Associate Director, Programmatic

Real Chemistry

5d • $90,000 - $120,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Real Chemistry is looking for an Associate Director, Programmatic to join their growing team. The Associate Director, Programmatic is responsible for programmatic activation strategy and end-to-end management of digital media campaigns across key accounts. This role oversees planning, setup, QA, launch, optimization, troubleshooting, reporting, and day-to-day campaign management across programmatic display, video, audio, CTV, and emerging media. This role serves as a primary activation lead for internal teams, ensuring campaigns are accurate, on time, aligned to media plans, and optimized against client KPIs, budgets, business objectives, and timelines. The Associate Director should be comfortable operating independently, managing priorities, delegating work, and turning performance data into clear recommendations. The ideal candidate has deep digital media and campaign management experience, strong analytical and communication skills, hands-on programmatic platform expertise, and the ability to manage multiple clients, brands, campaigns, and deadlines in a fast-paced agency environment. Healthcare, pharmaceutical, or agency media experience is preferred.

Requirements

• 5-7+ years of experience in digital media buying, trading, campaign management, media activation, ad operations, or digital media operations; equivalent experience may be considered.
• 3-5+ years of hands-on, in-platform programmatic experience.
• Strong understanding of digital media channels, including programmatic, CTV, display, video, and audio.
• Advanced knowledge of buying platforms and ad operations tools such as GCM/DoubleClick, DSPs, The Trade Desk, DeepIntent,Pulsepoint, DV360, MediaOcean, Google Analytics, and similar platforms.
• Experience managing or mentoring Managers, Associates, or junior team members, including onboarding, training, and workflow coaching.
• Experience leading day-to-day meetings, statuses, internal communications, vendor communications, and client-facing deliverables.
• Proven ability to manage multiple clients, brands, campaigns, priorities, and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience developing platform strategy, tactical recommendations, optimization plans, performance insights, and client-ready reporting materials.
• Strong analytical, mathematical, and critical-thinking skills, with the ability to interpret campaign performance and translate data into recommendations.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, project management, organization, prioritization, and time management skills, with strict attention to detail and accuracy.
• Solutions-oriented mindset with the ability to identify, troubleshoot, and resolve issues.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, with advanced Excel skills preferred; Google Suite experience is a plus.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience preferred.

Nice To Haves

• Healthcare, pharmaceutical, or agency media experience preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

• Lead tactical strategy, planning, execution, optimization, and day-to-day management of programmatic and digital media campaigns across key accounts.
• Manage campaign setup, QA, launch, maintenance, pacing, targeting, optimization, troubleshooting, and reporting across programmatic display, video, audio, CTV, and emerging channels.
• Ensure campaigns are activated on time, aligned with media plans and flighting, and optimized to meet client KPIs, business objectives, scope, and budget.
• Serve as the primary activation lead for internal teams, providing clear communication, timely updates, and accurate project management across campaign deliverables, requirements, timelines, and next steps.
• Analyze campaign performance to identify trends, surface issues, recommend optimizations, and translate results into actionable insights.
• Develop client-facing and internal deliverables, including planning materials, performance recaps, optimization summaries, recommendations, reporting slides, and wrap-up materials.
• Partner with Integrated Media, Analytics, Strategy, Ad Operations, Creative, Client Services, and vendors to ensure campaign needs are understood, executed smoothly, and measured appropriately.
• Manage vendor relationships, evaluate offerings and capabilities, support product trials and ad technology partnerships, and identify workflow improvements that improve quality and efficiency.
• Oversee creative QA, vendor specs, UTM creation, campaign taxonomy, tracking requirements, trafficking needs, platform setup, billing, and actualization in partnership with cross-functional teams.
• Maintain and improve operational processes, SOPs, QA standards, and best practices to drive consistency, accuracy, client satisfaction, and team efficiency.
• Manage, mentor, train, and support Managers, Associates, and junior team members while establishing clear roles, responsibilities, priorities, and delegation.
• Stay current on industry trends, platform updates, optimization algorithms, emerging ad technology, and programmatic best practices.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package
• Variety of programs designed to support employees' well-being, growth, and success
• Generous holiday and paid time off
• Options for private medical, dental, and vision plans
• Support in saving for the future
• Mental wellness coaching and support
• Access to more than 13,000 online classes with LinkedIn Learning

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree