Associate Director, Video Investment Group

Company Description

About Spark Foundry:  
Spark Foundry is a global media agency that exists to bring HEAT – Higher Engagement, Affinity, and Transactions – to brands. By combining flawless media fundamentals with aggressive innovation, Spark inspires consumers to pay more attention, to care more about our clients’ brands, and to buy more products and services from them. 
 
Balancing the nimble spirit of a startup with the powerhouse soul of Publicis Media, Spark Foundry delivers the best of both worlds to a client roster that spans some of the world’s best and most beloved brands and companies. We combine boutique-caliber insights and service with the buying clout and first-look access of a global leader, bringing the heat to challenger brands that want to act like giants, and to giant brands that want to act like challengers. 
 
With a bottom-up culture that celebrates diversity and aims for all voices to be heard, Spark has become a magnet for the industry’s best talent, with one of the best retention rates in the industry. And by applying a whole-person approach to professional and personal development, Spark develops a workforce that is well prepared for today’s challenges, and also poised to create meaningful careers in the years to come.  
 
Because we know that heat arises the intersection of complementary forces, our professionals come from myriad disciplines and backgrounds: data, analytics, and insights, content and creative production, communications and strategy, finance and marketing, and sociology, psychology, and other liberal arts disciplines. 
 

Job Description

Overview:  
The Associate Director is responsible for executing strategies including purchasing upfront buys across linear and connected TV, negotiating scatter needs, and developing POVS on industry and client-specific topics. The AD is also responsible for the training and guidance of Managers and Associates in all aspects of their tasks, including ensuring buys run as planned/purchased and that process is in place with internal tools to facilitate a smooth transition from buy, to air, to billing.

Role Objectives: 

• Negotiate Upfront and Scatter purchases across Broadcast, Cable and OTT

• Create recommendation documents 
• Develop and deliver POV/position papers on key issues/opportunities 
• Oversee brand allocations and corporate ownership 
• Oversee billing discrepancies 

• Check that schedules are inputted correctly 
• Review/assist in post buy analysis 
• Work with team to ensure all buys deliver in full

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in media, online video required, national broadcast preferred
• Strong quantitative skills, including analytical abilities and math proficiency 
• Solid verbal and written communication skills 
• Technical proficiency, particularly with the following tools: 
  • Mediaocean, MBOX 
  • Third-party ad measurement and traffic tools (e.g.Integral Ad Science) 
  • Excel, Word, PowerPoint 
• Demonstrate critical thinking and problem-solving abilities 
• Ability to work successfully with teams, handle multiple projects, and meet tight deadlines under pressure 
• Demonstrates leadership skills 
• Stronger than average negotiation skills due to high volume of scatter 
• Account industry knowledge helpful, but not required 

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

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