How to write a media buyer job description that attracts senior candidates

Most media buyer job descriptions list ten tools and never say what the person will own. A good media buyer job description states the monthly budget, the channels, the business model, who the hire reports to and what success looks like at 90 days. Senior candidates read those five things first and skip the rest.

This guide gives you a template you can copy, explains what each section is for and lists the lines that quietly push experienced media buyers away.

Why do most media buyer job descriptions fail?

Because they describe a person instead of a job. "Data-driven, creative, fast-paced, results-oriented" fits every marketer alive, so it filters nobody.

Senior media buyers are not looking for adjectives. They are checking whether the role is real: is there enough budget to matter, will they make decisions or just execute, and is someone going to judge them on a number they can actually move.

If the description does not answer that, the best people move on to the next posting. The ones who apply anyway are often the ones who apply to everything.

What should a media buyer job description include?

Five facts do most of the work. Put them near the top.

You do not need exact figures. "US$80k to 150k a month across Meta and Google" is enough. A range is far better than "significant budget", which candidates read as "we do not know".

What does a good media buyer job description template look like?

Here is a template you can adapt. Replace the brackets and delete anything that does not apply.

Role: Senior media buyer, [paid social / paid search / both]

About the business: [One or two sentences. What you sell, to whom, and the business model.]

What you will own: [Channels] with a monthly budget of [range]. You will plan, launch and optimize campaigns, decide where budget goes and report results to [reporting line].

What you will not do: [Be honest. For example: you will not design creative, but you will brief our designer.]

In your first 90 days: [One or two outcomes, such as "take over our Meta account, run a structured creative test and hold blended CAC under US$X".]

What we are looking for:

• [Number] years running paid media with your own budget decisions
• Hands-on experience in [channels] at a similar spend level
• Comfortable explaining results in plain English to non-marketers
• Clear examples of tests you designed and what you learned

How we work: [Time zone, hours of overlap, tools you use for communication, how often you meet.]

Compensation: [Range, and whether it is a contractor or employee role.]

Hiring process: [Steps and timeline, for example: 20 minute screen, technical interview, short paid test, final call.]

What lines scare senior media buyers away?

Some phrases are common and costly:

• "Manage all digital marketing." Senior buyers read this as SEO, email, social posting and paid media for one salary.
• "Must be proficient in 15 tools." It signals you are listing software instead of thinking about the job.
• "Rockstar" or "ninja". It reads as junior and unserious to most experienced candidates.
• No budget at all. The most common reason a strong candidate does not apply.
• No salary range. Many senior people skip postings without one, especially for remote roles.

None of these lines will stop every candidate. They just shift your applicant pool toward people with fewer options.

Should you include a salary range?

Yes. A range saves you from interviewing people who will never accept your offer, and it makes the posting look like a real decision has been made.

In some US states and cities, a range is also a legal requirement for job postings. Check the rules where you hire, or ask your lawyer.

For remote roles in Latin America, state the range in US dollars and say whether it is a contractor rate or a salary. We break down typical ranges in our post on the cost to hire a performance marketer.

How specific should the channel list be?

Very. "Paid media" covers jobs that barely overlap. Someone who scales Meta for a DTC brand and someone who runs Google Search for a law firm are different hires.

If you need one person for both, say so, and say which one matters more. If you are not sure which you need, our post on paid social vs paid search specialists will help you decide before you write the posting.

How long should a media buyer job description be?

Short enough to read on a phone in two minutes. Around 300 to 500 words is plenty.

Every extra paragraph of company values pushes the five facts that matter further down the page. Put budget, channels, model, reporting line and 90-day goal in the first screen. Culture can come later in the process, when the candidate already cares.

How we use the job description at fitted.

When a company starts a search with us, we write the brief together in the first call. The same five facts drive everything after: who we approach, the technical questions we ask in the English interview and how we score each candidate.

A clear brief is also the fastest way to a good shortlist. When the budget, channels and 90-day goal are written down, there is much less guessing on both sides.