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: April 22, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Oversee and drive creative performance specifically within paid media channels, ensuring alignment with overall marketing objectives and brand strategy.

• Lead the conceptual development and execution of creative assets for performance marketing campaigns, focusing on scalability and impact.

• Implement and optimize creative automation strategies, leveraging platforms like Smartly.io to enhance efficiency, speed, and quality of creative output.

• Proactively identify opportunities for innovation, process improvement, and the integration of new technologies within the creative workflow for paid media.

• Foster strong collaboration with Paid Media, Brand, and other cross-functional teams to translate performance insights into actionable creative solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Senior Digital Design Manager – Paid Media," the responsibilities and required skills strongly indicate a role focused on the operational and performance aspects of digital design within a paid media context. This role is less about pure artistic creation and more about managing the design process for maximum marketing impact and efficiency, particularly through automation. The emphasis on "structure, decision-making, and scalable impact" and "creative operations, planning & prioritization" points towards a revenue operations or marketing operations function with a design specialization.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the conceptualization and execution of creative assets for paid media campaigns across META, Google Ads, Affiliate, and App channels, ensuring brand consistency and performance optimization.

• Drive rigorous A/B testing and iterative optimization of creative assets based on performance data and insights to maximize campaign effectiveness and ROI.

• Develop and maintain scalable creative concepts, frameworks, and modular design templates that align with automation logic, particularly within Smartly.io.

• Manage the planning, prioritization, and structuring of creative projects, ensuring clear, consistent, and outcome-focused deliverables that reduce workflow complexity.

• Proactively identify and implement opportunities for innovation, including the use of AI and new tools, to enhance creative quality, speed, and scalability within the paid media ecosystem.

• Serve as a key creative decision-maker, providing clear direction and structured feedback to stakeholders to drive projects forward efficiently.

• Ensure the efficient management of creative feeds, conditional rules, and automation logic, often utilizing tools like Google Sheets for structured data input.

• Collaborate closely with Paid Media specialists, Brand teams, and other cross-functional stakeholders to ensure creative strategies are aligned with business goals and performance targets.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary responsibilities are heavily weighted towards operationalizing creative processes for paid media. The mention of "end-to-end creative delivery," "planning, prioritization, and structuring of creative projects," and "automation & Smartly.io" clearly positions this role within a marketing operations or GTM operations framework, rather than a traditional pure design role. The focus is on managing the process of creative production for performance.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in digital design, paid media creative, or creative operations, with a strong track record in performance marketing.

• Proven hands-on experience with creative automation platforms, specifically Smartly.io, or similar advanced solutions.

Required Skills:

• Digital Design Strategy: Ability to translate brand goals and performance insights into scalable creative concepts and executions.

• Paid Media Creative Execution: Deep understanding of creative requirements and best practices for performance marketing channels.

• Creative Operations Management: Expertise in planning, structuring, and prioritizing creative projects for efficiency and impact.

• Automation Platform Proficiency: Hands-on experience with Smartly.io or comparable automation tools for creative production and optimization.

• Design Software Mastery: Advanced skills in Adobe Creative Suite and strong proficiency in Figma for template creation and collaboration.

• Performance Data Analysis: Ability to drive A/B testing and iterate on creative based on performance data and insights.

• Stakeholder Management: Excellent communication and collaboration skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams.

• Conceptual Thinking: Strong portfolio demonstrating innovative conceptual development and high-quality execution.

Preferred Skills:

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

• Experience with AI tools and technologies for creative enhancement and workflow automation.

• Understanding of e-commerce marketing dynamics and customer journeys.

• Project management methodologies for creative initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The qualifications emphasize practical, hands-on experience with specific tools and a proven ability to deliver results in a performance-driven environment. The "Ownership Traits" listed are critical for operations roles, highlighting the need for proactive decision-making, structured thinking, and a growth mindset, which are key indicators for success in a demanding GTM operations role.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase end-to-end creative campaign development for paid media, highlighting conceptual thinking, execution quality, and performance outcomes.

• Include examples of creative optimization through A/B testing and data-driven iteration, demonstrating a clear understanding of performance marketing metrics.

• Present case studies of how you've simplified complex creative workflows or improved operational efficiency in previous roles.

• Demonstrate experience with creative automation, ideally including examples of modular templates or automation logic implemented in platforms like Smartly.io.

Process Documentation:

• Be prepared to discuss established processes for creative brief intake, concept development, asset production, and final delivery within a paid media context.

• Articulate your approach to structuring creative projects, including planning, prioritization, and workflow management to ensure timely and high-quality output.

• Explain how you leverage performance data and automation tools to continuously improve and optimize creative processes and outcomes.

