Initiative - Sr. Associate Digital Activation (Programmatic)

The Senior Associate, Digital Activation possesses advanced tactical knowledge and programmatic expertise to develop innovative strategies and bring them to life in media buying tool (DSPs) to deliver impactful business results across various channels.  

You are detail-oriented, strategic with strong logical thought process, and an unparalleled focus on client solution & campaign outcome. Coupled with the ability to work collaboratively with audience strategy, communications design, and data & analytic teams, to translate programmatic campaign requirement into actionable engagements with the suitable inventory partners, data vendors, and technology providers.  

You demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the programmatic ecosystem & its key parties and stay up to date with the current trends & challenges facing the industry, to assist the team finding solution to ensure competitive edge to the client’s business.  

Reporting to Associate Director, Digital Activation (Team Lead), this interdisciplinary role requires the combination of strategy planning, hands-on-keyboard execution & ongoing optimization of programmatic campaign, as well as support for the Associate Director in training/coaching junior members and aid in uplifting the overall efficiency of the team’s operation.  

Key Responsibilities  

PRIMARY DUTIES EXPECTATION  

The Senior Associate, Digital Activation is responsible for providing strategic recommendations and setup programmatic campaigns in various DSPs in accordance with the client’s needs and expectations.  

You are accountable to execute & always maintain oversight on all aspects of programmatic campaign management processes – from campaign strategy, audience list set-up, tagging recommendations & implementation, to campaign setup in DSP consoles, delivery management (pacing/budget/spend), and insights analysis, as well as billing reconciliation.  

• Knowledgeable, keep track of, and actively share experience on programmatic media buying (both proven & emerging channels), optimization strategies, troubleshooting guides, brand safety practices  

• Be accountable for your own campaigns within the assigned Line of Businesses, while also assisting junior team members on the following tasks, including but not limited to:  

• Manage and communicate frequently with internal & external stakeholders to ensure they are kept up to date on the progress of tasks and campaigns results  

• Develop audience targeting, data approach, inventory strategy, tactical recommendation, budget allocation as parts of delivering data-informed & logically-sound proposals  

• Ensure that programmatic proposal and any improvements/changes to campaigns align to and deliver a consistent brand & positive user ad experience where possible  

• Fully understand & can articulate rationales behind your recommendations to all parties involved throughout the campaign lifecycle  

• Proactively ensure that governance practices are followed when executing digital media buys when required provide full transparency into buy decisions  

• Setup, monitor, and regularly optimize campaign as per best practices, while managing pacing, performance, and quality to achieve campaign objectives  

• Generate & analyze reports not only from DSPs but also technology platforms to ensure visibility into where ads are appearing as well as implement automated reports that tracks campaign performance and support the development of new metrics  

• Perform campaign analysis, by turning large amounts of segmentation data into actionable insights, to assist with KPI setting and campaign benchmarks, optimizing and providing budget re-allocation guidance  

• Offer insights on how to improve campaign effectiveness through deep use of data and platforms functionality  

• Ensure that data sources (e.g. remarketing lists, 1st party data) and technologies (custom bidding) connect properly as well as perform maintenance on these integrations when needed  

• Ensure that data management and sharing conform to privacy and security requirements  

• Troubleshoot & involve relevant stakeholders to resolve campaign issues in a timely manner  

• Ensure full delivery of campaigns with performance that meets or exceeds client’s goals  

• Manage & maintain a direct relationship with key digital partners, DSP/SSP/DMP/technology providers – stay up to date on current offerings & work closely with partners to ensure pacing & performance are as expected, any algorithm changes that could impact campaign outputs, as well as to understand new opportunities/features & limitations of implementation  

SECONDARY RESPONSIBILIIES  

-     Actively assist Associate Director, Digital Activation in the following areas, including but not limited to:  

• Identify knowledge gaps among programmatic campaign managers and drive initiatives/trainings to address them  

• Recognize process inefficiency & pressure points and propose solutions/procedures in collaboration with internal and external parties  

• Help build, maintain, and update best practice documentations for multiple DSPs, data/technology platforms – when it comes to campaign setup, supply strategy, etc  

• Maintain up to date knowledge and assist in the implementation of brand safety and suitability guidelines mitigating unfavourable adjacencies for the brand  

• Ensure the use of multi-layered approach to monitoring and safeguarding data to reduce the risk of unauthorized access, use or disclosure of data. Follow & ensure the team follow-through incident protocols in the event of a data breach  

• Shape & drive assigned task/projects to completion  

Qualifications  

• Mid to intermediate experience in programmatic media management with a leading advertising agency, publisher, advertising exchange or optimization firm  

• Knowledge of digital buying best practices, digital marketing and strong familiarity with self-serve buying platforms (ie. DV360, Xandr, The Trade Desk, AmazonAds, Yahoo DSP) would give leverage to this application.  

• Exceptionally meticulous, detailed-oriented, and organized self-starter  

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively, execute quickly and proactively for campaign success in a deadline-driven environment  

• Office suite fluency, including MS Excel pivot tables, Sharepoint, Google Sheets  

• Communication skills (verbal & written); ability to provide concise, clear reporting & actionable analysis  

• Excellent quantitative and analytical skills with the ability to draw conclusions based on data  

• Proven ability to self-check work to ensure results are error-free  

• Ability to plan, organize and work on multiple tasks simultaneously  

• Curious and passionate for continuous development with keenness to learn new platforms and technology  

Initiative is an equal opportunity employer, committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, colour, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, citizenship, genetic information, disability, or any other basis prohibited by applicable federal, provincial, or municipal law.  

Why Join Omnicom Media Canada

At Omnicom Media Canada, careers are designed for growth. We’ve purposefully crafted a transformative talent experience built with accountability in action - focused on community, impact, and opportunity.

Community - We build a culture where our people show up for each other, grow together, and win together.

Impact - Your work creates real outcomes — for clients, for the business, and for the industry.

Opportunity - We give you the runway, resources, and support to keep rising — on your terms and at your pace.

Omnicom Media Canada is dedicated to cultivating a workplace that not only respects but actively champions Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity through Action (IDEA). This commitment ensures our workforce reflects the rich cultural mosaic of Canada, shaping how our teams, leadership, and client relationships thrive.

This is an active vacancy. We are currently hiring for this role and reviewing applications on an ongoing basis.

Expected Salary: $55,000 - $65,000

Omnicom Media is providing the compensation range that the company is willing to pay for this position based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities.

In addition, Omnicom Media provides rewarding offerings such as:

• Generous paid time off with a minimum of 37 paid days off including vacation and monthly wellness days. We also have four-day long weekends, half-day summer Fridays, and meeting-free Friday afternoons year-round.

• A flexible hybrid work model that works for you.

• A focus on personal development with formal training opportunities, including mental health training and inclusion education for everyone.

• A chance to be part of and grow within a global network of agencies.

• The opportunity to contribute to our company culture by joining one of our many community-based employee groups, such as Black Employee Network, Girls on Fire, Hispanic or Latinx Alliance, Neuro Network, Pan-Asian Network, and Rainbow Lounge.