Director, Business Operations

PHD; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Vision insurance

Dental insurance

401(k)

Vacation days

Paid parental leave

Job summary

PHD is seeking a highly skilled Director, Business Operations to join our team in Chicago. This role focuses on managing client, creative, financial, data, and investment operations for a global client.

The ideal candidate will possess 8-10 years of agency operations experience, project management skills, and a passion for media and technology. This hybrid position allows for flexibility in office attendance, with benefits including health insurance, 401(k), and paid parental leave.

Qualifications

• 8-10 years of experience in media agency operations.
• Strong background in project management methodologies.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day operations of the account.
• Oversee end-to-end creative asset management.
• Ensure strict adherence to budget management and forecasting.
• Maintain expertise in digital marketing technologies.

Skills

Project management

Creative expertise

Media expertise

Operational efficiency

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

PHD is a global communications planning and media buying agency network delivering smart strategic thinking and creative innovation for the world’s leading brands. Brilliant media thinking is in our DNA. A culture of thought‑leadership, creativity and innovation has seen us grow from a challenger agency in the UK to a global leader with over 6,000 employees in over 100 offices worldwide. We combine the latest industry insight with the best creative minds to produce planning innovation and create award‑winning work for some of the world’s largest advertisers. Finding a better way is our ethos and sums up how we approach everything – from a new client brief to the way we work.

Background

We build culture one hire at a time. Our constant pursuit of a better PHD starts with talking to people like you. Our goal is simple. We want to build great teams; the kind of teams people want to be a part of, and the kind of teams clients can’t live without. Great teams do things individuals could never dream of and they have more fun doing it.

Who We’re Looking For

We are seeking a highly skilled and strategic Director, Business Operations to join our team and partner with our CBL (Client Business Lead) across client, creative, financial, data and investment operations for a global client. Reporting to the Business Operations lead, this role is entrusted with developing and implementing processes and best practices to ensure the success of the team and deliverables to our client. The ideal candidate will be a proactive and results‑driven individual with strong project management, creative and media expertise and a keen eye for process improvement and operational efficiency.

Key Responsibilities

Client Operations

• Partner with the Client Business Lead to manage the day‑to‑day operations of the account ensuring team members are utilized efficiently, processes are implemented and governed, and the scope of work is delivered on time consistently.
• Prioritize, collaborate and guide projects and deliverables both internally and externally.
• Partner with team leads to develop and implement standardized templates, workflows, and SLA timelines for critical milestones, such as campaign trafficking and launches, to improve operational efficiency and alignment with client expectations.
• Proactively identify gaps in processes and recommend improvements to enhance operational efficiency and data accuracy.

Creative Operations

• Partner closely with creative teams to establish and enforce best practices and streamline workflows.
• Oversee end‑to‑end creative asset management, ensuring files are organized, delivered, and tracked accurately across all stages of production and activation.

Financial Operations

• Partner with the account and investment teams to ensure strict adherence to budget management, forecasting, billing, and media clearance processes, while leading invoice reconciliations and resolving related issues efficiently and accurately.
• While the planning and investment teams are responsible for executing these tasks, the operations lead ensures they understand, follow, and complete these processes on time and with attention to accuracy.

Data Operations

• Oversee data integrity and standardize input procedures, ensuring that teams are entering and utilizing data correctly to support automated reporting, performance analysis, and informed decision‑making.
• Perform and oversee quality assurance (QA) processes to validate dashboard data, even without detailed knowledge of the underlying logic.
• Partner with internal and client teams to gather data requirements and translate them into actionable tasks for activation, data operations, or engineering teams managing data ingestion and collection.
• Partner with investment and data leads to enforce and maintain taxonomy governance, ensuring cross‑channel consistency, compliance with established processes, and proactively resolving challenges during implementation or tool utilization.
• Maintain expertise in digital marketing technologies relevant to client account.

Investment Operations

• Ensure all tools are properly configured and that teams receive comprehensive training to use them effectively. Training should cover compliant system usage, taxonomy application, and accurate data entry, supported by hands‑on sessions, onboarding programs, and self‑paced materials to drive adoption and proficiency.
• Create and maintain a centralized repository of training resources, FAQs, and guides. Regularly engage with teams to monitor tool usage, address challenges, and implement strategies to improve process efficiency and technology adoption.
• Collaborate with the Agency COE team to ensure strict adherence to investment and activation standards, fostering alignment with best practices.

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• 8‑10 years of experience in media agency operations, with expertise in financial operations, creative asset management, budget management, strategic planning, and media activation, demonstrating a strong ability to manage complex workflows in media‑led environments.
• Strong background in project management methodologies, SLAs, and process optimization, with a proven ability to identify risks and develop solutions to enhance operational efficiency.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, adept at influencing cross‑functional teams, driving change, and presenting effectively to senior client and agency leaders.
• Thrives in fast‑paced environments with a passion for technology, innovation, and leveraging tools to enhance operational excellence.

Benefits and Compensation

The chance to grow the agency and yourself. Freedom to collaborate with over 4,000 colleagues in 80+ offices worldwide. The ability to be brave, try new things and help continue to grow PHD. A place that cares about your personal passions just as much as your work.
Compensation is determined based on relevant experience, other job‑related qualifications/skills, and geographic location. For this role, benefits include: health insurance, vision insurance, dental insurance, 401(k), Healthcare Flexible Spending Account, Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, vacation days, sick days, personal days, paid parental leave, paid medical leave, and STD/LTD insurance benefits.
Compensation Range: $90,000—$215,000 USD. This role is hybrid, requiring three (3) days per week in the office. The remaining two (2) days may be worked remotely. Specific in‑office days will be discussed during the interview process, with flexibility to align with team needs. The number of required in‑office days may be adjusted over time based on business needs.