Paid Media Strategist (Cannabis Industry)

Marketer Type: Paid Social Media Marketer - Cannabis Marketing

Remote | Part-Time (20 hours/week~80 hours/month)

Negotiable DOE: Starting at around $50/hr

Cannabis or Hemp Industry Experience Required

Are you a strategic paid media marketer who understands how to guide agencies, navigate compliance, and drive performance in a regulated space? American Weed Co. is looking for a part-time Paid Media Strategist to support and scale direct-to-consumer efforts, most importantly for their hemp / Delta-9 products, starting with Meta ads and expanding as we grow.

This role is ideal for someone with deep platform knowledge who enjoys advising, managing vendors, and contributing to cross-channel strategies while helping advance a mission rooted in access and advocacy for Veterans and first responders.

About American Weed Co. & American Hemp Co.

American Weed Co. is one of the fastest-growing brands in the U.S., known for the #1 infused flower in California. Our products are currently available in dispensaries across CA. To expand access to those in need and further our mission, we created American Hemp Co., offering 100% federally legal hemp-derived THC products available online for nationwide purchase.

American Weed Co. and American Hemp Co. are on a mission to legalize cannabis for Veterans and first responders nationwide, destroy the stigma, and give back to those who serve. A part of every purchase helps to fund our lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C., and flows back to organizations that support these heroes.

With American Weed Co., you're not just elevating your own experience; you're uplifting those who've selflessly served our country. Here, every choice you make is a step towards a more enlightened, inclusive future.

About the Role

We're seeking a Paid Media Strategist to partner with our external agency (currently focused on Meta ads) on campaign execution and performance while developing and contributing to internal media strategy. You’ll advise on scaling efforts across Meta and eventually Google, TikTok, and other platforms. You’ll also work cross-functionally with content, email, and organic social teams to align messaging and targeting. Ideally can support the SEO front as well.

This is a part-time freelance role with growth potential as we bring more of our media operations in-house. The ultimate goal is to have this individual run paid media fully for American Weed Co. once the company is at a point where it no longer needs agency support, specifically for Meta.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the relationship with a third-party media agency running Meta ads for our DTC hemp brand, working closely with the Director of Marketing as well
• Strategize and advise on paid media execution, identifying optimization opportunities across creative, spend, and audience targeting
• Troubleshoot ad rejections and support appeals where needed, ensuring compliance with advertising regulations
• Monitor and interpret performance data; make recommendations that improve ROAS, CAC, and LTV
• Develop and lead paid media strategy outside of Meta ads, likely with the first focus being SEO (still in discussion); guide future paid media expansion into additional channels (e.g., Google, TikTok, LinkedIn)
• Partner with internal teams (email, organic social) to ensure cohesive, multi-channel campaign strategies
• Stay current on paid ad policies specific to cannabis and hemp, flagging risks and workarounds

What You Bring

• 5–7 years of experience in paid media, with a strong understanding of Meta Ads Manager and agency collaboration, and ideally SEO experience
• Proven track record managing budgets of $10K–$50K/month (and ideally have the capacity to scale to about $50K)
• Experience in cannabis, hemp, or other highly regulated industries
• Ability to provide strategic oversight without needing to run every ad campaign yourself (BUT you should know how to run every campaign yourself for the future state!)
• Understanding of compliance challenges and best practices across digital platforms
• Familiarity with e-commerce or DTC growth models
• Comfort reviewing campaign reports, spotting trends, and delivering performance insights
• Experience partnering with organic social teams is a plus
• A collaborative mindset and desire to contribute to a mission-driven brand

Why Join?

You’ll be part of a growing team doing more than selling products—we’re pushing forward a national movement. You’ll help shape our transition from outsourced media to in-house growth and have a real voice in how our paid strategy exists and evolves.

About Vangst:

Vangst is the cannabis industry’s hiring platform. Vangst helps cannabis companies find the talent they need to grow their business. From on-demand gig workers to trained & credential full-time employees, Vangst has built the industry’s go-to talent marketplace for all cannabis hiring. Vangst is proud to work with 1,200+ of the cannabis industry’s leading businesses.

Since raising their seed round in 2018, Vangst has become one of the fastest-growing companies in the cannabis industry and was recognized as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies.

Today, over 300,000 people have full-time jobs in the cannabis industry and this number is expected to triple over the next five years. Vangst is on a mission to fill every job in the cannabis industry.

Vangst’s headquarters is in Denver, CO. Vangst is a Series B company backed by Lerer Hippeau, Colle Capital, Level One Fund, Snoop Dogg’s Casa Verde Capital, and others.

Vangst provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.