Programmatic Media Group Manager

The Programmatic Media Group Manager is a highly experienced and influential leader responsible for shaping, executing, and optimizing Citi's programmatic media investments, specifically leading Citi’s programmatic media team. This pivotal role requires over 10 years of progressive experience, demonstrating expert-level, hands-on proficiency in leading media activation platforms, coupled with strategic oversight of technical implementations, advanced optimization methodologies, and rigorous analysis of performance and quality metrics. The incumbent will lead a hands-on-keyboard team, safeguarding Citi’s brand while driving significant business outcomes, managing and mentoring programmatic professionals, and ensuring robust governance and operational excellence. Reporting into the Head of Media Transformation and AdTech, this role is essential in influencing both Citi’s internal approach and the broader industry ecosystem through best-in-class strategic technology partnerships, positioning Citi at the forefront of a privacy-first, opt-in advertising experience.

Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership & Team Management: Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing in-house team of programmatic media analysts and coordinators. Oversee day-to-day operations, foster a culture of continuous learning, ensure high performance, and facilitate career growth for team members. Experience building and scaling an in-house programmatic media team is a significant plus.
• Advanced Platform Strategy & Execution: Define and lead Citi’s future-proof platform capabilities strategy, identifying, evaluating, and implementing best-in-class solutions for media activation, sophisticated optimization, and robust measurement. Maintain expert-level, hands-on proficiency in leading programmatic buying platforms, including non-negotiable expertise in DV360, to guide advanced campaign architecture, intricate bid strategies, and complex optimization challenges. Experience with Amazon and Yahoo DSPs is a nice to have.
• Key Vendor Management & Partnerships: Cultivate and lead strategic relationships with core programmatic vendors and technology partners. This includes driving joint business plans, fostering innovation, negotiating favorable terms, evaluating new vendor capabilities, and managing existing vendor performance to align with Citi’s long-term vision and media strategy.
• Deep Analytical & Optimization Leadership: Direct the application of advanced analytical insights, guiding the team in identifying actionable strategies from deep programmatic metrics including supply path optimization, attention data, sustainability metrics, and comprehensive media quality indicators.
• Agency & Partner Oversight: Provide senior strategic oversight and expert guidance for all agency programmatic strategies and operations, ensuring alignment with Citi’s objectives and best practices.
• Governance & Operations: Establish and enforce comprehensive governance frameworks for all programmatic media activities. This includes managing risk and control processes, ensuring meticulous documentation of strategies and execution, overseeing quality assurance (QA) protocols, facilitating internal and external audits, and managing billing forecasting and reconciliations for programmatic media spend.
• AdTech Commercial & Legal Strategy: Drive the AdTech contracting process, ensuring optimal transparency, control, and preferred rates. Collaborate extensively with Citi legal and compliance teams to navigate approvals for new and emerging technology utilization.
• Thought Leadership & Internal Advocacy: Serve as a subject matter expert, simplifying complex programmatic technology and vernacular for diverse internal groups. Champion the AdTech vision, delivering compelling narratives and influencing multiple levels of leadership across various organizations.
• Appropriately assess risk when business decisions are made, demonstrating particular consideration for the firm's reputation and safeguarding Citigroup, its clients and assets, by driving compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations, adhering to Policy, applying sound ethical judgment regarding personal behavior, conduct and business practices, and escalating, managing and reporting control issues with transparency, as well as effectively supervise the activity of others and create accountability with those who fail to maintain these standards.

Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in media, branding and advertising including managing teams
• 10+ years of progressive and proven experience within programmatic media, encompassing significant leadership or management responsibilities, whether client-side, publisher-side, or agency-side.
• Non-negotiable expert-level proficiency and extensive hands-on experience running campaigns in DV360.
• Demonstrated expert-level proficiency and extensive hands-on experience with leading programmatic activation platforms (DSPs), with a proven track record of driving significant performance improvements through advanced optimization techniques.
• Experience with Amazon and Yahoo DSPs is a plus.
• Proven success in managing, mentoring, and developing high-performing programmatic teams.
• Experience building an in-house programmatic media team is a plus.
• Deep and comprehensive expertise across the AdTech and MarTech ecosystems (audience management tools, DSP/SSP, bid management, ad serving, web analytics, identity solutions), including their strategic application and integration.
• Exceptional strategic thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities, with a focus on long-term impact.
• Superior analytical skillset, with a proven ability to derive and communicate strategic insights from vast and complex programmatic datasets to drive business outcomes.
• Proactive vision for the future of media in a privacy-first world, with demonstrated leadership in anticipating and navigating industry changes.
• Outstanding communication, presentation, and negotiation skills, capable of influencing and engaging executive-level stakeholders across a matrixed organization.
• Extensive experience working closely with legal, compliance, and procurement teams on technology contracting and approvals in a highly regulated environment. Financial services experience is a strong plus.
• Highly organized, process-driven, and capable of leading complex initiatives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Passionate about advertising and marketing and curious about new developments in the industry

Education:

• Bachelor’s/University degree, Master’s degree preferred

This job description provides a high-level review of the types of work performed. Other job-related duties may be assigned as required.
 

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In addition to salary, Citi’s offerings may also include, for eligible employees, discretionary and formulaic incentive and retention awards. Citi offers competitive employee benefits, including: medical, dental & vision coverage; 401(k); life, accident, and disability insurance; and wellness programs. Citi also offers paid time off packages, including planned time off (vacation), unplanned time off (sick leave), and paid holidays. For additional information regarding Citi employee benefits, please visit citibenefits.com. Available offerings may vary by jurisdiction, job level, and date of hire.

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