Associate Director, Programmatic

Job Function: Media

Job Subfunction: Performance Media

Position Summary

The Associate Director, Programmatic leads the development and delivery of audience-based media programs across a large CPG client and eventually a portfolio of clients, with a strong focus on ecommerce and lower-funnel business outcomes (must have strong Amazon DSP experience). This role provides strategic and operational leadership across tactical planning, setup, optimization, and measurement - helping teams connect media investment to outcomes such as conversions, sales, and other client-defined performance KPIs.

The Associate Director contributes to a cohesive end-to-end approach across channels, data, audiences, targeting, measurement, and creative. They identify opportunities to improve performance, increase automation - including greater adoption of Pacvue, where appropriate - and make campaign operations more effective and scalable.

This role calls for a curious, analytical, and collaborative leader who encourages a test-and-learn culture, applies critical thinking to campaign decisions, and translates performance insights into clear recommendations. The ideal candidate has hands-on experience with programmatic and ecommerce media, strong platform expertise, excellent client and partner communication skills, and experience managing and developing direct reports.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of programmatic professionals, ensuring campaigns are thoughtfully planned, accurately set up, and aligned with client objectives and business outcomes.
• Guide lower-funnel and ecommerce media strategies, including campaign architecture, audience and targeting approaches, budget allocation, optimization, and measurement.
• Connect upper-funnel brand activity with lower-funnel performance efforts across media, data, targeting, measurement, and creative, in collaboration with agency and client partners.
• Oversee campaigns across different objectives and KPIs. Ensure recommendations draw on campaign results, historical performance, testing insights, and broader client and agency goals.
• Identify opportunities to improve ecommerce and campaign performance, and to increase automation and operational efficiency. Encourage appropriate adoption and effective use of platforms and tools, including Pacvue.
• Foster a test-and-learn culture by encouraging teams to develop thoughtful hypotheses, evaluate results, and apply learnings to future planning and optimization.
• Monitor campaign delivery and proactively address risks or performance issues. Identify optimization opportunities using relevant indicators, such as placement quality, brand safety, viewability, cost efficiency, and conversion or sales performance.
• Communicate strategic and technical recommendations clearly to clients, agency partners, and senior leaders, connecting media decisions to business results.
• Partner with senior leadership to identify and implement process improvements that help the team work more efficiently and effectively; communicate processes and support consistent adoption.
• Develop strong working relationships with platform and technology partners, stay informed about relevant capabilities, and share constructive product feedback and technical issues.
• Build a deep understanding of client business objectives and challenges, and proactively identify opportunities for new solutions and improved outcomes.
• Coach and develop direct reports, promoting analytical rigor, curiosity, collaboration, and continuous learning.

Qualifications

• Relevant professional or educational background in marketing, advertising, media, or a related field.
• Significant experience in programmatic and digital media, with leadership experience in campaign strategy, management, and optimization.
• Experience supporting ecommerce and lower-funnel objectives, such as conversions, sales, or other performance KPIs.
• Hands-on experience with DSPs (Must have Amazon DSP) and programmatic campaign management; familiarity with ecommerce media platforms and tools such as Pacvue is an advantage. Key platforms: Amazon, TTD, Google DV360, Walmart
• Strong understanding of digital media metrics, measurement, tagging fundamentals, and performance analysis.
• Ability to connect brand and performance activity and collaborate across media, data, audience targeting, measurement, and creative.
• Strong analytical and critical-thinking skills, including the ability to interpret results, develop testable recommendations, and communicate actionable insights.
• Experience identifying opportunities for automation, process improvement, and more efficient ways of working.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and client-service skills.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage competing priorities effectively.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop team members.
• Ability to work collaboratively and independently, and to build productive relationships with clients, agency teams, and media and technology partners.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel; experience with pivot tables, formulas, and data visualizations.

Salary Range: $85,000–$95,000