Performance and Digital Marketing Consultant

Performance/Digital Marketing Consultant (Media, Analytics & Optimization)

About Watershed

Watershed helps public-sector and higher-education clients plan, execute, and optimize cross-channel campaigns. We integrate strategy, media, and analytics to connect spend to outcomes such as applications, registrations, and citizen engagement.

Contract type

Independent consultant / project-based (with potential call-ups under master vendor arrangements). Please include your all-inclusive hourly rate.

The opportunity

Own performance marketing from planning through optimization: audience discovery, media planning/buying, experimentation, and measurement. Build KPI dashboards, manage in-flight optimizations and recovery plans, and connect performance to business outcomes. Collaborate with creative partners and client CRM/marketing-ops teams.

What you'll do

• Lead audience discovery/targeting and cross-channel media planning & buying (search, social, display, video, programmatic).
• Establish testing plans (creative/targeting/bidding), manage flighting, pacing, and budget shifts; implement corrective actions mid-campaign.
• Build and maintain KPI dashboards (e.g., GA4 + Looker Studio/Power BI); benchmark CPL/CPA; communicate insights and next actions.
• Set up robust tagging/pixels, data governance, and channel-to-outcome attribution; collaborate with client CRM/marketing tech (e.g., Salesforce Marketing Cloud) where applicable.
• Produce term/annual summaries and optimization roadmaps; support brief creation and SOWs for call-ups.

What you'll bring

• 5–8+ years hands-on media planning/buying and optimization in complex, multi-audience contexts (higher-ed/public-sector preferred).
• Evidence of measurable performance improvement and attribution across channels (to application/registration or equivalent outcomes).
• Platform fluency: Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, YouTube, programmatic DSPs; GA4; Looker Studio; Power BI (basic SQL/Excel a plus).
• Strong communication, analytical rigor, and comfort presenting to senior stakeholders.
• Experience collaborating within multi-agency alliances.

Nice to have

• Higher-ed experience (domestic & international recruitment, continuing ed, brand, employer outreach).
• Experience with media billing administration and transparent platform partnership disclosures.
• Familiarity with accessibility/inclusive marketing guidelines.

How to apply

Email with:

1) Resume/CV,

2) 2–3 dashboard/report samples or anonymized screenshots,

3) Your all-inclusive hourly rate,

4) Availability and typical notice period.

Other details

We're committed to accessibility and inclusion. Some assignments may require security screening; please note your readiness to complete checks. Watershed is an equal-opportunity contractor.

Job Type: Fixed term contract

Contract length: 6 months

Pay: $37,901.37-$79,584.47 per year

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Toronto, ON: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)

Experience:

• Media planning/buying and optimization : 1 year (preferred)
• Performance improvement and attribution across channels: 1 year (preferred)
• Platform fluency: Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, YouTube, DSPs: 1 year (preferred)
• GA4; Looker Studio; Power BI (basic SQL/Excel): 1 year (preferred)
• • Lead audience discovery/targeting : 1 year (preferred)
• cross-channel media planning & buying : 1 year (preferred)
• • Establish testing plans (creative/targeting/bidding): 1 year (preferred)
• manage flighting, pacing, and budget shifts: 1 year (preferred)
• implement corrective actions mid-campaign.: 1 year (preferred)
• Build & maintain KPI dashboards (GA4 + Looker/Power BI): 1 year (preferred)
• benchmark CPL/CPA; communicate insights and next actions: 1 year (preferred)
• Tagging/pixels, data gov, & channel-to-outcome attribution: 1 year (preferred)
• collaborate with client CRM/marketing tech- Salesforce : 1 year (preferred)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Toronto, ON