Agency: Initiative
Job Function: Addressable Strategy
Location: Toronto, Canada
Job Ref#: 14782
Description & Requirements
Position Summary
The Associate Director, Programmatic Activation oversees a group of campaign managers and is responsible for their professional growths and success in achieving the clients’ campaign goals.
Reporting to the Director, Digital, this role manages the day-to-day operation of the programmatic activation pod, which encompasses audience strategies, technology platform, data utilization, inventory selection, optimization, campaign innovation, troubleshooting, and overall workflow. This position collaborates with internal stakeholders, such as programmatic director, communication design, ad operations, audience strategy, and data & analytics pods, as well as external partners, to service the clients.
ABOUT YOU
You are a skilled problem-solver, strategic & analytical thinker, and a highly collaborative professional who have excellent communication skills, attention to detail accuracy, and experiences in managing direct reports. You possess deep knowledge in addressable campaign management across channels, with in-console experience in various DSPs.
You stay immersive in industry trends & challenges with an in-depth understanding of the programmatic ecosystem and its parties. You bring thought leadership, innovation, and solutions to ensure a competitive edge for the clients.
Key Responsibilities
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
The Associate Director, Programmatic Activation is accountable for:
- enforcing protocols, best practices, and timelines
- regular communication of priorities, deadlines, expectations, and goals to team members you manage
- allocating workload for balanced distribution among your direct reports
- reviewing plans and campaign setups & holding campaign managers accountable to meet quality standards/KPIs throughout the campaign lifecycle
- conducting trainings to bridge gaps in practical implementation (how-to, do and don’t, step-by-step guide, troubleshooting FAQ, etc)
- guiding & supporting campaign managers on their areas of development – both technical & soft skills
- developing relationships with key partner
- proactivity in presenting innovative ideas to communication design pod and the clients.
SECONDARY RESPONSIBILITIES
In assistance of the Director, Programmatic & Addressable Strategy, you are responsible for:
- recommend then enforce process improvement
- contribute to the collaterals on larger digital topics. Of particular interests are brand safety, sustainability, optimization strategies, inventory management, attribution, data privacy, cookie-less solutions, and AI
- participate in insights generation & agency projects to support business decisions and increase team knowledge.
Desired Skills & Experience
· Minimum 4 years experience in programmatic media management, with at least 1-2 years in people management
· Post-secondary education preferred (university graduate and/or advertising/marketing college degree)
· Strong business acumen with advanced knowledge in digital buying best practices, addressable strategy, optimization, measurement, and insight analysis
· Expertise with self-serve buying platforms is a must. DV360, Xandr, The Trade Desk, AmazonAds are preferred
· Track record of process improvements and client servicing skills
· Excellent presentation & communication skills (verbal & written) with persuasiveness. French speaking is a plus
· Office suite fluency, including MS Excel pivot tables and SharePoint. Fluency with Asana is an advantage.
Employment Transparency
IPG Mediabrands is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and encourage applications from all interested parties, regardless of their preferred official language. Accommodations are available, upon request, for individuals with disabilities or medical needs at any stage of the recruitment process. We thank all applicants for their interest in IPG Mediabrands. However, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
About Us
Initiative is different to other media agencies.
We are not trapped by a legacy structure primarily centered on paid advertising. Instead, we are liberated by a new world structure designed to deliver highly differentiated and highly effective communications strategies for our clients.
We’re not the biggest agency in town. So rather than outsize our competitors we must outsmart them. That’s why we’ve built the strongest strategic capability of any agency in the market. Core to this strategic capability is an obsession with culture and how brands can pivot from brand advertising (which is forgettable) to cultural branding (which is memorable).
Our new world model is comprised of four central “craft centers” – Client Advice and Management, Strategy, Communications Design and Partnerships.
OUR BEHAVIORS
Initiative respects that everyone has something unique to contribute to the agency.
We are a bunch of eclectic and brilliant misfits with diverse backgrounds that represent the unique fabric of consumers and culture.
We want you to be yourself. We want to hear your opinions. We want to see your passion and energy.
If you disagree with something you see or hear then speak up. We will never punish or penalize you for bringing something important to our attention.
If you believe you can improve something in the agency then speak up. We will always listen to your ideas and suggestions.
We will not tolerate harassment, bullying or corporate politics. We will not tolerate discrimination of any kind. We expect you to be responsible on social media and remember that you represent the agency and should not bring us into disrepute.
We are committed to your learning and development. The agency will organize regular training to enhance and accelerate your career – we expect you to prioritize training and actively participate.
We strive for world-class work on every client, every time.
We believe that good enough is not good enough.