Assistance with commuting costs, making travel to the office more affordable.

• Bike Leasing Program: An eco-friendly option for commuting, with subsidised bike leasing.

• Generous Product Discount: A significant 20% discount on all zooplus products, allowing employees to benefit from the company's offerings.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours (approximately 40 hours per week), with a hybrid arrangement allowing for flexibility in work location.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate based on typical compensation for senior-level digital design and performance marketing roles in Madrid, Spain, considering the specific requirements for automation expertise and operational leadership. The listed benefits are directly extracted from the job description and highlight a strong emphasis on flexibility, employee well-being, and professional development.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: E-commerce (Pet Supplies) - zooplus SE operates as a leading online retailer for pet products across Europe, a dynamic and competitive sector that demands continuous innovation in customer acquisition and retention strategies.

Company Size: Large (Likely 1,000+ employees based on their European presence and operational scale), indicating a structured organization with established processes but also opportunities for impactful individual contributions.

Founded: Over 25 years ago, suggesting a mature company with deep industry experience, resilience, and a proven business model, likely fostering a culture of stability combined with adaptation.

Team Structure:

• Reporting: This role likely reports into a Marketing Director, Head of Performance Marketing, or Head of Digital Marketing, with direct collaboration with Paid Media Managers and potentially other creative leads.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: The role necessitates close collaboration with Paid Media specialists, Brand Marketing teams, Data Analysts, and potentially e-commerce platform managers to ensure cohesive campaign execution and performance.

• Global/Regional Presence: With offices in multiple European countries (Munich, Madrid, Krakow, Wroclaw, London, Vienna), the team operates within a multinational framework, requiring strong cross-cultural communication skills.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Emphasis on using performance data (from paid media campaigns) to inform creative strategy, optimization, and automation efforts.

• Process Optimization: A core expectation is the continuous improvement of creative workflows, emphasizing efficiency, scalability, and speed through structured processes and automation.

• Agile Adaptation: The company culture embraces change and challenges, suggesting an agile approach to marketing strategies and creative development to adapt to market dynamics.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding zooplus SE as a leading pet e-commerce player is crucial. The role's success hinges on driving customer acquisition and engagement through effective paid media creative, which is directly tied to the company's growth in a competitive online market. The multinational aspect implies a need for adaptability and strong communication across diverse teams.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Managerial role, indicating a leadership position within the creative and digital marketing function. It requires not only expert technical skills but also strategic thinking, process ownership, and the ability to influence cross-functional teams. The role is pivotal in bridging creative excellence with tangible business outcomes in paid media.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Digital Design Manager – Paid Media likely reports to a Director or Head of Marketing/Performance Marketing. They will manage the creative output for paid media and may indirectly influence or guide junior designers or external agencies. The role requires significant collaboration with Paid Media Managers and their teams.

Operations Impact: The primary impact of this role is on the efficiency and effectiveness of zooplus SE's paid media customer acquisition efforts. By optimizing creative performance and streamlining production through automation, this role directly contributes to key performance indicators such as Cost Per Acquisition (CPA), Return on Ad Spend (ROAS), conversion rates, and overall marketing ROI. Sustainable, scalable creative solutions are critical for the company's growth in the competitive pet e-commerce market.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to grow into a Head of Creative Operations, Director of Digital Marketing, or a broader leadership role overseeing creative strategy for multiple marketing channels.

• Specialization Deepening: Opportunity to become a recognized expert in creative automation, performance creative, or AI-driven marketing solutions within the e-commerce space.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Gaining broader experience by collaborating on integrated marketing campaigns and potentially contributing to other areas of digital marketing strategy.

• International Mobility: With multiple European offices, there may be opportunities for international assignments or leadership roles within different regional marketing teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" title and focus on operational leadership within creative execution for paid media suggest a career path that values strategic thinking, process improvement, and demonstrable business impact. Growth opportunities are likely tied to expanding scope of responsibility and deepening expertise in performance marketing creative and automation.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The company operates a hybrid working model, meaning the office environment is designed for collaboration and teamwork, likely featuring open-plan workspaces, meeting rooms, and potentially dedicated creative zones. The office is intended for approximately 60% of the working week, emphasizing its role as a hub for strategic discussions, team building, and collaborative problem-solving.

Office Location(s): The specific office is located at Génova 17, 5plta, Madrid, Spain. This central Madrid location suggests accessibility and integration within a major business district.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model and emphasis on teamwork foster an environment where brainstorming, feedback sessions, and cross-functional alignment are encouraged.

• Technology & Tools: Employees will have access to the necessary hardware, software (including Adobe Creative Suite, Figma), and potentially specialized creative production tools or automation platforms required for their roles.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for regular interaction with paid media teams, brand managers, and other marketing professionals, facilitating knowledge sharing and integrated campaign development.

