Performance Marketing Manager

SUMMARY:
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POSITION INFO:
Location: Hybrid (Cape Town or Johannesburg) Employment Type: Full-Time | Permanent Industry: HR Tech | SaaS | Global Employment Technology WatersEdge Solutions is partnering with a fast-growing global technology business to recruit a highly commercial, data-driven Performance Marketing Manager . This is a standout opportunity for an experienced B2B performance marketer who wants genuine ownership of paid growth and the freedom to experiment, move quickly, and prove what works. You’ll be the first dedicated paid marketing hire , working closely with senior leadership, a Growth Engineer, Content, Organic Growth, and Revenue Operations. There won’t initially be a large team or agency behind you – this role needs someone who loves being hands-on, owns the numbers, and can turn smart ideas into measurable pipeline. About the Role As Performance Marketing Manager, you will own the paid acquisition strategy and execution across an ABM-led, named-account approach . Rather than focusing on broad B2B campaigns and traditional MQL metrics, your success will be measured by your ability to influence target accounts and generate pipeline. You’ll work across LinkedIn, Google, programmatic, affiliate, direct media buys, direct mail, personalised landing experiences, and emerging channels. You’ll also partner closely with technical resources to build AI-enabled workflows, enrichment pipelines, and scalable growth experiments. This is a role for an operator rather than an overseer – someone who is comfortable being hands-on with campaigns, data, tools, experimentation, and execution. Key Responsibilities Own the strategy and hands-on execution of ABM-led paid acquisition against named target accounts Manage paid media across LinkedIn, Google Search and Display, programmatic, retargeting, review platforms, and affiliate channels Build account-level measurement and attribution across HubSpot and Salesforce Measure success against pipeline influenced rather than MQL volume Manage direct media buys with relevant industry publishers, newsletters, and intent platforms Develop creative account-based approaches including direct mail, gifting, and targeted outreach Brief and launch personalised landing pages, microsites, and 1:few ABM experiences Partner weekly with Growth Engineering to develop agents, workflows, enrichment pipelines, and AI-assisted processes Use LLM and AI technology to build sophisticated marketing workflows and improve execution Work closely with SDR teams to identify and communicate which target accounts are showing buying signals Continuously analyse campaign performance and rapidly stop initiatives that aren't producing results Launch new growth experiments on a regular basis Use data to identify where investment should be increased, reduced, or redirected Own paid performance and communicate results clearly to executive stakeholders Your First 90 Days You’ll be expected to move quickly. Early priorities will include: Auditing existing paid activity and removing underperforming spend Establishing an ABM paid motion against a named 500-account target list Building and launching an AI-enabled paid marketing workflow Establishing reliable account-level measurement Giving executive leadership a clear and trusted view of paid-influenced pipeline What You’ll Bring 4+ years' B2B paid marketing experience , ideally within SaaS Genuine Account-Based Marketing experience involving named account lists – not simply remarketing positioned as ABM Experience with multi-channel ABM orchestration Strong hands-on experience across LinkedIn Ads and Google Ads Experience managing programmatic, display, retargeting, affiliate, or similar paid channels Strong understanding of SDR handoffs and sales\/marketing alignment Experience building or working with account-level reporting and attribution Strong understanding of HubSpot and Salesforce environments Highly analytical and confident making decisions from performance data Comfortable independently owning paid performance and pipeline contribution Experience using data and enrichment platforms such as Clay, Apollo, ZoomInfo, or equivalent Strong working knowledge of AI\/LLM tools and the ability to apply them to workflows and growth problems Technical confidence to work effectively with Growth Engineers Strong experimentation mindset with the ability to test, learn, and iterate quickly Commercial understanding of where a challenger brand should – and shouldn't – compete Nice to Have Previous experience in a high-growth SaaS or technology scale-up Advanced Clay experience Experience using Claude, Cursor, or similar AI tools Experience building AI-assisted marketing workflows Direct mail or physical gifting campaign experience Experience with personalised microsites and 1:few ABM campaigns G2 or Capterra advertising experience Direct publisher and newsletter media buying experience What’s On Offer Competitive market-related package Share incentive scheme Generous vacation policy Hybrid working environment Four-week work-from-anywhere policy Monthly flexible benefits allowance for medical, life, or wellness options Team lunches and breakfasts Office refreshments and healthy snacks Significant autonomy over paid strategy and experimentation Opportunity to become the first dedicated paid marketing specialist and help shape the function as the business scales Company Culture This is an ambitious, high-growth environment built around continuous improvement, collaboration, accountability, and excellence. People are expected to challenge conventional thinking, take ownership of outcomes, and focus on measurable impact rather than simply completing tasks. The culture particularly suits someone who is curious, experimental, comfortable with change, and excited by the opportunity to compete creatively against significantly larger organisations. Please Note: If you have not been contacted within 10 working days, consider your application unsuccessful.