• Discuss your methodology for collaborating with cross-functional teams (e.g., Paid Media, Brand) to ensure alignment and effective feedback loops in creative operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role focused on operationalizing creative for performance, a portfolio must go beyond just visual aesthetics. It needs to demonstrate a strategic, process-oriented approach to creative production, emphasizing efficiency, scalability, and measurable results, especially through automation.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Given the Senior level, Madrid location, and specialized nature of this role (combining digital design, paid media, and creative operations with automation expertise), a competitive salary range would be estimated between €55,000 - €75,000 annually. This estimate is based on research into senior digital design and creative operations roles in Madrid, considering the strong emphasis on performance marketing and automation platforms.

Benefits:

• Generous Paid Time Off: 28 Annual Vacation Days.

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Private Medical Health Insurance.

• Flexible Work Arrangement: Hybrid working model, allowing up to 40% of time to be worked from home.

• International Work Opportunities: Option to work for 20 days abroad in approved countries.

• Professional Development: Significant growth opportunities and access to training and support programs.

• Employee Wellbeing: Dedicated wellbeing offers to support work-life balance.

• Commuting Support: Subsidised transport or bike leasing options.

• Product Discount: A substantial 20% discount across all zooplus products.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours, estimated at 40 hours per week, with a hybrid model balancing office and remote work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on general market data for similar senior roles in Madrid, Spain. The specific benefits listed are extracted directly from the job description and are highly attractive for operations professionals seeking work-life balance and professional growth.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: E-commerce (Pet Supplies)

Zooplus SE operates in the rapidly growing pet e-commerce sector, a dynamic market characterized by increasing digitalization, customer-centricity, and a focus on customer lifetime value. This industry demands agility, data-driven decision-making, and continuous innovation to stay ahead. For operations professionals, this means a fast-paced environment where efficiency, scalability, and measurable impact are paramount.

Company Size: Zooplus SE is a significant player in the European pet e-commerce market. While the exact current employee count isn't provided, its presence across multiple countries (Munich, Madrid, Krakow, Wroclaw, London, Vienna) and its 25+ years of experience suggest a substantial organization, likely falling into the "500-1000 employees" or "1000+ employees" range. This size implies established processes, opportunities for specialization, and potential for cross-functional collaboration across various departments.

Founded: Zooplus was founded over 25 years ago, indicating a mature company with a strong foundation and deep market understanding. This long history suggests stability and a proven business model, while its continued growth and adaptation in the e-commerce space highlight a forward-thinking and resilient organization.

Team Structure:

• The role likely sits within a broader Marketing or Sales & Marketing department, potentially reporting into a Head of Paid Media, Head of Digital Marketing, or a Creative Operations Lead.

• The "Senior Digital Design Manager" title suggests leadership and ownership within a specialized creative function, possibly managing a small team or being a key individual contributor with significant influence.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Optimization: A core methodology will involve leveraging performance data from paid media channels to inform creative decisions and drive continuous improvement.

• Process Standardization & Automation: Emphasis on creating clear, scalable processes and utilizing automation tools (like Smartly.io) to increase efficiency and output.

• Agile & Iterative Approach: The fast-paced e-commerce environment necessitates an agile mindset, with a focus on rapid iteration and adaptation based on market feedback and campaign results.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding zooplus SE as a leading e-commerce player in the pet industry is crucial. This context implies a strong focus on customer acquisition and retention through digital channels, making the performance-driven nature of this role highly relevant to the company's success. The hybrid model and international presence suggest a modern, globally-minded workplace.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a "Senior" level position, indicating a need for significant experience and demonstrated ability to operate autonomously, lead initiatives, and influence strategy within a specialized area. It suggests a transition from pure execution to strategic oversight and operational leadership in creative performance marketing.

Reporting Structure: The role will likely report to a manager or director within the marketing or growth team, such as a Head of Paid Media, Director of Performance Marketing, or potentially a Head of Creative Operations. The Senior Manager will be expected to provide clear direction and structured feedback to junior team members or external agencies if applicable.

Operations Impact: This role directly impacts revenue by optimizing the effectiveness of paid media spend. High-performing creative assets drive higher conversion rates, lower cost-per-acquisition (CPA), and improve return on ad spend (ROAS). By ensuring creative quality, brand consistency, and efficient production through automation, this role contributes significantly to the company's customer acquisition and growth targets.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization Deepening: Opportunity to become a subject matter expert in creative automation for paid media, potentially leading to advanced roles in MarTech or campaign optimization.

• Leadership Development: Potential to grow into a team lead or management position overseeing a larger creative operations function or a broader paid media creative team.

