Programmatic Executive

Hachette UK; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading publishing group in the UK is seeking an experienced Programmatic Executive to manage and optimise high-performance advertising campaigns. The role requires expertise in programmatic strategies, strong analytical skills, and experience with DSPs and analytics platforms. The ideal candidate will drive consumer engagement and collaborate with various teams to enhance marketing effectiveness. This position offers a hybrid work model and competitive benefits.

Benefits

28 annual leave days

Private medical insurance

Generous pension schemes

Cycle to Work scheme

Up to 70% off book purchases

Qualifications

• Proven hands-on experience running programmatic campaigns via DSPs.
• Strong analytical and optimisation skills using analytics platforms.
• Experience working in or with media agencies.

Responsibilities

• Plan and manage end-to-end programmatic campaigns across various platforms.
• Optimise campaign performance through data analysis and A/B testing.
• Collaborate with media agencies to execute strategies.

Skills

Programmatic advertising

Data analysis

Audience targeting

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Tools

Google Analytics

DV360

The Trade Desk

Job description

Who we are and what we do

Hachette UK is a creative powerhouse and the UK's second largest book publishing group. Our mission is to make it easy for everyone to discover new worlds of ideas, learning, entertainment and opportunity.

About Hachette UK

We’re made up of 10 autonomous publishing divisions and over 60 imprints with a rich and diverse history and an incredible range of authors. We're also the market leader in e-books and publish a range of bestsellers in audio format, the fastest growing part of our business.

Our award‑winning adult publishing divisions are Orion, which won Publisher of the Year at the 2021 British Book Awards; Little, Brown; John Murray Press; Hodder & Stoughton; Headline; Octopus, and Bookouture. They publish fiction and non‑fiction in digital, audio and print format, from the world’s best and most diverse authors, including Brit Bennett, Candice Carty‑Williams, Martina Cole, Michael Connelly, John Grisham, Stephen King, Stieg Larsson, Nelson Mandela, Stephenie Meyer, Maggie O’Farrell, Delia Owens, Ian Rankin, J.K. Rowling, Colson Whitehead, and Malala Yousafsi. Hachette Children’s Group publishes a wide and vibrant range of books for children across all age ranges, while Hachette Learning is a market leader in resources for both primary and secondary schools.

Hachette UK is part of Hachette Livre, the world’s third largest trade and educational publisher. As well as our headquarters in Carmelite House, London, and our state‑of‑the‑art book distribution centre in Didcot, Oxfordshire, we have recently opened five new offices in Manchester, Bristol, Sheffield, Newcastle, and Edinburgh. The UK region also includes offices in Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, the Caribbean, and Ireland.

It’s an exciting time to join our business because the publishing market continues to grow and thrive. The UK remains the largest exporter of physical books in the world and book adaptations for film and TV are the foundation of the UK’s creative industries.

What you’ll be doing

Group Marketing is a consumer‑first, data‑led team that delivers bold, high‑impact campaigns by leveraging advanced analytics and expertise across digital platforms, media, and owned channels. We are focused on our mission to make it easy for consumers to discover our books and products, driving sales, maximising ROI, and harnessing the latest technology to unlock Hachette’s scale for ambitious and profitable growth.

We are looking for an experienced Programmatic Executive to join our central Group Marketing team and help build out our programmatic advertising strategy and execution across Hachette UK.

In this new role, you will be instrumental in shaping and scaling our programmatic advertising capabilities, planning and executing high‑performance campaigns that drive book sales and deliver meaningful consumer engagement. Working closely with colleagues across our publishing divisions, commercial, sales, and insight teams, you will ensure our programmatic activity is innovative, effective, and integrated.

Core Duties

• Plan and manage end‑to‑end programmatic campaigns across display, video, native, and audio platforms.
• Optimise campaign performance through data analysis, segmentation, and A / B testing to achieve ROAS and engagement targets.
• Collaborate with media agencies and internal stakeholders to execute cross‑channel strategies aligned with business priorities.
• Monitor performance and deliver clear, actionable reporting to stakeholders with insights and recommendations.
• Stay informed on emerging tools, platforms, and trends to continuously evolve our programmatic approach.
• Support the wider advertising team with paid social campaigns as required.
• Identifying, creating, and refining audience segments using first‑party data.
• Providing actionable insights to the wider marketing, and sales teams, guiding future spending and creative development based on what the programmatic data reveals about consumer behaviour.

Who we are looking for

Experience / Knowledge

• Proven hands‑on experience running programmatic campaigns via DSPs (e.g. DV360, The Trade Desk).
• Strong analytical and optimisation skills with experience using analytics platforms (e.g. Google Analytics, GA4).
• A clear understanding of attribution models, pixel tracking, and audience targeting.
• Excellent communication and organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple campaigns and deadlines.
• Experience working in or with media agencies.
• Understanding of brand safety, viewability, and fraud prevention best practices.

Attributes / Skills

• A consumer‑first mindset with a strong commercial focus.
• A passion for programmatic innovation and data‑driven marketing.
• A proactive, collaborative attitude with a willingness to share learnings and mentor others.
• The ability to think both strategically and tactically.

What we offer

Our staff are our greatest asset, and our benefits reflect this:

• 28 annual leave days per year, increases to 29 days after 2 years’ service and goes up to 30 days after 5 years’ (+ bank holidays)
• Private medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Generous pension schemes
• Rent deposit loans
• 2 community days per year
• Summer hours (finishing at 1pm on Fridays during the summer months)
• Retail discounts through Hachette rewards
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Eye care vouchersWide‑ranging training library
• Development programmes (including mentoring)
• Up to 70% off book purchases
• A charity bookshelf
• 12 Staff‑led employee networks that are voluntary, including AgeWise, Gender Balance, Thrive, Pride, All Together, Wellbeing and religious networks
• Season ticket loans
• And much more!

This role can be based at our London, Sheffield, and Edinburgh office, with a blend of in‑office (3 days) and homeworking (2 days) per week.

Our commitment

Hachette employs people on the basis of their abilities. We aim to attract and develop talent from a base as broad as the world of readers we want to reach, with a wide and representative range of age, faith, disability, race, gender, sexuality and socio‑economic, regional and cultural backgrounds.

If you are shortlisted and need us to make any adjustments to help you attend for interview, please let us know.

The Book Trade Charity offers financial support to people looking to enter the book trade but who may struggle to afford the costs of attending interviews and undertaking junior roles. For more information visit www.booktradeentrysupport.org