PPC Paid-Search - Performance-Media Specialist

A Hi-touch Marketing Advisory/Consultancy is seeking an, independent B2C paid-media specialist to audit and pressure-test Google, Bing and Meta performance during an upcoming fall lead gen sprint. This is an advisory SME role reporting directly to the Consulting lead — not an agency seat. We want seasoned, skeptical eyes working shoulder-to-shoulder with the lead, not a PPC agency person working as a side hustle. You are: • Deep in paid search for lead-gen (not e-commerce/ROAS-only) — you optimize to qualified pipeline, not just conversions. • Fluent in attribution — you can independently audit ad-platform↔CRM reconciliation and spot a mis-fired conversion signal. • Skeptical of black boxes — you know where PMax and broad match hide waste. • Experienced in regulated / financial-services or senior direct-response — you understand intent nuance in a niche category where the ad algorithms routinely misread the audience. • Independent and unbiased — your job is the truth in the numbers You'll: • Audit a live Google Ads, Meta and Microsoft/Bing lead-gen account (six-figure spend) and tell us what's real, what's wasted, and what's broken. • Interrogate the measurement spine: ad-platform-to-CRM reconciliation, first-touch vs. data-driven attribution, and a suspected conversion-signal change. • Pressure-test Performance Max and search-partner spend for black-box waste, and validate match-type / negative-keyword hygiene. • Translate findings into a plain-English read the client's senior leadership can act on. Engagement: (EST, ~5–10 hrs/week). EST hours for weekly working sessions. Send a short note, two to three relevant account examples (redacted is fine), and your hourly rate.