• Cross-Functional Advancement: Experience gained in optimizing creative for performance can open doors to broader roles in performance marketing, digital strategy, or even GTM operations management.

• International Exposure: Working for a multinational company like zooplus SE offers opportunities to gain experience with different markets and potentially contribute to global initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" designation combined with the operational and automation focus suggests a career path that bridges creative expertise with marketing operations. Growth potential lies in deepening specialization or moving into broader leadership roles within GTM or marketing.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based in Madrid, Spain, and operates under a hybrid working model. This suggests a modern office environment designed to facilitate collaboration, likely with dedicated spaces for creative work, team meetings, and focused individual tasks.

Office Location(s): The office is located at Génova 17, 5plta, Madrid, Spain (Postal Code 28004). This central Madrid location is likely accessible via public transportation, making it convenient for employees.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: The hybrid model implies that office days will be utilized for team collaboration, brainstorming sessions, and cross-functional meetings, requiring an environment that fosters interaction.

• Technology & Tools: Access to necessary design software (Adobe Creative Suite, Figma) and performance marketing/automation platforms (Smartly.io) will be standard. High-speed internet and modern IT infrastructure are expected.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities to engage with the wider marketing and paid media teams, fostering a culture of shared learning and problem-solving. The emphasis on "all genders" suggests an inclusive and diverse workplace culture.

Work Schedule: The standard working hours are approximately 40 per week, with a hybrid arrangement allowing employees to work remotely for up to 40% of their time. This provides flexibility for managing personal commitments while ensuring consistent contribution and collaboration with the team.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model (60% office, 40% home) is a key feature, indicating a balance between in-person collaboration and individual flexibility. This is a common and attractive perk for many professionals, especially in operations roles that can benefit from focused work time.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your CV and portfolio to assess experience, skills, and alignment with the role's requirements, particularly regarding paid media creative and automation.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion focused on your experience, approach to creative operations, understanding of performance marketing, and how you handle ownership and decision-making. Expect questions about your portfolio's case studies.

• Skills Assessment/Creative Challenge: Likely a practical exercise or case study to evaluate your design thinking, problem-solving skills, and ability to apply concepts to paid media scenarios, potentially involving Smartly.io or Figma.

• Team/Stakeholder Interviews: Meetings with key cross-functional stakeholders (e.g., Paid Media Leads, Brand Managers) to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and cultural fit.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a senior leader to discuss strategic alignment and overall fit within the company.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Performance Impact: Clearly articulate the results and ROI achieved by the creative work presented. Quantify improvements in metrics like CTR, conversion rates, ROAS, and CPA.

• Showcase Process & Automation: Detail your role in the creative process, including how you managed workflows, collaborated with teams, and utilized automation tools like Smartly.io to drive efficiency and scale.

• Demonstrate Conceptual Thinking: Present the strategic thinking behind your creative concepts, explaining how they align with campaign objectives and target audiences.

• Structure for Clarity: Organize your portfolio logically, perhaps by campaign or by type of work, with concise descriptions that explain the problem, your solution, and the outcome.

• Adaptability: Include examples of how you've adapted creative for different platforms, audiences, and markets, showcasing your versatility.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand Smartly.io: Familiarize yourself with Smartly.io's capabilities, particularly its creative automation features, feed management, and dynamic creative optimization.

• Paid Media Fundamentals: Brush up on key paid media concepts, metrics (CTR, CPC, CPA, ROAS), and best practices for major ad platforms (Meta, Google).

• Process Mapping: Be ready to visually or verbally map out a creative workflow for a paid media campaign, identifying bottlenecks and proposing solutions.

• Data Interpretation: Practice explaining how you would interpret performance data to make creative decisions and iterate on designs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "ownership," "decision-making," and "automation" suggests that interviewers will be looking for a candidate who can not only design but also strategically manage and optimize the entire creative production process for maximum business impact. The portfolio review will be critical for demonstrating this operational capability.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Smartly.io: This is a core requirement. Proficiency in managing creative automation, building templates, setting up feeds, and optimizing campaigns within this platform is essential.

• Figma: Crucial for building modular, scalable design templates that integrate seamlessly with automation platforms like Smartly.io.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Advanced skills in Photoshop, Illustrator, and potentially After Effects or Premiere Pro for asset creation and manipulation.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Platform Analytics: In-depth knowledge of analytics dashboards within META Ads Manager, Google Ads, and potentially app analytics platforms.

• Data Visualization Tools: Familiarity with tools that can help visualize creative performance data, though specific tools are not listed, the ability to interpret and present data is key.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot): While not explicitly mentioned, understanding how paid media campaigns feed into CRM data and influence customer journeys is beneficial.