Work Schedule: A standard full-time work schedule (approx. 40 hours per week) is expected, with the flexibility afforded by the hybrid model allowing employees to manage their work location between the office and home. This structure aims to support both productivity and work-life balance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid work environment is a key feature, indicating a modern workplace that values flexibility while maintaining the benefits of in-person collaboration. The Madrid office location suggests a dynamic urban setting conducive to professional networking and access to resources.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

1. Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and resume, likely focusing on your experience with paid media creative, automation tools (especially Smartly.io), and overall career progression.

2. Portfolio Review & Technical Interview: You will likely be asked to present your portfolio, focusing on case studies that demonstrate your conceptual thinking, execution quality, and impact on performance marketing campaigns. This stage will also delve into your technical proficiency with design software and automation platforms. Expect questions about your approach to A/B testing, creative optimization, and workflow management.

3. Hiring Manager/Team Interview: This interview will assess your strategic thinking, leadership potential, problem-solving skills, and cultural fit. Expect scenario-based questions related to managing creative projects, driving automation, and collaborating with stakeholders.

4. Final Interview (Potentially with Senior Leadership): A final conversation to confirm alignment with the company's vision, values, and strategic objectives.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Quantify Your Impact: For each case study, clearly state the campaign goals, your role, the creative solutions implemented, and most importantly, the quantifiable results (e.g., "Increased CTR by X%", "Reduced CPA by Y%", "Achieved Z% ROAS").

• Showcase Automation: If possible, include examples of how you've used Smartly.io or similar tools. This could be screenshots of templates, explanations of conditional logic, or descriptions of the automation process you managed.

• Demonstrate Process Thinking: Be ready to explain your creative process from brief to delivery, highlighting how you ensure efficiency, quality, and brand consistency, particularly for high-volume paid media needs.

• Highlight Decision-Making: For senior roles, emphasize instances where you made critical creative decisions, guided teams, or resolved complex challenges.

• Tailor to Paid Media: Ensure your portfolio primarily features work relevant to paid media and performance marketing, showcasing adaptability across different ad formats and platforms.

Challenge Preparation:

• Creative Problem-Solving: Be prepared for a hypothetical scenario where you need to design creative solutions for a specific paid media challenge (e.g., low engagement, high CPA). Focus on your structured approach, ideation process, and how you'd leverage data and automation.

• Automation Strategy: Expect questions about how you would set up or improve a creative automation workflow for a particular campaign type or product category.

• Stakeholder Management: Practice articulating how you would manage feedback from different stakeholders (e.g., performance marketers, brand managers) to arrive at an optimal creative solution.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is likely to be rigorous, focusing heavily on a candidate's ability to demonstrate both creative excellence and operational efficiency in paid media. The portfolio is a critical component, requiring candidates to prove their impact with data and showcase their expertise in automation tools.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Smartly.io: Essential for creative automation in paid social media management. Proficiency in building and managing dynamic ad campaigns, dynamic feeds, and automated creative workflows is critical.

• Figma: For collaborative design, prototyping, and creating modular templates that integrate with automation platforms. Advanced skills in component-based design and efficient workflow management are expected.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Including Photoshop (image editing, manipulation), Illustrator (vector graphics, logo design), and potentially After Effects (motion graphics, video editing) for creating a wide range of digital ad assets.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Platform Analytics: In-depth knowledge of analytics dashboards within Meta Ads Manager, Google Ads, and potentially other ad platforms to monitor creative performance.

• Data Visualization Tools (Implied): While not explicitly mentioned, familiarity with tools like Tableau, Power BI, or even advanced Excel for analyzing and visualizing creative performance data would be beneficial.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM (Implied): While not a direct CRM role, understanding how creative assets are utilized in customer journeys managed by CRM systems might be relevant.

• Feed Management Tools (Implied): Experience with tools or methods for managing product feeds (e.g., Google Sheets, dedicated feed managers) to power dynamic creative ads.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack is heavily skewed towards tools essential for modern paid media creative operations and automation. Smartly.io and Figma are highlighted as key requirements, indicating a strong emphasis on scalable, data-driven creative production.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Ownership: A strong sense of responsibility for the success of paid media creative, from concept to performance. This involves proactively identifying issues and driving solutions.

• Data-Driven Excellence: A commitment to using performance data as the primary driver for creative decisions, optimization, and strategic direction.

• Efficiency & Scalability: A focus on developing and implementing processes and automation that allow for high-volume, high-quality creative output without compromising speed or effectiveness.

• Collaboration: A belief in working closely with cross-functional teams (Paid Media, Brand, etc.) to achieve shared marketing objectives and ensure cohesive campaign execution.

• Continuous Improvement: A mindset of always seeking ways to innovate, experiment with new tools and techniques, and enhance creative quality and operational processes.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Expect close partnership with Performance Marketing teams to align creative with campaign goals and audience targeting. Regular communication and feedback loops are essential.

