exodus travels & headwater

Headwater Holidays specialises in self-guided active holidays; we offer travellers the freedom to explore Europe and beyond at their own pace. With over 40 years of experience & B-Corp status, we provide exceptional itineraries that immerse our customers in authentic local cultures and landscapes.

We sit within Travelopia, a global group of specialist travel brands, combining the agility of a focused brand with the backing, data and ambition of a global travel group.

We’re looking for a Performance Marketing Executive to join our team. Reporting to the Marketing Manager, you’ll be responsible for running and continually optimising paid marketing activity to drive profitable demand and bookings.

The role is focused on hands-on paid media performance, alongside developing a strong understanding of search behaviour, emerging AI-driven discovery, and how GEO influences intent, traffic quality, and conversion. Success will be measured through ROAS, CPA, revenue contribution, and lead quality, with clear priorities and ongoing support from the wider marketing team.

What we’ll offer:

• Competitive salary plus performance bonus
• Hybrid working (3 days per week in our Northwich office)
• 25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays and your birthday off
• Contributory pension plan and life insurance
• Employee travel benefits and discounts across retail partners
• The chance to be part of a certified B Corp, where your work is valued
• The opportunity to build genuine performance marketing maturity within a long-established brand with global backing

What you’ll do:

• Manage day-to-day paid media activity across core platforms, with clear guidance on budgets and priorities
• Improve performance against agreed KPIs, including ROAS, CPA and revenue contribution
• Optimise campaigns to capture higher-intent demand and improve lead quality, not just volume
• Collaborate with colleagues to ensure paid activity aligns with search intent and on-site journeys
• Support structured testing across audiences, creative and landing pages
• Monitor how evolving search behaviour, AI-driven discovery and GEO shape demand patterns and results
• Share clear, practical performance insights with the wider business

What you’ll bring:

• Hands-on experience managing performance-led paid media accounts (in-house or agency)
• Proven track record improving ROAS, reducing CPA while maintaining lead quality, and driving revenue growth — not just traffic
• Strong understanding of search intent and how paid and organic channels interact
• Confidence discussing performance in commercial terms with senior stakeholders
• Comfortable working with large datasets, ambiguity, and structured testing frameworks

Strongly preferred:

• Experience in travel, ecommerce or other high‑consideration purchase environments
• Exposure to SEO or CRO concepts as part of performance marketing collaboration
• Awareness of how AI‑driven search features and GEO are starting to influence discovery and intent (no specialist knowledge required)
• Experience working within CRM‑led or lead‑to‑revenue environments

Tools & environment

• Major paid media platforms across search and social
• Web analytics, attribution and tag management tools
• CRM and lead‑to‑revenue performance systems
• Search intelligence and experimentation tools, including visibility into AI‑driven discovery and GEO signals
• Reporting and visualisation tools to support clear performance insight
• Responsible use of AI‑powered tools to support analysis, testing and optimisation

Why this role is different

This isn’t a volume-buying or siloed PPC role. It’s a hands-on performance role with clear focus, support and space to learn, where execution quality, judgement and understanding of modern search behaviour genuinely matter.

If you’re looking for a role where performance means outcomes, not just activity, this is it.

We believe people perform best when they can be their true selves and diverse teams drive better results. We’re committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment where everyone can succeed.

Travelopia ensures an inclusive workplace for all. If you need accommodations during the recruitment process, please inform us here: Talent@Travelopia.com

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