Vice President, Ad Operations and Yield Optimization

Newsweek is the global media organization that has earned audience time and trust for more than 90 years. Newsweek reaches 100 million people each month with thought-provoking news, opinion, images, graphics, and video delivered across a dozen print and digital platforms. Headquartered in New York City, Newsweek also publishes international editions in EMEA and Asia.

Newsweek is seeking a Vice President of Ad Operations and Yield Optimization to lead our ad operations team and drive digital advertising revenue across various platforms. In this role, you will oversee the entire ad operations process, from planning and executing campaigns to reporting and analyzing results. You will also develop and implement yield optimization strategies to enhance the performance and profitability of our ad inventory. Collaboration with internal stakeholders, such as sales, product, engineering, and finance teams, and external ad partners, will be crucial to delivering high-quality ad products and services.

The Ad Operations and Yield Optimization lead will supervise teams and strategies that optimize Newsweek's media inventory and ad revenue. The role requires careful analysis to improve and grow business outcomes and work well with other functions. You will be responsible for overseeing various functions, such as Ad Operations, Media Planning, Client Success, Yield, Sales & Revenue Analytics, and Programmatic. This means you will oversee cross-functional projects and work that maximizes ad and revenue potential.

You will collaborate with colleagues across the organization, particularly within Advertising Data & Analytics, Ad Product, and Advertising Finance. Additionally, you will work closely with Newsweek Advertising teams, including Sales Operations, Sales, and Product Marketing. You will also be an integral part of our Ad Leadership team.

Job Responsibilities:

• Lead and coach the Director of Ad Operations and Ad Specialists, ensuring best practices, quality standards, and SLAs are met.

• Supervise the team handling ad operations workflow, including campaign setup, trafficking, QA, optimization, troubleshooting, and reporting.

• Review and monitor ad performance, revenue, and trends using various tools and metrics.

• Create and implement yield optimization strategies to increase fill rates, CPMs, and revenue across all ad formats and platforms.

• Research and evaluate new ad technologies, partners, and opportunities to grow and diversify our ad revenue streams.

• Collaborate with sales, product, engineering, finance, and ad partners to provide feedback, insights, and recommendations on ad products and processes.

• Ensure compliance with ad policies, regulations, and best practices.

• Work together with the Client Success team to ensure excellent client service and campaign performance.

• Use revenue insights & campaign performance trends to inform strategic media planning that balances the needs of the business with achieving clients' marketing objectives.

• Direct the development of systems and processes to support this work with more accuracy and efficiency over time.

• Support executive decision-making and the strategic planning process by working with corporate strategy & finance to prepare and present regular business reviews.

• Develop revenue and operational strategies that build solutions to inspire digital profitability and align with department goals.

• Manage programmatic operations end-to-end and build operational expertise on tools and systems used.

• Prudently manage budgets and make responsible investment recommendations in support of department goals.

• Lead a team over revenue analytics in support of smart decisions and effective business planning.

• Serve as the primary liaison with BI, Data & Analytics, and Finance to provide clear, succinct, and accurate reports and analysis for department leadership.

• Partner with the Product Team to achieve the growth strategy for Newsweek's direct sales and programmatic business.

• Build and apply expertise about relevant industry changes to shape strategy and operational decisions.

• Effectively represent our work externally, in client meetings and industry forums.

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with external ad tech vendors and partners.

• Stay abreast of industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies to continuously improve ad operations and yield optimization efforts.

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, or related field.

• Over 10 years of experience in digital ad operations, yield optimization, or programmatic advertising.

• Expert knowledge of ad platforms, technologies, and tools, such as Google Ad Manager, Google Ad Exchange, header bidding, ad verification, and analytics.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to generate and interpret data and reports.

• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.

• Proven leadership and management skills, with the ability to motivate and develop a high-performing team.

• Passion for digital media and advertising, with a keen interest in industry trends and innovations.

• Deep understanding of digital advertising ecosystems, including DSPs, SSPs, ad exchanges, and RTB.

• Experience in developing and implementing monetization strategies for both direct and programmatic sales channels.

• Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• A friendly attitude, who can successfully work cross-functionally with various stakeholder groups within Newsweek and across partner organizations.

• Ability to quickly build rapport and credibility among internal and external stakeholders.

• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.

• A proven track record of managing revenue pipelines and delivering against revenue goals.

• Ability to initiate and drive projects to completion with minimal guidance.

• Exceptional analytical skills with the ability to communicate results clearly and effectively.

• Experience with advanced data analytics and business intelligence tools.

• Strong project management skills, with experience leading large-scale projects from inception to completion.

Salary expectations: $180,000 + commensurate with experience

Newsweek is an equal opportunity employer. We seek employees of diverse backgrounds and are committed to providing an inclusive, equitable and respectful workplace.