Director, Digital Investment & Activation

Horizon Media Inc.; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 110,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Horizon Media Inc. in Canada is seeking a Director, Digital Investment & Activation to lead our programmatic activation team.

You will own the end-to-end campaign lifecycle, orchestrate the pipeline, and partner with our Business Solutions group to prioritize tasks across client portfolios. As a hands-on leader, you will monitor platform activity, drive optimizations, and deliver deeply analytical reporting and strategic next steps.

Qualifications

• Experience: 7+ years in programmatic investment, with platform setup, optimization and management of complex campaigns.
• Leadership: managing and developing direct reports while working in platforms.
• Pipeline management: track record of handling high-volume tasks under tight deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Pipeline Orchestration & Task Prioritization: lead daily build, trafficking, QA; prioritize tasks and manage resources.
• Active Campaign Lifecycle & Proactive Monitoring: own health of campaigns from staging to billing.
• Actionable Reporting & Insights Architecture: translate DSP/ad server data into client-ready reports with insights.
• Inventory Strategy & Technology Partnerships: direct SPO initiatives, PMP deals, PG packages with SSPs & publishers.

Skills

Programmatic investment

Team leadership

Campaign optimization

Data-to-insights

Stakeholder collaboration

Tools

DV360

The Trade Desk

CM360

Identity solutions

DoubleVerify

IAS

Job description

Job Summary

We are currently seeking a highly motivated, strategic, and hands‑on Director, Digital Investment & Activation to lead and actively drive our programmatic activation team in Canada. In this role, you will not just oversee from afar, you will be the operational heartbeat and strategic driver of our digital activation pipeline. You will be directly responsible for orchestrating the team’s executional pipeline, managing the end‑to‑end campaign lifecycle, and partnering closely with our Business Solutions team to strategically prioritize and align tasks. As a working leader, you will proactively monitor platform activities, flag optimization opportunities, and spot delivery anomalies for immediate, timely action, driving operational excellence and innovative media solutions across all client portfolios. Additionally, you will elevate our output by ensuring that all client‑facing reporting transcends basic data delivery to provide deeply analytical, actionable insights and strategic next steps.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1. Pipeline Orchestration & Task Prioritization (35%)
   • Executional Pipeline Management: Directly orchestrate the team's daily campaign build, trafficking, and QA pipeline, ensuring resources are optimally allocated and deadlines are met.
   • Business Solutions Integration: Partner closely with the Business Solutions team to manage incoming client requests, negotiate timelines, and establish a clear, structured framework for prioritizing tasks.
   • Hands‑on Quality Assurance: Maintain a hands‑on role in the pre‑flight check process, serving as the final QA sign‑off for complex programmatic setups, custom audience configurations, and high‑budget launches.
   • SOP & Workflow Standardization: Develop, refine, and enforce agile workflows and standardized naming conventions to streamline the transition of media plans into live platform setups.
2. Active Campaign Lifecycle & Proactive Monitoring (30%)
   • End‑to‑End Lifecycle Ownership: Take ultimate accountability for the health of campaigns from initial platform staging through to final billing actualization.
   • Anomalies & Opportunities Detection: Proactively monitor daily pacing sheets and platform diagnostics to immediately identify and resolve anomalies.
   • Strategic Optimizations: Hand‑on execution and guidance of advanced in‑flight optimizations.
   • Risk & Pacing Governance: Establish robust macro‑pacing protocols to eliminate under‑delivery or over‑spend liabilities across the Canadian portfolio.
3. Actionable Reporting & Insights Architecture (20%)
   • Insight‑Driven Reporting: Oversee the translation of raw DSP, ad server, and verification data into cohesive, client‑ready reports that emphasize actionable insights and clear next steps over basic metrics.
   • Performance Storytelling: Connect campaign performance directly back to business outcomes, proactively flagging programmatic opportunities (e.g., custom marketplace success, high‑performing audience cohorts) to influence future media plans.
   • Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Partner with data and analytics teams to build automated, highly visual dashboards that surface clear trends and diagnostic insights.
4. Inventory Strategy & Technology Partnerships (15%)
   • Custom Marketplace Curation: Personally direct and negotiate key Supply Path Optimization (SPO) initiatives, Private Marketplace (PMP) deals, and Programmatic Guaranteed (PG) packages with SSPs and publishers.
   • Vendor & Platform Relations: Maintain close relationships with DSP and ad tech partners to secure priority access to alpha/beta features, troubleshoot API integrations, and ensure the team is trained on cutting‑edge features.

Knowledge and Skills Required

• Experience: 7+ years of hands‑on agency or trading desk experience in programmatic investment, with direct, ongoing platform experience setting up, optimizing, and managing complex programmatic campaigns.
• Leadership & Mentorship: Experienced in managing and developing direct reports while actively working alongside them “in the platforms.”
• Pipeline Management: Proven track record of managing a team's workflow, managing cross‑functional intake, and prioritizing high‑volume tasks under tight deadlines.
• DSPs & Ad Tech Mastery: Deep, current hands‑on expertise in major DSPs (DV360, The Trade Desk, Amazon DSP) alongside CM360, identity solutions, and verification tools (DoubleVerify, IAS).
• Data‑to‑Action Analytics: Outstanding analytical skills with the ability to look at raw performance tables and instantly extract a narrative, troubleshooting steps, and optimization recommendations.
• Collaboration & Influence: Strong experience partnering with client‑facing accounts/business solution teams to manage expectations and align on operational priorities.

Preferred Assets & Certifications

• Active Platform Certifications: Current, advanced certifications across DV360, CM360, Amazon DSP, and The Trade Desk.
• Industry Engagement: Familiarity with the Canadian digital media landscape and active participation in local industry bodies (e.g., IAB Canada).

Salary Range: 110-130-CAD #LI-KK1 #LI-HYBRID #HMI

Salary Range $110,000.00 - $130,000.00

Disclosures: The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified. Furthermore, they do not establish a contract of employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the employer. In our recruitment process, we may use AI‑powered tools to help identify potential candidates for this role. Applicants with disabilities who may need a reasonable accommodation during the interview/hiring process should email the following: [e-mail]

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