Programmatic Manager

Vinyl Media; Sydney; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Vinyl Media is seeking a seasoned Programmatic Manager to own and grow our programmatic offering across the portfolio of premium brands in Australia. You will drive revenue growth, shape commercial strategy, and act as the go-to contact for agency trading desks, DSPs and SSP partners.

The role sits across the agency patch network and requires a strong market sense and collaborative leadership. You will work with AdOps, Product and Finance to optimize PMP/PG deals, develop new products, and craft

Qualifications

• The role requires 4–5 years in programmatic work, preferably with a publisher, agency desk, or ad tech environment.
• Strong understanding of exchanges, DSPs, SSPs, PMPs, programmatic guaranteed and curated deals.
• Ability to build growth strategies and product packages for revenue expansion.

Responsibilities

• Own the commercial strategy for Vinyl's programmatic offering and set growth priorities.
• Develop the programmatic product suite including PMPs, programmatic guaranteed, curated deals and audience-led packages.
• Identify new revenue opportunities across formats, channels, data and partnerships and build business cases.
• Develop pricing, floor and yield strategies balancing revenue and premium inventory value.
• Collaborate with AdOps and Product to turn audience insights into targetable deals for buyers.
• Create market-leading collateral to communicate Vinyl's programmatic proposition.
• Stay ahead of market, technology and privacy changes and translate them into opportunities.

Skills

Programmatic

Strategic thinking

Negotiation

Data analytics

Relationship building

Tools

DSPs

SSPs

PMPs

Excel

Job description

Vinyl Media is home to some of Australia’s most influential and iconic publishing brands. Through a portfolio that includes Rolling Stone AU/NZ, Variety Australia, Refinery29, Mediaweek, Concrete Playground, Time Out, The Music Network and TheBrag.com, Vinyl Media reaches millions of Australians each month across digital, social, video and live experiences.

Vinyl Media sits at the intersection of culture, entertainment, music, and lifestyle. The business combines trusted editorial brands, deep audience relationships, premium storytelling and world-class events to shape cultural conversation in Australia while delivering meaningful value to partners.

Role Purpose

The Programmatic Manager owns and drives Vinyl Media's programmatic offering across the full portfolio. The role is responsible for growing programmatic revenue, building the commercial strategy that shapes how the offering evolves, and making programmatic a genuine growth engine for the business rather than a channel that runs in the background.

The role sits across all agency patches, working alongside the Agency Sales team to unlock programmatic opportunities across every Vinyl Media website, while acting as the go-to contact for agency trading desks, programmatic buyers and DSP and SSP partners. It carries quarterly revenue targets and is accountable for both the day-to-day performance of PMP and PG deals and the longer-term strategy to grow them.

The Programmatic Manager works closely with AdOps, Product, Campaign Operations, Finance and the wider Commercial team. This is a commercial role at its core: a programmatic specialist who understands the technology, the trading and the market, and can turn that knowledge into strategy, product and revenue.

Key Responsibilities

Programmatic Strategy + Offering Development

• Own the commercial strategy for Vinyl's programmatic offering, setting clear priorities for how it grows across the portfolio.
• Build and evolve the programmatic product suite, including PMPs, programmatic guaranteed, curated deals and audience-led packages.
• Identify new programmatic revenue opportunities across formats, channels, data and partnerships, and build the business case to bring them to market.
• Develop pricing, floor and yield strategies that balance revenue growth with the value of Vinyl's premium inventory.
• Establish working rhythms with AdOps and Product to turn audience insights and first-party data into targetable deals for buyers.
• Produce market-leading collateral that clearly communicates Vinyl's programmatic proposition to buyers.
• Stay ahead of market, technology and privacy changes, and translate them into opportunities for the business.

Revenue + Market Development

• Carry quarterly programmatic revenue targets and consistently deliver against them.
• Maximise programmatic revenue by driving greater adoption of Vinyl's PMP and PG products across agencies and brands.
• Educate media agencies on the value of PMP and programmatic guaranteed deals across Vinyl's premium sites.
• Build and manage relationships with agency trading desks, programmatic leads, DSPs, SSPs and curation partners.
• Proactively identify and propose campaign opportunities, inventory extensions and targeting recommendations to grow share of wallet.
• Be the first line of response for programmatic briefs, delivering thorough, timely and strategic proposals alongside AdOps and Product.
• Work alongside the Agency Sales team on briefs where programmatic adds value, helping sellers bring it into integrated proposals.

Deal Management, Reporting + Enablement

• Own all PMP and PG deals end to end, from setup and activation through optimisation, delivery and post-campaign reporting.
• Develop deep expertise across key exchanges, SSPs and DSPs to streamline deal setup and revenue reporting.
• Run daily, weekly and monthly integration health checks, escalating issues to the National Head of Commercial, Operations and vendors as required.
• Conduct periodic revenue audits with the National Head of Commercial to ensure accuracy and identify growth opportunities.
• Produce weekly and monthly reports and dashboards for internal stakeholders, and own reporting for external buyers and DSP partners.
• Upskill the wider Commercial team on programmatic so it is confidently sold across every patch.
• Champion continuous improvement in how programmatic is packaged, sold and delivered across the business.

What You Bring

The Programmatic Manager will bring 4 to 5 years of experience in programmatic, ideally on the supply side with a publisher or media owner, or within an agency trading desk or ad tech environment. You will have a strong understanding of the programmatic ecosystem, including exchanges, DSPs, SSPs, PMPs, programmatic guaranteed and curated deals, and how premium publishers win in it.

You will bring the ability to think commercially and strategically, not just operationally. You will be confident building a strategy to grow a programmatic offering, shaping new products and packages, and making the case for where the business should invest to grow revenue.

You will bring strong relationships across Australian agency trading desks and programmatic partners, and be comfortable pitching, negotiating and growing share of spend. You will be highly proficient in Excel, data-literate and analytical, and comfortable working with reporting, yield and performance metrics to drive decisions.

You will be a clear communicator and collaborative team player, able to explain programmatic simply to sellers and clients alike. Equally important is a continuous-improvement mindset and the autonomy to build the offering into a real success in market, using all the capabilities within the business.

We’re an equal opportunity employer, and work hard to create a safe and inclusive environment for all.