Ad Ops Yield Manager

As part of the larger Digital Ad Operations team, your primary focus will be identifying areas to maximize digital direct revenue, optimize programmatic revenue opportunities, and drive operational efficiencies across Crain brands. Using data to analyze patterns, you will provide recommendations on how to best optimize yield to get the greatest return in revenue.

Technical and operational knowledge, including expertise in programmatic advertising, will be crucial for managing SSPs, header bidding strategies, and private marketplace deals. A strong understanding of publisher monetization strategy, along with a focus on programmatic revenue channels, will be integral in achieving and exceeding revenue goals.

Revenue Operations and can be office-based in Detroit, Chicago, or remote.

KeyAreas of Responsibility

• Continuously analyze, test, and optimize yield across programmatic and direct channels to drive incremental revenue while balancing user experience and brand objectives.
• Leverage data-driven insights to identify trends, forecast revenue opportunities, and adjust inventory strategies to maximize monetization.
• Collaborate with sales, product, and marketing teams to align yield strategies with broader business goals and deliver seamless ad experiences for our audience.
• Implement and manage floor pricing strategies, inventory allocation, and header bidding techniques to ensure optimal fill rates and CPMs across demand sources.
• Develop and execute a yield optimization roadmap, ensuring that new ad products or market changes are aligned with revenue objectives.
• Work across business units to vet, prioritize, and enable new ad products and revenue-driving initiatives
• Test tech or strategy ideas and evaluate outcomes to deliver impactful changes
• Work with internal teams to execute needed ad tagging changes, implement product, or enrich technologies to improve advertising offerings
• Set up and manage programmatic advertising campaigns through various supply-side platforms (SSPs) such as Google Ad Manager (GAM), Teads, and others to optimize revenue across multiple formats.
• Monitor programmatic ad performance and implement yield optimization tactics, including floor price adjustments, header bidding strategies, and private marketplace (PMP) deals.
• Analyze and provide insights on programmatic demand partners, working to onboard new SSPs or exchanges that align with business goals.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues related to ad serving, discrepancies, and revenue leakage in programmatic campaigns.
• Manage inventory management processes
• Document processes, develop workflows, and train internal and brand teams as needed
• Manage relationships with Ad Ops vendors as needed
• Troubleshoot ad units and monetization issues as they arise
• Act as key resource for ad hoc questions from internal teams
• Performs other related and ad hoc duties as assigned by management
• Ensure compliance with privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA) and maintain best practices for data collection, targeting, and audience segmentation in programmatic efforts.

Requirements/Qualifications

• 3 years of experience in programmatic advertising, digital ad operations, or yield management within a B2B publishing or media environment. Strong familiarity with publisher ad monetization models
• Experience with GAM, Jeeng, Teads, or other related ad tech.
• Enjoy and adapt to an ever-changing landscape and growing responsibilities
• Ability to self-manage time and complete commitments
• Proven expertise with sell-side platforms (SSPs) such as Google Ad Manager (GAM), Teads, or similar programmatic tools.
• Experience in implementing and managing header bidding strategies and private marketplace (PMP) deals.
• Strong knowledge of inventory management, yield optimization techniques, and programmatic auction dynamics (open exchange, PMP, direct deals).
• Hands-on experience with ad troubleshooting, including identifying and resolving discrepancies in programmatic ad performance and revenue attribution.
• Familiarity with data privacy laws (GDPR, CCPA) and how they impact programmatic advertising strategies.
• Solid analytical skills, with the ability to extract actionable insights from programmatic ad performance data and adjust strategies accordingly.

This position is exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not eligible for overtime pay.

Pay Transparency Disclosure:

The estimated salary range for this position is $70,000 to $80,000.

The final salary offering will take into accounta wide range of factors, including experience, accomplishments and location. The salary range provided should not be considered as a salary limit or cap. In addition to base salary, Crain also offers competitive benefits including retirement plan savings contributions and bonus opportunities based on individual and company performance.

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About Crain Communications:

Crain Communications is a leading business news and information company with a portfolio of 24 media brands that provide indispensable coverage and data for professionals globally and across sectors, including advertising, automotive, finance, healthcare, staffing, and workforce solutions. Many of Crain's brands are the most influential media properties in the industries and communities they serve, including Ad Age, Automotive News, Pensions & Investments, Modern Healthcare, Staffing Industry Analysts, as well as Crain's regional business brands. For more than a century, our dedication to deep sector expertise and journalistic integrity has enabled us to provide trusted insights across all our platforms, empowering today's business leaders to make industry-shaping decisions. To learn more about Crain Communications, visitcrain.com.

Environmental Demands

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• An "in-office" role would require the employee to come into the office most days with occasional flexibility to work remotely if tasks can be performed elsewhere and if the manager approves.
• A "remote" role would allow an employee to work from a home office that is in one of the states Crain does business in. We can only employ a remote / "work from home" employee if they reside in one of these states: AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, MD, MA, MI, MN, NV, NY, NC, OH, OR, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, and Washington, DC.
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Physical Demands
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Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions and meet the environmental and physical demands of the role.

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