Associate Director, Programmatic Investment

Associate Director, Programmatic Investment

Career Opportunity

Job Title: Associate Director, Programmatic Investment

Location(s): Texas, California, NY

Overview

Ad Results Media is seeking an Associate Director, Programmatic Investment to join our Media Department and own the strategic vision, execution, and team leadership of the agency's programmatic business. This role is the agency's programmatic subject matter expert — setting strategy, leading vendor and DSP negotiations, mentoring a team of programmatic buyers and planners, and acting as a trusted, client-facing voice on all things programmatic.

The Associate Director will translate client objectives into scalable frameworks for bidding, audience strategy, publisher partnerships, pacing, and supply-path efficiency — while building, training, and developing a high-performing programmatic team. This is a leadership role for someone who wants to shape how programmatic media drives business outcomes across our client portfolio, not just execute against it.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the strategic vision for how programmatic media drives business outcomes across the agency's client portfolio; translate client objectives into bidding, audience, and publisher strategies aligned to performance goals
• Develop and evolve agency frameworks for optimization, pacing, and supply-path efficiency, guiding the team to think holistically and strategically in execution
• Lead vendor and DSP relationships and negotiations to maximize value and innovation; align programmatic and direct pricing strategies and optimize supply paths for efficiency
• Identify opportunities to grow margin and revenue through creative deal structures and experimental partnerships
• Serve as the agency's programmatic subject matter expert, training internal teams and driving organization-wide fluency in the channel
• Act as a trusted, client-facing voice — stepping in to present strategy and explain complex programmatic concepts with clarity and confidence
• Foster strong collaboration across planning, analytics, and creative teams to ensure alignment and transparency on programmatic campaigns
• Oversee campaign setup, QA, and optimization processes to ensure flawless execution and performance delivery
• Manage direct reports to uphold best practices, efficiency, and consistency across all programmatic campaigns
• Ensure feedback loops and performance insights are delivered to account teams in a timely, actionable manner that supports client success
• Serve as technical lead for troubleshooting and innovation within DSPs, SSPs, and data integrations; oversee pixel implementation, PMP management, and platform infrastructure
• Continuously evaluate new tools, features, and data applications to improve automation, visibility, and performance measurement
• Build and mentor a high-performing programmatic team, providing structured training and growth opportunities
• Share programmatic knowledge across the agency to elevate overall media expertise; lead with curiosity and accountability, empowering the team to adopt new technologies and deliver exceptional client results
• Keep abreast of industry trends and provide POVs on changes in the podcast/audio programmatic space
• Assist with new business and existing client proposal creation and distribution

Desired Skills For Success In This Position

• 5+ years of experience in media, marketing, or advertising, with demonstrated success owning programmatic strategy and campaign trading using DSPs such as DV360, The Trade Desk, AdsWizz, Verizon, etc.
• Proven experience managing and mentoring direct reports, with strong people-leadership, coaching, and team-development skills
• Deep expertise in DSP/SSP platforms, pixel implementation, PMP management, and programmatic data integrations
• Strong, demonstrated negotiation skills — able to secure preferred vendor pricing, first-look opportunities, and innovative deal structures
• Ability to translate complex programmatic concepts into clear, confident client-facing narratives; comfortable serving as a strategic voice in client meetings
• Strong strategic and analytical thinking, with the ability to connect programmatic performance metrics to broader business outcomes
• Experience building scalable frameworks for bidding, audience targeting, pacing, and supply-path optimization
• Self-starter with an entrepreneurial mindset; comfortable operating in a fast-evolving, still-maturing programmatic podcast/audio landscape
• High proficiency with Microsoft Office, especially Excel, and working knowledge of Google Sheets
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Highly organized and deadline-oriented, able to manage competing priorities across clients and internal stakeholders
• Strong sense of teamwork and cross-functional collaboration, with a demonstrated ability to lead through influence

About Ad Results Media

Ad Results Media is a pioneer of the podcast movement and has been leading audio and influencer advertising for 20 years. As the preeminent performance-based audio advertising agency in the U.S., we focus on buying media on podcasts, terrestrial radio, satellite radio, streaming audio and YouTube.

In addition to competitive salaries, a 401k program with company match, bonus and a valuable health benefits package, Ad Results Media offers paid maternity and paternity leave, pre-tax savings on commuter expenses, and generous paid time off. You work in a highly-collaborative, conscientious, forward-thinking environment that welcomes your experience and enables you to make a significant impact from Day 1. Most importantly, you make a difference.