Skills you need to be a performance marketing manager
8 skills a hiring manager would actually test for, each with the level this role expects and what it is used for. Not a syllabus — the shape of the job.
Build my path to this roleUpskili checks what you can already do, then sequences only what is missing. No account needed.
What the role requires
Ordered by how much the job depends on it. The bar is the proficiency expected of a competent performance marketing manager — not mastery, and not a passing acquaintance.
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Google Ads
Essential
Plans, executes, and optimizes paid search campaigns to hit CPA and ROAS targets.
Strong -
Meta Ads Manager
Essential
Manages and scales paid social campaigns across Facebook and Instagram.
Strong -
Google Analytics 4
Essential
Analyzes multi-channel funnels and user behavior to inform budget decisions.
Strong -
Excel / Google Sheets
Essential
Builds pivot tables and models to analyze performance data and forecast spend.
Deep -
A/B Testing
Important
Designs and evaluates creative and landing page experiments to lift conversion rates.
Strong -
Looker Studio
Important
Creates automated dashboards to report campaign performance to stakeholders.
Strong -
Budget Management
Important
Allocates and tracks six-figure monthly budgets across channels and campaigns.
Strong -
LinkedIn Campaign Manager
Useful
Runs B2B lead generation campaigns on LinkedIn when relevant.
Working
An order worth learning it in
A list of ten skills is the same unhelpful answer a catalogue gives, just sorted. This is where to actually start.
Start here
Essential to the role, and reachable from a standing start. Everything below rests on these.
- Google Analytics 4
- A/B Testing
- Looker Studio
- Budget Management
Then this
The rest of what the role is assessed on. Harder, and it builds on the foundation above.
- Google Ads
- Meta Ads Manager
- Excel / Google Sheets
What sets you apart
Not what gets you hired, but what separates doing the job from being trusted with it.
- LinkedIn Campaign Manager
You almost certainly have some of this already.
That is the point of starting from the role rather than a course. Upskili checks what you can do, then builds a path across only the gap.
See my path to performance marketing manager