• Structured Feedback: A culture that encourages clear, constructive, and actionable feedback on creative work, both given and received, to ensure continuous development and alignment.

• Proactive Communication: A preference for open and proactive communication to manage expectations, flag potential issues early, and ensure alignment across all involved parties.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture and values, as inferred from the job description, emphasize a results-oriented, data-informed, and collaborative approach to marketing, with a strong undercurrent of operational efficiency and continuous improvement, particularly in the context of paid media creative.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Creativity and Performance: The primary challenge is to maintain high creative quality and conceptual innovation while rigorously adhering to performance metrics and optimization demands.

• Scaling Creative Production: Effectively managing and scaling the creation of numerous creative variations for different platforms, audiences, and A/B tests within tight deadlines.

• Mastering Automation Complexity: Keeping pace with the evolving capabilities of automation platforms like Smartly.io and effectively translating complex data into actionable creative automation strategies.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring consistent alignment and clear communication between creative, paid media, and brand teams, especially in a hybrid work environment.

• Navigating Evolving Ad Platforms: Adapting creative strategies and production methods to the continuous updates and changes in digital advertising platforms.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Automation Expertise: Deepen specialized knowledge in creative automation, AI in marketing, and programmatic creative, becoming a go-to expert within the company.

• Strategic Marketing Leadership: Develop broader strategic marketing skills by working closely with performance marketing leaders and contributing to campaign planning and execution.

• Industry Trend Immersion: Opportunities to explore and implement emerging creative technologies, AI tools, and best practices in digital advertising and design.

• Cross-Departmental Knowledge: Gain insights into other areas of the e-commerce business, potentially including product management, customer analytics, or brand strategy.

• Mentorship & Skill Development: Access to internal and external training, workshops, and mentorship programs focused on leadership, technical skills, and career progression.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges identified are typical for a senior role in performance creative operations, requiring a blend of technical skill, strategic thinking, and operational management. The growth opportunities are geared towards deepening specialized expertise and expanding leadership capabilities within the marketing function.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe how you would approach developing a creative strategy for a new product launch campaign on Meta, focusing on both brand appeal and direct response objectives. What role would automation play?" (Focus on structured ideation, performance metric integration, and Smartly.io application.)

• "Walk me through a time you used performance data to significantly improve the creative assets for a paid media campaign. What was your process, and what were the results?" (Highlight data analysis, iteration, A/B testing methodology, and quantifiable impact.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on your understanding of zooplus SE and the pet e-commerce market, what do you see as the biggest creative challenge for our paid media efforts, and how would you address it?" (Demonstrate research, strategic thinking, and problem-solving applied to the company context.)

• "This role requires significant ownership. Describe a situation where you took full responsibility for a project that faced unexpected challenges. How did you navigate it, and what did you learn?" (Assess proactivity, resilience, and accountability.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Tell a Story: Structure your portfolio presentation around key case studies. For each, clearly define the challenge, your role and approach, the creative solution, the automation utilized, and the measurable results.

• Quantify Everything: Ensure every case study includes specific metrics demonstrating the impact of your creative work (e.g., CTR increases, CPA reductions, ROAS improvements).

• Showcase Automation in Action: Visually demonstrate how you've used tools like Smartly.io. This could include showing dynamic templates, explaining feed integration, or detailing the logic behind automated variations.

• Focus on "Why" and "How": Beyond showing the final creative, explain the strategic thinking behind your design choices and the operational processes you implemented to achieve efficiency and scale.

• Prepare for Deep Dives: Be ready to answer detailed questions about your design choices, technical execution, and the specific impact of your contributions on campaign performance.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating a blend of creative vision, strong analytical skills, technical proficiency in key tools, and leadership in operationalizing creative for maximum performance impact.

📌 Application Steps

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

• Submit your application through the provided application link on SmartRecruiters.

• Tailor Your Resume: Ensure your resume clearly highlights your experience with paid media creative, performance marketing, creative automation (specifically Smartly.io), Figma, and Adobe Creative Suite. Use keywords from the job description and quantify your achievements with specific metrics.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 3-4 strong case studies that best represent your experience in performance-driven creative for paid media. Emphasize the creative strategy, execution, automation aspects, and quantifiable results. Prepare a concise presentation or digital walkthrough.

• Prepare for Technical & Behavioral Questions: Anticipate questions about your experience with Smartly.io, Figma, creative optimization, A/B testing, and how you manage creative workflows and stakeholder relationships. Practice articulating your problem-solving approach and leadership style.

• Research zooplus SE: Familiarize yourself with zooplus's brand, their product offerings, and their presence in the European pet e-commerce market. Understand their customer acquisition strategies and potential creative challenges.

⚠️ 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.

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