Director, Programmatic

Director, ProgrammaticAt Digital Matter, we are a next-generation growth and transformation partner built for the realities of today's market. We combine the pace and precision of a startup with the discipline and rigor of a global advisory firm. Our team brings deep operating experience across media, retail, and technology. We have built, scaled, and transformed organizations. We help consumer brands unlock growth and navigate transformation by managing media as a strategic asset class, connecting data, technology, and creativity to deliver measurable business impact. Our mission is clear: to transform media into a lever for enterprise-level value creation, powered by intelligence, automation, and future-ready technology. Over the past seven years, we've guided organizations through IPOs, digital turnarounds, and successful exits, proving that when media is managed as capital, it becomes a catalyst for growth and transformation at scale.About the RoleAs a Director, Programmatic you will lead the strategy, operating model, and financial performance of the organization's programmatic media investment portfolio. This role is responsible for translating business objectives into disciplined media allocation decisions, ensuring that every dollar of programmatic spend is underwritten, measured, optimized, and governed with institutional rigor. The successful candidate will oversee bidding strategy, inventory quality, supply-path optimization, measurement frameworks, risk controls, and team performance across major programmatic platforms and partners.What You'll DoServe as the programmatic lead, helping define the team's mandate, operating model, and standards of excellenceBuild, hire, and develop a high-performing team across programmatic trading, ad operations, analytics, and client strategyEstablish scalable processes, documentation, workflows, and decision rights to support a growing portfolio of retail clientsSet the cultural and operational foundation for a disciplined, accountable, and analytically rigorous media investment teamLead programmatic strategy across a robust portfolio of retail clients, aligning media investment decisions to each client's commercial objectivesDevelop client-specific investment theses across display, video, CTV, audio, DOOH, and emerging channelsEstablish allocation frameworks that balance performance, growth, efficiency, and risk across multiple client portfoliosIdentify opportunities to expand client relationships through stronger performance, improved measurement, and new media investment opportunitiesOwn the design and optimization of bidding strategies across DV360, The Trade Desk, Amazon DSP, and other relevant platformsPartner with product, data science, and engineering teams to help shape the AI trading platform roadmap, ensuring it reflects trader workflows, client needs, and real-world market dynamicsBuild supply-path optimization frameworks, including curated marketplaces, direct publisher access, fee transparency, and inventory governanceDefine standards for campaign execution, pacing, optimization, brand safety, viewability, invalid traffic prevention, and MFA exclusionEnsure consistent execution quality across clients while tailoring strategies to category dynamics, margin profiles, and business goalsPartner with analytics, data science, and finance teams to build measurement frameworks across incrementality testing, attribution, MMM, and business outcome reportingEstablish portfolio-level governance, including budget guardrails, concentration thresholds, performance benchmarks, and escalation protocolsDeliver executive-ready reporting on client performance, variance drivers, investment rationale, and forward-looking recommendationsCreate a repeatable operating system for assessing what is working, what is underperforming, and where capital should be reallocated across the portfolioWhat You'll Bring8+ years of experience in programmatic media, digital investment, or performance marketing, including leadership experience within a trading desk, in-house programmatic function, or media investment organizationProven track record building and scaling programmatic capabilities within a fast-growing, client-facing environmentDeep hands-on expertise across major DSPs, including DV360, The Trade Desk, Amazon DSP, and retail media ecosystemsStrong understanding of the broader programmatic supply chain, including SSPs, exchanges, identity frameworks, curated marketplaces, and supply-path optimizationDemonstrated ability to develop, optimize, or operationalize bidding strategies, custom algorithms, log-level optimization, and AI-driven decisioning frameworksExperience leveraging data, automation, and AI platforms to improve media performance, operational efficiency, and portfolio-level outcomesStrong analytical and measurement capabilities, including incrementality testing, attribution, MMM, and interpreting model outputs to drive business decisionsFinancial and commercial acumen, including experience managing media budgets, analyzing unit economics, evaluating ROI, and owning portfolio performance outcomesComfortable working cross-functionally with data science, engineering, analytics, finance, strategy, and client leadership teamsExperience building processes, operating models, and governance structures within high-growth or evolving organizationsProficiency in SQL and familiarity with Python, R, clean rooms, or advanced analytics environments preferredBackground in quantitative finance, trading, retail media, curated marketplaces, or internal media technology/platform development is a strong plus$165,000 - $210,000 a year The salary range posted is reflective of base salary, which will be determined based on skills, experience, and qualifications. You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.One Team. We're all in. When we win, we win together. When we miss, we learn together. Collaboration isn't optional; it's how we operate. Everyone plays a part, everyone has a stake, and every result belongs to all of us. Maximum Transparency. We are transparent, both internally and externally. The value we deliver comes from leveraging those truths to drive actionable solutions that move the business forward. Ownership Culture. We believe in moving with purpose. We don't wait for perfect conditions - we identify opportunities, make informed decisions and execute with speed and accountability. Success is measured by what we accomplish, not just what we plan. Digital Matter is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to fair and equitable hiring practices. All hiring decisions at Digital Matter are based on strategic business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications. All candidates are considered without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexuality, national origin, age, disability, genetics, or any other protected status.** Note to Recruiters and Placement Agencies: We do not accept unsolicited agency resumes. **