• Marketing Automation Platforms: Awareness of broader marketing automation concepts and how creative assets integrate into automated customer journeys.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Smartly.io and Figma, alongside Adobe Creative Suite, highlights the technology focus. Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate direct experience and strategic thinking around using these tools for performance-driven creative operations.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Ownership & Proactivity: Taking initiative, driving projects forward independently, and proactively identifying and solving problems without constant supervision.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Relying on performance metrics and insights to guide creative strategy and optimization efforts.

• Efficiency & Scalability: Commitment to developing streamlined processes and leveraging automation to deliver high-quality creative at scale.

• Collaboration & Communication: Working effectively with diverse teams, providing clear feedback, and fostering a supportive, inclusive environment.

• Growth Mindset: Continuously learning, experimenting with new tools and techniques, and seeking opportunities for personal and professional development.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Actively partnering with Paid Media, Brand, and other marketing teams to ensure creative initiatives are aligned with broader business objectives and performance targets.

• Structured Feedback: Providing clear, constructive, and actionable feedback to stakeholders and team members to improve creative output and processes.

• Knowledge Sharing: Willingness to share expertise in design, automation, and paid media trends to uplift the entire team.

• Outcome-Focused: Prioritizing collaboration that directly contributes to achieving measurable business outcomes and campaign goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's emphasis on "power of plus," "work together to continually adapt," and "embracing change" suggests a culture that values progress, teamwork, and a shared drive for success. For an operations role, this translates to a need for proactive, collaborative individuals who are comfortable with evolving processes and data-driven improvements.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Creativity and Performance: The primary challenge will be to maintain creative excellence and brand integrity while relentlessly optimizing for paid media performance metrics and scalability.

• Rapidly Evolving Digital Landscape: Staying current with new platform features, ad formats, performance marketing trends, and automation technologies requires continuous learning.

• Managing Stakeholder Expectations: Effectively communicating creative capabilities, limitations, and timelines to various stakeholders with different priorities.

• Complexity of Automation: Mastering and evolving the creative automation setup in Smartly.io, ensuring it remains efficient, scalable, and aligned with campaign needs.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Automation Expertise: Deepen skills in creative automation, potentially exploring more complex workflows, AI integrations, and custom solutions within Smartly.io and related tools.

• Performance Marketing Strategy: Gain a more holistic understanding of paid media strategy, including audience segmentation, media planning, and budget allocation.

• Cross-Functional Skill Development: Opportunities to learn from and collaborate with experts in other marketing disciplines, expanding your overall GTM knowledge.

• Leadership Training: Develop leadership skills through managing projects, mentoring junior team members, and contributing to strategic planning.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role presents a significant opportunity to become a specialist in a high-demand area: creative operations for performance marketing, powered by automation. The challenges are inherent to the dynamic nature of digital marketing and offer substantial learning opportunities.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for translating a paid media campaign brief into a scalable creative concept and execution plan." (Focus on structure, automation potential, and performance drivers.)

• "How have you used creative automation platforms like Smartly.io to improve efficiency, speed, or creative quality in paid media campaigns? Provide a specific example." (Demonstrate hands-on experience and quantifiable results.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about zooplus SE and the pet e-commerce industry, particularly from a creative operations perspective?" (Show research and genuine interest.)

• "How do you approach collaboration with performance marketing teams to ensure creative aligns with their goals and optimization strategies?" (Emphasize teamwork and data-driven collaboration.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Quantify Everything: For each project, clearly state the objective, your role, the solution, and the measurable results (e.g., X% increase in CTR, Y% decrease in CPA).

• Tell the Automation Story: When presenting automated campaigns, explain the setup, the logic, and how it enabled scale or efficiency. If you built templates, show how they function.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals effectively. Demonstrate the modularity of your Figma templates or the dynamic nature of your automated ads.

• Be Prepared for Technical Deep Dives: Be ready to discuss the specifics of your workflow, the tools you used, and the challenges you overcame.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interviewers will be looking for a blend of creative acumen and operational rigor. Your ability to articulate how you manage the process of creative production for performance, particularly through automation, will be key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

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

• Tailor your CV: Highlight experience with paid media creative, creative operations, and proficiency in Smartly.io, Figma, and Adobe Creative Suite. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Curate your portfolio: Select 2-3 strong case studies that best demonstrate your ability to drive creative performance through strategic design, automation, and data-driven optimization. Ensure clear explanations of your process and results.

• Prepare for a case study: Be ready to discuss how you would approach a specific paid media creative challenge or optimize an existing campaign, focusing on process and automation.

• Research zooplus SE: Understand their brand, market position, and recent marketing efforts to tailor your responses and demonstrate enthusiasm for their business.

⚠️ 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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