Associate Director

  • Full-time

Company Description

WHY YOU WANT TO WORK AT SPARK FOUNDRY

Let’s be honest – in this industry, sometimes we complicate things that should be simple. Here is the bottom line:  we want YOU to join us if you are truly passionate about guiding marketers on how to best connect their brands with people. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

At Spark Foundry, we have a unique approach and provide the support to help you do this. In fact, our approach is built on creating the space for ideas that lead to smart work, and Spark Foundry is built to celebrate and develop YOUR ideas.

Job Description

The Technology & Activation Group (TAAG) is a digital marketing technology, operations and measurement team of professionals supported by best in class technology and expertly designed procedures.

TAAG is an integral part of Spark Foundry’s DTAI practice and operates by turning the data we create into a true asset for our business. TAAG will support and complement our Data, Insights, and Analytics teams today, and manages the organization’s technology expertise to educate some of our most valuable media professionals of tomorrow.

We are looking for a marketing technology leader in New York City or Atlanta, with expertise in the fields of marketing technology, media performance management and measurement, and ad operations. The individual we are seeking will be confident with senior agency executives and clients and clear in delivering our agency point of view and recommendations. He or she must able to translating business data requirements into technical solutions, develop measurement strategies,  manage key digital media technology, operations, data and research partner relationships to build best in class capability within Spark Foundry.

In addition to his or her responsibility as a agency expert in digital media operations, data, tools & technology - this person will be responsible for cultivating and leading a team of client-assigned resources who are responsible for the end-to-end delivery of the following media planning & activation functions:

• Digital media campaign KPI creation and alignment to business opportunity
• Operational alignment of campaign evaluation/measurement plan to campaign strategy
• Digital technology & infrastructure direction and decision making
• Data management and insights platform recommendations
• Data governance for client and agency measurement compliance
• Full-funnel digital media advertising operations (inclusive of emerging digitally distributed media)
• Data management and campaign optimization insights generation

Specific Roles & Responsibilities:
The Technology & Activation Group: Director will be responsible for the following:

Technology & Activation Group Leadership
• Manage the resources within the Technology & Activation Group as a specialized function within the Spark Foundry digital team (each resource will be assigned to one or more clients and will also be responsible to the client team digital leader)
• Work with individual media account teams to properly position and sell in the Technology & Activation capability
• Engage with media team directors to scope client by client Technology & Activation Group personnel and deliverables to ensure delivery of best in class product
• Provide pricing, capability & product direction to client  & agency leadership
• Manage assignment of resources across client teams (may be some shared resources at certain levels)
• Built a robust digital data & technology capability within Spark Foundry through strategic industry and university hiring
• Along with other Spark Foundry digital leadership, manage Technology & Activation Group team members’ training and career development
• Create and distribute simple, comprehensive, and meaningful documentation that captures the development of processes and requirements

Technology partner adoption & expertise

• Work with account teams (and develop more junior TAAG resources to work with account teams) to ensure full knowledge and utilization of existing platforms and technologies - work with vendors to provide training as necessary
• Work with account teams (and develop more junior TAAG resources to work with account teams) to determine pain points and gaps in current technology capabilities vs. ideal liaise between account teams and tech providers on product development roadmaps
• Provide POV and assist in architecting solutions how to implement under-utilized or new product advancements / capabilities
• Work with account strategy and analytics teams (and develop more junior TAAG resources to work with these teams) to solve client specific business problems with technology solutions - insights, execution, measurement, etc.
• Provide centralized repository of agency tech partner usage and historical conscience on pro's/con's of tech value, pricing, etc.

New technology solutions

• Provide centralized point of contact between agency account teams and technology partners for potential implementation or applications to existing clients businesses – liaise with Publicis Media and Global TAAG leadership to ensure that all partnerships are fully vetted and strategically aligned
• Develop TAAG team to provide POV and resource to account teams considering new technologies
• Develop TAAG team to provide solutions architect services for utilizing new technologies
• Develop TAAG team to design and develop training modules for new technologies
• In the case that technology does not exist to meet a specific need, the TAAG director must be able to architect (or direct other TAAG team members to architect) a solution from the ground up – ultimately leveraging Publicis’ technology team, or a third party technology development capability to build the solution into a marketable asset for Spark Foundry.

Thought leadership

• Provide industry perspective on ad/marketing tech trends to account teams and clients
• Provide consultation and support for the development of tech and operations roadmaps within client LOB's
• Responsible for staying abreast of emerging tools and technology and ensuring agency and clients are using the right solutions

Qualifications

Role Requirements:
• The Technology and Activation Group Director must have 3+ years experience managing teams who work with marketing technology tools and data mining / business intelligence systems (e.g. ad server and dynamic creative technology, tag management systems, DMPs, verification measurement platforms, reporting and data modeling dashboards, etc…)
• Must have knowledge of media buying purpose and process within agencies and client organizations
• Must have a strong command of digital (and traditional) media planning, implementation, optimization and reporting process and technologies: Planning platforms/process, Ad Servers, Bid Management, DSP's, Research Partners, Reporting Partners, Tagging, Verification, Privacy, content management, site side analytics, audience intelligence, etc…
• Technology experience and passion are critically important, so must have a functional understanding of technology platforms, databases, hosting environments, API's, enterprise architecture/platforms, data structure/formats, programming logic, web dev platforms and technologies, etc…
• Candidate must have strong leadership and management capabilities, both operationally (to ensure that tasks such as reporting & trafficking are completed on time and accurately) as well as strategically (to ensure that guidance is given to all teams on how to enhance their work product, as the Technology & Activation matures in offerings and expertise)
• Candidate must be able to work closely with senior agency leadership and account leadership (digital & non-digital) to provide strategic Technology & Activation direction to all account teams (including but not limited to pricing, scope & deliverable alignment, resource alignment, product development, new business, etc…)
• Must be able to cultivate excellent “top to top” relationships with technology, data and research partners
• Must be able to cultivate excellent relationships with senior level client resources
• Must possess excellent English communication skills – written and spoken.
• Must be an adept communicator with the ability to explain intricate and complex technological details to individuals with varying levels of knowledge and experience.
• Must actively develop junior TAAG talent and work with leadership to cultivate a consultative and growing team of advertising professionals and media tech pioneers.

Additional Information

WHO WE ARE

Throughout our rich history, we’ve taken pride in our ongoing legacy of and commitment to constant evolution. It’s in our DNA to evolve.

By melding the spirit of a startup and the soul of a powerhouse across our business, we aim to bring modern heat to brands – the kind of heat that arises at the intersection of startup and powerhouse; of data and content; of art and science; of old and new.

Energy and innovation fuels our startup spirit, while the unrivaled marketplace clout, exclusive partnerships, and global practice capabilities we have at our disposal as a full-service Publicis Media agency deliver our powerhouse soul for our clients.

We hope you’ll take a few moments to learn more about us, and to begin thinking about how we might put “the power of plus” to work for you (http://www.sparkfoundryww.com/).

Spark Foundry is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

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