Director, Ad Operations

Disney’s Addressable Ad Operations team is seeking a Director, Ad Operations who will be responsible for setting the strategy, direction and management of the account management team.  The Director, Ad Operations will directly manage Sr. Managers who lead their teams of Ad Ops Managers, Sr. Ad Ops Specialists and Account Managers. They will work directly with the sales team, advanced operations, ad platform, pricing, planning and inventory at Disney Advertising Sales to ensure that the account managers have all the information they need to launch, monitor and effectively optimize addressable ad campaigns.   This includes the implementation of strategies introduced by Senior Management, providing guidance and education to the Account Managers, and driving operational efficiencies with our Ad Platform counterparts. Additionally, they are to provide growth and development opportunities for the team.  The Director will be accountable for monitoring the performance of the team, the processes used, make recommendations for efficiencies in the workflow, systems used as well as helping to grow and develop our talent.  The Director will also be responsible for headcount planning for both in-house and out-sourced account management roles to best support the business.

Job Summary:

In this role you will report into the VP of Ad Operations and will work closely with the Revenue Management & Operations teams across the portfolio. The primary responsibility of the Director is to ensure the flawless execution and delivery of campaigns against stated goals and objectives and to mitigate revenue loss.  In this role it is important to create meaningful relationships within the organization – especially with sales.  The role requires that the organization sees you as the go-to and the subject matter expert on all things related to the Account Management role and can entrust the highest level of service for all their campaigns.

We expect the Director, Ad Operations to champion their large Account Management team across the organization by establishing a positive senior leadership voice that is both approachable and accountable as we work to exceed our Ad Ops and Ad Sales goals.  This individual is expected to coach the ad ops management team towards their own career growth and advancement goals as our organization continues to evolve.

If you are someone who meets this description, then this is a great role for you.

Responsibilities and Duties of the Role:

• Leading and managing the direction of their assigned team
• Handling high level escalations and troubleshooting tied to campaigns
• Represent the Addressable Ops organization across our Ad Platforms, Sales Operations, Pricing & Planning teams
• Initiating and overseeing projects that increase team’s efficiency and accuracy
• Developing long-term training and education strategies for the team
• Work with the VP to develop business rules and policies
• Representing Disney Ad Sales with industry events
• Manage our out-sourced partners to ensure that we continue to provide white-glove service to our clients

Required Education, Experience/Skills/Training:

Minimum:

• BA/BS from an accredited college or university

Preferred:

• 10+ years’ experience in digital ad operations at a publisher, ad tech company, ad agency or ad network
• Clear, strategic thinker with the ability to execute on priorities and who is not afraid to roll up their sleeves up
• Ability to effectively work under pressure and loves to solve problems
• Strong executive-level communication and presentation skills
• Excellent understanding of standard business practices related to digital ad operations pitch-to-pay processes and systems
• Ability to aggregate/normalize data from multiple sources and compile it into a digestible and actionable format; build executive-level dashboards
• Experience with digital display and video ad formats (i.e. VAST) on all platforms web, mobile, app and OTT/ CTV platforms
• Familiarity with live streaming ad insertion (DAI/SSAI)
• Experience with Operative 1 or other digital order management system
• Mastery of the digital online ecosystem, including familiarity with third-party ad servers such as DCM, Sizmek, Innovid, etc., as well as ad serving technologies such as VAST and VPAID
• Deep understanding of measurement vendors (i.e:  Nielsen, IAS) and the operational complexities of measurable inventory vs. non-measurable inventory
• Experience with and enthusiasm for an organization experiencing rapid changes
• Is an experienced leader and effective manager who appreciates and understands the responsibility that comes with leadership including taking ownership and accountability for the performance of the team

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