Associate Director, Programmatic

Known•New York, NY

2d•$115,000 - $125,000

About The Position

Known’s Media Science team uses advanced analytics, machine learning, statistics, and algorithms to plan and optimize advertising investments. The team translates clients’ business goals into meaningful metrics and buys media across channels to drive outcomes. The Associate Director, Programmatic sets the programmatic approach across multiple clients, leads the team responsible for executing it, and remains close to platform work to guide campaign execution. The role is accountable for campaign results, work quality, and team development. The position works alongside data analysts, data scientists, media buyers, and software engineers. It involves developing programmatic strategies, coordinating with social, search, and addressable TV teams, overseeing campaign performance and spend, managing direct reports, establishing best practices and quality controls, handling escalations, and contributing to research and development for automation, optimization, and machine learning. The Associate Director also develops client-facing analyses and presentations, explains Known’s programmatic capabilities to clients and prospects, supports new business, and stays current with industry developments.

Requirements

Degree from a well-regarded college or university.
At least 7 years of hands-on experience managing the buying, strategy, and execution of data-driven performance programmatic campaigns, ideally at a digital agency, including experience leading people.
At least 2 years of management experience, including conducting team check-ins, aligning team priorities, and training new members on programmatic and organizational processes.
Deep experience with major DSPs across display, video, and CTV.
Understanding of how programmatic teams work with social, search, strategy, and measurement teams.
Experience across verticals and with both performance and brand campaigns.
Expertise designing high-performance programmatic campaigns, including allocation, measurement plans, strategy, and budget scaling.
Comfort working directly in platforms to pull analyses when needed.
Understanding of the basic statistics and math behind effective media buying.
Excellent communication and presentation skills.
Ability to translate business challenges into quantitative problems and deliver high-quality work that meets client expectations.
Ability to delegate effectively to junior team members.
Highly collaborative approach.
Commitment to the quality and accuracy of analytics, both in personal work and in others’ work.

Nice To Haves

STEM degree.
Experience with The Trade Desk, Amazon DSP, and Google DV360.
Experience working directly with data scientists.
Experience multitasking in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

Drive client campaign performance by meeting targets and communicating clear, insightful results.
Design and author the team’s overall programmatic strategy and approach across multiple clients.
Translate client business objectives into programmatic plans and coordinate those plans with social, search, and addressable TV.
Manage campaign KPIs, deadlines, and day-to-day spend in partnership with channel specialists on strategy, insights, and optimization.
Manage and develop direct reports and support the growth of the entire team through training and mentoring.
Set best practices for campaign setup, optimization, and reporting; share knowledge across teams and maintain quality control procedures for campaign implementation.
Serve as an escalation point, resolving problems in a client-centric way and coordinating the team’s response.
Evaluate and manage vendors and partners to broaden team capabilities.
Help guide internal research and development for automation, optimization, and machine learning.
Build analyses, narratives, and presentations for client media plans and reports.
Explain Known’s programmatic value, technology, and processes to current and prospective clients, and support new business.
Stay current on programmatic trends, technologies, and best practices.