Senior Digital Advertising Operations Specialist

Active Interest Media; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Active Interest Media is seeking a Senior Ad Operations Specialist to own the end-to-end delivery of direct-sold digital campaigns across GAM, email, video, and sponsored content, coordinating with Sales and advertisers across multiple enthusiast brands.

You will lead strategy, trafficking, QA, reporting, and optimization, mentor junior staff, and drive improvements in workflow, accuracy, and performance while upholding brand safety and client goals.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in digital advertising operations, ideally on the publisher/media side.
• Strong, hands-on experience with Google Ad Manager, including trafficking, inventory forecasting, reporting, and troubleshooting.
• Proficient in email marketing, building, deploying, and reporting on campaigns and sponsorships using an email service platform (e.g., Omeda), with segmentation and deliverability best practices.
• Proven experience in digital campaign strategy: KPI setting, performance analysis, and optimizations across display, email, and sponsored content.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end management of direct-sold digital campaigns in Google Ad Manager, including setup, targeting, trafficking, QA, delivery, pacing, optimization, and reporting.
• Develop and execute digital campaign strategy with Sales to translate goals into plans and measure results.
• Build and deploy email campaigns and newsletter sponsorships using our email service platform, including setup and post-send reporting.
• Coordinate with sales, advertisers, and agencies to gather assets, lead kickoff calls, ensure deadlines, and maximize campaign success.
• Provide reporting, insights, and optimization recommendations, troubleshoot issues quickly, and identify upsell/renewal opportunities.
• Maintain ad operations best practices, QA processes, and documentation for creative specs, brand safety, and viewability.

Skills

Google Ad Manager

Email marketing

Campaign strategy

Data analysis

Project management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Google Analytics

Excel

PowerPoint

Photoshop

Omeda

Job description

Description

The Senior Ad Operations Specialist owns the end-to-end delivery of direct-sold digital campaigns, including display, sponsored content, video and email, and plays a key role in campaign strategy and optimization. The position entails working across several enthusiast brands, including Homebuilding, Cooking, Woodworking, Sewing, Collecting, and Gardening. The Senior Ad Operations Specialist serves as a trusted partner to Sales teams as well as to advertisers and agencies. Candidates must be excellent at multi-tasking and prioritizing multiple daily responsibilities.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end management of direct-sold digital campaigns in Google Ad Manager (GAM), including order and line item setup, targeting, creative trafficking, QA, delivery monitoring, pacing, optimization, and wrap-up reporting.
• Develop and execute digital campaign strategy with Sales: translate advertiser goals and KPIs into campaign plans, recommend targeting, placements, and formats across sites, newsletters, and sponsored content, and deliver measurable results.
• Build and deploy email campaigns and newsletter sponsorships through our email service platform (Omeda), including creative and tracking setup, testing, deployment, and post-send performance reporting.
• Work closely with the sales team, advertisers, and agencies to provide specs and collect assets. Lead kickoff and status calls as needed to ensure all campaign elements are met: reformatting/building creatives, coordinating information with the correct parties, and making sure all deadlines are hit internally and externally.
• Provide screenshots, reporting, and optimization recommendations, and troubleshoot client, creative, tag, and site issues quickly and proactively.
• Provide detailed campaign reporting and evaluate campaign success against client goals and benchmarks including insights, recommendations, and identify upsell and renewal opportunities.
• Maintain ad operations best practices, documentation, and QA processes, including creative specs, brand safety, viewability, and discrepancy resolution with third-party ad servers and verification vendors.
• Work alongside the Director of Digital Ad Operations to improve workflows, tools, and processes and to serve as a resource and mentor for junior team members.

Requirements

• 4+ years of related experience in digital advertising operations, ideally on the publisher/media side.
• Bachelor's degree preferred.
• Strong, hands-on experience with Google Ad Manager, including trafficking, inventory forecasting, reporting, and troubleshooting.
• Strong experience in email marketing, including building, deploying, and reporting on email campaigns and sponsorships using an email service platform (e.g., Omeda or similar), with an understanding of segmentation, deliverability, and list management best practices.
• Proven experience in digital campaign strategy: developing campaign plans, setting KPIs, analyzing performance, and recommending optimizations across display, email, and sponsored content.
• Proficient with Google Analytics, third-party ad serving and tracking, and Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word); advanced Excel skills for reporting and analysis.
• Working knowledge of HTML, JavaScript, and rich media formats for creative QA and troubleshooting; Photoshop a plus.
• Self-motivated, proactive, detail-oriented, creative, and analytical, with the ability to manage multiple campaigns and deadlines simultaneously with minimal oversight.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with a collaborative, client-service mindset.

Active Interest Media values diversity in the workplace and is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.