Manager, Media (Video Activation)

ABOUT VAYNERMEDIA 

VaynerMedia is a contemporary global creative and media agency with an expertise in driving relevance for clients and delivering impactful business results. The independently-owned agency was founded in 2009 and has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, APAC and LATAM. 

VaynerMedia has been recognized for its work at Cannes Lions, the Clio Awards and The Webby Awards. It is part of the VaynerX family of companies founded and run by entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk..

In A Nutshell:

The Manager, Media Buying/Planning in Video Activation (ie ‘TV 3.0’) is the tactical heartbeat of our team. 

While our VPs & Directors set high-level strategy, you are the one aiding the plan, owning negotiation, executing buys, assisting in reporting/stewardship  and ensuring every dollar works as hard as possible. 

You will focus evenly (~50%) on Linear TV (Scatter/Upfront) while also playing a fusion role (~50%) in our growing programmatic and direct-IO CTV/OTT investment practice, with impact on our ad tech ecosystem. 

Reporting to an Associate Director and Director team, you will manage the day-to-day stewardship of client campaigns, ensuring flawless execution from plan to IO to invoice. You are a "doer" who loves the art of the deal and the nuances of the marketplace plus understands the math behind the media - and isn't afraid to get into the weeds of a Mediaocean/Prisma/NMI or a leading DSP to make a campaign succeed.

What You’d Do:

• Planning: support the team’s annual quarterly and ad hoc client planning plus thought leadership exercises on modern video for modern living rooms
• Tactical Buying & Negotiation: help lead the execution of Linear TV and CTV buys. You will help negotiate rates/CPMs, secure inventory, access ad tech/data/platforms, and manage insertion orders (IOs) across broadcast, cable, and streaming partners.
• Campaign Stewardship: actively monitor live campaigns. This includes tracking pacing, managing under-delivery, negotiating ADUs (Audience Deficiency Units), and ensuring all spots run as planned. Assist in post-buy development.
• Linear Mastery (~50%): Manage the nuts and bolts of linear TV buying & planning, including stewardship of Upfront allocations and executing Scatter buys. You will have a key hand on the keyboard so to speak within Mediaocean and Nielsen NMI.
• CTV/OTT Mastery (~50%): Assist in setting up and optimizing programmatic streaming video campaigns (PMP/PG, D-IO) within DSPs and managing direct CTV partner deal relationships.
• Discrepancy Resolution: specific focus on clearing billing discrepancies and handling monthly reconciliations to ensure vendors are paid on time and clients are billed correctly.
• Reporting & Analysis: Compile weekly or monthly buy reports, post-log analysis, and MSA (Media Stewardship Accounting) data to provide the team with clear visibility into campaign performance against guarantees and or plan goals.
• Vendor Relations: Maintain day-to-day relationships with sales & marketing representatives from major networks and publishers and platforms (Disney, NBCU, Paramount, Roku, Amazon, Trade Desk, Tubi, etc.), keeping a pulse on product pipelines plus fire-sales and opportunistic inventory.
• Mentorship: Provide guidance, training and QA support to Senior Media Analysts and Analysts, helping them learn the fundamentals of planning, buying and video media platform management.

What You’ve Got:

• Experience: 3-5 years of hands-on media buying and or planning experience. You must have a strong foundation in Linear TV buying with a growing competency in bidable CTV/Digital Video.
• Balanced skillset: You are an expert in traditional TV mechanics (GRPs, CPMs, Dayparts, Posting) but are also comfortable navigating the premium ‘big glass on the wall’ digital video landscape (ie Impressions, Cohorts, VCR, Programmatic, Sponsorships and Full-Funnel measurement tiers).
• Tool Proficiency:
• Must Haves: Solid experience with Mediaocean (Spectra/OX) and Prisma is non-negotiable for this role.
• Strongly Preferred: Experience with Excel (Pivot tables, VLookups) and familiarity with DSPs (The Trade Desk, DV360) and or SSPs.  Seasonal-oriented client exposure is a plus!
• Financial Acumen: A hawk-eye for detail regarding budgets, flighting, and billing. You understand that a discrepancy of $100 matters as much as a discrepancy of $10,000.
• Negotiation Skills: You know how to push back on vendors to get better rates, added value, or better slotting for our clients.
• Agility: The ability to pivot quickly. We move fast at VaynerMedia, and you need to be able to adjust buys and flighting on the fly based on client needs working alongside social media Pro’s.
• Vayner Culture: You embody a "Honey Empire" attitude—you are kind, collaborative, and believe in working with your team to get the job done.

Unsure if you meet the qualifications? We are always looking for talent which will continue to cultivate an inclusive and representative team that will enhance our perspectives, skill sets, background, and behaviors.  We encourage those who are passionate about what we do to apply!

Exact compensation may vary based on skills, experience, and location.  

• Base Salary $80,000- $110,000
• Employer-sponsored 401k with match
• Medical, Dental, and vision coverage
• Unlimited PTO
• Caregiver (Parental) Leave
• Health and Wellness benefits

• NYC location (Hudson Yards) with hybrid schedule