Associate Director, Programmatic Platform Operations

Spotify•New York, NY

3d•$150,410 - $214,871•Remote

About The Position

Do you have a passion for programmatic advertising and want to shape the future of audio and digital media? At Spotify, we’re transforming how advertisers connect with audiences through immersive audio, video, and display experiences and precision-targeted media. With a powerful global footprint and a rapidly growing advertising ecosystem, we’re looking for an Associate Director Programmatic Platform Operations to drive scaled, high-performance programmatic delivery across our ad-supported business. As Associate Director of Programmatic Platform Operations, you will lead the global programmatic platform operations group, a team that brings deep expertise in programmatic ad serving, DSP integrations, identity and audience systems, and cross-platform programmatic delivery. Your leadership will directly influence how Spotify builds, maintains, and operates its next-generation advertising platform. This is a high-visibility, high-impact role suited for a leader who can bridge product strategy, technical operations, DSP partnerships, ad-serving technical architecture, monetization, and global advertiser support.

Requirements

You have 10+ years of experience in programmatic media, either on the publisher, platform or DSP/SSP side, with proven experience in leading programmatic strategy for an ads' business.
You are deeply familiar with deal structures like PG, PMP, and Open Market dynamics, and understand DSP bid strategies, optimization levers, and auction behavior.
You are highly experienced in leading teams and building scalable operational models across global markets.
You are an expert in programmatic ad serving, bidstream mechanics, deal troubleshooting, delivery optimization, and biddable yield optimization.
You have extensive knowledge of 3P measurement, brand safety, creative specs, and data onboarding across the programmatic ecosystem.
You’re a technical problem solver and strategic thinker who is comfortable jumping into platform UIs, parsing delivery data, and translating issues into solutions.
You understand the importance of building relationships and alignment across internal teams and key partners within the client's organization to get work done.
You thrive in a cross-functional, fast paced environment and are skilled at balancing client needs with internal process, scale, and product integrity.
You have excellent communication and storytelling skills and are able to translate complex technical insights into actionable recommendations for internal cross-functional partners and external stakeholders.
You are comfortable working with DSPs, SSPs, Sales teams, product managers, engineers, support teams, and external vendors.
You are proficient working in Trade Desk, Magnite, Yahoo and other DSP/SSPs and can work expertly with reporting tools and internal ad support systems.

Responsibilities

Act as the technical programmatic operations team lead for Spotify’s ads business, supporting macro-level deal setup, execution, and optimization for both PG, OMP, and PMP campaigns.
Manage the Platform Operations group, specializing in programmatic systems, each supporting DSP integrations, exchange health, troubleshooting, and testing workflows.
Lead operational readiness and cross-functional alignment for major platform transitions, including future state ad tech architecture planning and implementation.
Partner with Sales and Product to develop, recommend, and activate customized deal strategies using available audiences, contextual signals, and DSP integrations.
Provide internal guidance on programmatic strategy, budget allocation, pacing, inventory access, and KPIs, turning insights into actionable recommendations that grow spend.
Serve as the escalation point for sophisticated macro-level troubleshooting, cross-DSP delivery issues, and 3P vendor integration challenges (VAST, measurement, creative hosting, etc.).
Educate and support partners on Spotify’s programmatic roadmap, platform policies, technical capabilities, and measurement best practices.
Collaborate with Technical Operations, Client Success, Sales, Product Marketing, and Pricing & Inventory to ensure accurate integration setups, seamless programmatic campaign execution, and helping to future-proof Spotify’s ad tech stack.
Develop operational frameworks to support programmatic revenue expansion across our partner ecosystem, new DSP onboarding, and expanded programmatic efficiency.
Contribute feedback to product and platform teams to influence feature development based on client/market needs and technical friction points.