Director, Ad Operations

Hybrid work: Employees work in a hybrid model balancing collaboration in our office and remote work.

Salary range: 150-170K USD

About WildBrain 

At WildBrain we inspire imaginations through the wonder of storytelling. As a leader in 360° franchise management, we are experts in content creation, audience engagement and global licensing, cultivating and growing love for our own and partner brands with kids and families around the world. With approximately 13,000 half-hours of filmed entertainment in our library—one of the world’s most extensive—we are home to such treasured franchises as Peanuts, Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Caillou, Inspector Gadget and Degrassi. WildBrain’s mission is to create exceptional entertainment experiences that captivate and delight fans both young and young at heart.   

Our studios produce such award-winning series as The Snoopy Show; Snoopy in Space; Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City; Sonic Prime; Chip and Potato; Teletubbies Let's Go! and many more. Enjoyed in more than 150 countries on over 500 platforms, our content is everywhere kids and families view entertainment, including YouTube, where our network has garnered over 1 trillion minutes of watch time. Our television group owns and operates some of Canada’s most-viewed family entertainment channels. WildBrain CPLG, our leading consumer-products and location-based entertainment agency, represents our owned and partner properties in every major territory worldwide.    

WildBrain is headquartered in Canada with offices worldwide and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: WILD). Visit us at wildbrain.com.  

Within the Media Solutions team, the Digital Ad Operations Director oversees and manages the execution of digital advertising campaigns across various platforms. This role involves strategic planning, coordination, and optimization of digital advertising efforts to ensure that campaigns are delivered on time, within budget, and achieve the desired outcomes. The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of digital advertising technologies, ability to synthesize and explain technical concepts, strong analytical skills, and experience of leading an effective specialist team. They are responsible for ensuring WildBrain has the technical infrastructure to deliver business operations, coordinating all implementation with internal/external stakeholders, and prioritizing projects based on their potential impact.

Responsibilities

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• Strategic Leadership: As a Director of Digital Ad Ops, you will provide strategic direction for the digital ad operations team. You will collaborate with the Media Solutions sales reps and other departments to align the advertising strategies with business goals.
• Campaign Management: You will work with the Ad Ops team to oversee the setup, management, and optimization of online advertising campaigns. This includes ensuring that campaigns are correctly configured, tracking their performance, and making data-driven decisions to maximize return on investment (ROI).
• Ad Technology: Staying up-to-date with the latest trends and advancements in online advertising and ad technologies is crucial. You’ll need to understand and have experience of setting up various ad serving platforms, programmatic buying across YouTube, AVOD / FAST, gaming and audience targeting. Experience in CTV service integration and campaigns management highly desirable
• Yield management and revenue optimisation: Ensuring delivery is optimised for profitability and to support 3rd party inventory goals
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• Troubleshooting and Optimization: troubleshooting ad delivery and performance problems. Managing a team as well as ‘rolling up your sleeves’ when needed to help to ensure campaigns are kept running smoothly and efficiently.
• Compliance and Standards: Ensuring compliance with specific kids and brand safe standards and best practices is essential. You’ll also need to adhere to platform-specific guidelines.
• Partnerships: Support the VP, Media Solutions in management of ad sales partnerships, through effective reporting and analysis
• Team Management: As a Director, you will lead and mentor your team of Ad Ops specialists. This involves setting performance expectations, providing guidance, and fostering a collaborative environment.

• Experience: A proven track record performing in a senior role within digital advertising, preferably with a focus on YouTube, Gaming platforms and connected TV (CTV) or over-the-top (OTT) advertising; strong understanding of reserved, auction, programmatic across YouTube, FAST/OTT and Gaming
• Analytical Mindset: Understand and provide insights on metrics, analytics tools, and campaign performance analysis
• Communication: excellent track record interacting with clients, vendors, and internal teams. Strong communication skills are essential for coordinating campaigns effectively.
• Leadership: Team member motivation, make strategic decisions on campaigns, and drive results.
• Ad Tech Savvy: Understanding ad tech platforms, ad servers, and programmatic buying is a must.
• Adaptability: The digital advertising landscape evolves rapidly. Being adaptable and open to learning is key.

What We Offer

Working at WildBrain is more than a job — it’s the opportunity to join forces with extraordinary, insightful and imaginative people who will recognize your talents and encourage your professional growth and development in a work environment that promotes creativity and individuality. Some of the perks we have are private medical insurance, income protection, gym subsidy, bonus time off, employee share programmes, reduced summer hours and flexible & home working.

Our Commitment

Diversity and Inclusion are in our DNA. As a global leader in kids and family entertainment, we strive to reflect and honour the diversity of our audiences around the world. We believe that creating diverse and inclusive content & brands begins with fostering a culture of belonging at WildBrain. To us, a culture of belonging is one where we celebrate and welcome the diversity of all employees, stakeholders, and external partners and strive to create an environment where every individual feels valued, respected, and brings their authentic self to work.

We demonstrate our commitment to this by striving to provide a supportive work environment and a corporate culture that welcomes and encourages equal opportunities for all employees. We recognize that people bring experience and talent that goes beyond the technical skills and requirements of a job. If you possess similar experience that is close to what we’ve listed here, we encourage you to please still consider applying. We strongly believe that diverse experience, transferable skills, and passion are key! WildBrain accommodates people with disabilities throughout the recruitment and selection process. Applicants are encouraged to make their needs known in advance if accommodation is required.

About WildBrain

At WildBrain we make great content for kids and families. With approximately 13,000 half-hours of filmed entertainment in our library – one of the world’s most extensive – we are home to such brands as Peanuts, Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, Caillou, Inspector Gadget, Johnny Test and Degrassi. Our shows are seen in more than 150 countries on over 500 telecasters and streaming platforms. WildBrain’s portfolio spans all areas of the entertainment industry: WildBrain Studios, where we develop and produce hit animated and live actions series; WildBrain Television, which is composed of prominent kids’ television channels in Canada (Family Channel, Family CHRGD, Family Jr. and Télémagino); home to Peanuts Worldwide; brand management to some of the world’s most-loved kids brands; celebrated global licensing and distribution teams with WildBrain CPLG, and a leading children’s YouTube network in WildBrain Spark, one of the largest networks of kids’ channels on YouTube, with over 168 million subscribers.

WildBrain is headquartered in Canada with offices worldwide and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: WILD). Visit wildbrain.com to learn more!

About WildBrain 

At WildBrain we inspire imaginations through the wonder of storytelling. As a leader in 360° IP management, we are experts in content creation, audience engagement and global licensing, cultivating and growing love for our own and partner brands with kids and families around the world. With approximately 13,000 half-hours of filmed entertainment in our library—one of the world’s most extensive—we are home to such treasured franchises as Peanuts, Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Caillou, Inspector Gadget and Degrassi. WildBrain’s mission is to create exceptional entertainment experiences that captivate and delight fans both young and young at heart. 

Our studios produce such award-winning series as The Snoopy Show; Snoopy in Space; Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City; Sonic Prime; Chip and Potato; Teletubbies Let's Go! and many more. Enjoyed in more than 150 countries on over 500 platforms, our content is everywhere kids and families view entertainment, including YouTube, where our network has garnered over 1 trillion minutes of watch time. Our television group owns and operates some of Canada’s most-viewed family entertainment channels. WildBrain CPLG, our leading consumer-products and location-based entertainment agency, represents our owned and partner properties in every major territory worldwide.  

WildBrain is headquartered in Canada with offices worldwide and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: WILD). Visit us at wildbrain.com.