Senior Performance Media Lead: Programmatic & Direct

PHD; Virginia (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

PHd, a leading agency, seeks an Associate Director of Digital Activation to own and optimize programmatic and direct activations for a high-profile financial services client. You will lead a team, shape strategy, and drive performance across channels with strict attention to accuracy and compliance.

You will collaborate with senior leaders to set priorities, allocate responsibilities, and measure performance, delivering best-in-class outcomes at scale in a regulated industry.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent education.
• 5+ years in programmatic and/or digital activation.
• Hands-on experience with DSPs (Yahoo!, The Trade Desk, DV360, Google Ads).
• Experience across display, video, native, and direct publisher buys.
• Strong understanding of financial advertising regulations and data usage.
• Proficiency in ad serving and measurement tools.
• Proven team leadership and client communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor Investment team members; set expectations and standards.
• Own end‑to‑end activation across programmatic and direct channels.
• Translate client strategy into actionable plans and optimizations.
• Drive in‑platform bidding, audience refinement, and creative testing.
• Manage large partner relationships and explore new deals.
• Ensure compliance with financial advertising guidelines and data usage.

Skills

Programmatic performance

DSPs

Display

Video

Native

Direct buys

Analytics

Leadership

Client leadership

Team leadership

Partnership management

Privacy & compliance

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Ad serving tools

Measurement platforms

Job description

PHd, a leading agency, seeks an Associate Director of Digital Activation to own and optimize programmatic and direct activations for a high-profile financial services client. You will lead a team, shape strategy, and drive performance across channels with strict attention to accuracy and compliance.

You will collaborate with senior leaders to set priorities, allocate responsibilities, and measure performance, delivering best-in-class outcomes at scale in a regulated industry.