VP Media Operations

DBA is seeking a VP, Media Operations to lead and grow its team of Media Ops Specialists - including social, Google, and programmatic buyers, as well as a traffic coordinator - while remaining hands on in the buying, execution, and analysis of programmatic, social, and search (Google) campaigns. This role will also lead the onboarding of a DSP and the broader effort to bring programmatic media in house, building the processes, infrastructure, and team capability needed to shift campaigns from managed service to direct in house buying.

This role bridges people leadership with individual contributor level campaign work, and requires someone who can both manage a team's day to day execution and step directly into platforms to build, optimize, and troubleshoot campaigns. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable coaching a specialist through a pacing issue, presenting optimization recommendations to a client, and rolling up their sleeves inside a DSP or ad platform.

• - Manage and mentor a team of Media Ops Specialists, overseeing workload distribution, quality of execution, and professional development
• - Lead the onboarding and setup of a DSP, including platform configuration, seat management, and integration into existing workflows
• - Own the strategy and execution of bringing programmatic media in house, including migration planning, quality assurance, and performance benchmarking against prior managed service results
• - Maintain hands on, working proficiency across programmatic (DSP), paid social, and Google Ads platforms, including campaign setup, pacing, optimization, and reporting
• - Review and QA campaigns built by the team to ensure accuracy, performance standards, and adherence to internal process
• - Serve as an escalation point for complex campaign issues, technical troubleshooting, and platform level questions
• - Partner directly with clients to present performance results and translate campaign data into clear, actionable optimization recommendations
• - Build and refine internal documentation, workflows, and process standards across programmatic, social, and search execution
• - Monitor performance across the team's book of business and proactively identify optimization opportunities or areas of risk
• - Collaborate with the Chief Strategy Officer and Media Planning leadership on channel strategy and resourcing decisions
• - Stay current on platform updates, industry trends, and best practices across programmatic, social, and search, and share those learnings with the team

• - 5-8+ years of hands on media buying experience across programmatic, paid social, and Google Ads, with direct platform execution
• - Prior experience managing, mentoring, or leading a team of media buyers or media ops specialists
• - Experience with at least one major DSP (The Trade Desk, DV360, or similar), including DSP onboarding or setup experience preferred
• - Platform level experience in Meta Ads Manager and Google Ads/Google Marketing Platform
• - Experience supporting or leading a transition from managed service to in house programmatic buying preferred
• - Strong analytical skills and comfort building and presenting client facing reports
• - Proven ability to communicate directly with clients, including presenting strategy and optimization recommendations
• - Strong organizational skills with the ability to balance team management with individual campaign ownership