Ad Operations Associate

Lamwork; United States; On-site; USD 65,000 - 67,000; Full time

Job summary

Lamwork is looking for an Ad Operations Associate to manage digital advertising campaigns effectively. The role includes campaign setup, monitoring performance, and ensuring compliance with industry standards.

The ideal candidate will possess strong technical and soft skills, particularly in ad serving and analytics. The average salary for this role in the United States is approximately $65,626 annually, with pay determined by various factors including inventory type and employer sector.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate campaign setup within ad server environments and align creative assets.
• Monitor daily pacing and performance across active campaigns.
• Validate creative assets against IAB standards before campaign flight.
• Troubleshoot trafficking issues in collaboration with ad operations counterparts.
• Ensure all live campaigns are accurately captured in reporting systems.

Skills

Google Ad Manager (DFP)

Programmatic Ad Serving

Campaign Trafficking

Excel (Pivot Tables, VLOOKUPs)

IAB VAST Standards

HTML5 and Creative Spec Review

SSP Platform Operations

Performance Reporting

Attention to Detail

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Problem Solving

Time Management

Stakeholder Communication

Analytical Thinking

Adaptability

Job description

Ad Operations Associate roles involve campaign trafficking, creative QA, and ad server management within digital media environments. Learn key skills, certifications, and average salary.

Ad Operations Associate Overview

An Ad Operations Associate is the technical practitioner responsible for building, validating, and monitoring digital advertising campaigns from initial setup through delivery. Day to day, this person configures campaigns in ad server platforms, verifies that creative assets meet IAB and internal compliance standards, and tracks delivery performance across display, video, and programmatic inventory. Based on Lamwork's research across Ad Operations Associate job data, the role sits at the intersection of media technology and campaign execution, making it an essential hire for publishers, ad networks, and media agencies that depend on flawless campaign delivery to protect advertiser relationships.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate campaign setup within ad server environments, aligning creative assets with targeting parameters and flight specifications to match contracted delivery goals.
• Monitor daily pacing and performance across active campaigns, identifying discrepancies between ad server data and contracted impressions before they affect client outcomes.
• Validate programmatic and direct-sold creative assets against IAB standards and internal acceptability guidelines, catching violations before and during campaign flight.
• Troubleshoot trafficking issues in collaboration with media agency ad operations counterparts, resolving creative tagging errors, pixel mismatches, and delivery discrepancies efficiently.
• Ensure all live campaigns are accurately captured in internal reporting systems, maintaining reporting completeness that supports performance analysis and client‑facing deliverables.

Required Skills

• Hard Skills: Google Ad Manager (DFP), Programmatic Ad Serving, Campaign Trafficking, Excel (Pivot Tables, VLOOKUPs), IAB VAST Standards, HTML5 and Creative Spec Review, SSP Platform Operations, Performance Reporting
• Soft Skills: Attention to Detail, Cross‑Functional Collaboration, Problem Solving, Time Management, Stakeholder Communication, Analytical Thinking, Adaptability

Career Progression

• Junior Ad Operations Associate
• Ad Operations Associate
• Senior Ad Operations Associate
• Ad Operations Manager

Reaching a senior‑level position typically takes four to six years of consistent experience across trafficking, QA, and programmatic campaign management. Advancement is driven most directly by platform depth, particularly mastery of ad server ecosystems and programmatic supply‑side mechanics, along with a demonstrated record of delivery accuracy on high‑volume or high‑profile campaigns.

Certifications

• Google Ad Manager Certification – validates core ad server trafficking and delivery proficiency
• IAB Digital Media Sales Certification (DMSC) – demonstrates command of the digital advertising ecosystem
• Google Analytics Certification – supports data‑driven campaign monitoring and reporting skills
• Interactive Advertising Bureau Tech Lab Certification – signals understanding of technical standards governing digital ad formats

Salary in the United States

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not track Ad Operations Associate as a separate occupation. The average Ad Operations Associate salary in the United States is $65,626 per year, based on the most recent data from Glassdoor.

Pay at this level is primarily shaped by the type of inventory managed – roles focused on programmatic and OTT environments typically command more than those limited to standard display, alongside the employer's sector (ad tech platforms tend to pay above media agencies), years of hands‑on ad server experience, and geographic market.