Back to jobs

Director, Programmatic

New York, NY, Irvington, NY

Activation – “The Operators & Negotiators”

At Attention Arc, we exist to make media matter. As part of our Activation team—the Operators & Negotiators—you shape how programmatic strategy, innovation, and execution come together to drive meaningful outcomes. This team ensures every investment is intentional, every decision is informed, and every impression contributes to measurable impact.

As a Director, Programmatic, you operate at the intersection of leadership, strategy, and craft. You guide teams with clarity, elevate the quality of thinking, and ensure our work reflects both analytical rigor and human insight. You are responsible for stewarding a portfolio of business, strengthening client trust, and setting the standard for how programmatic excellence shows up across Attention Arc.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

You lead programmatic strategy and operations with intention—connecting data, platforms, and people to deliver performance and progress.

Strategy & Activation Leadership

  • Architect programmatic strategies that translate client goals into actionable, platform-specific plans across display, mobile, video, OTT, CTV, and audio.
  • Lead programmatic inputs for RFPs, POVs, and new business efforts—bringing strong audience thinking, innovation, and clarity of approach.
  • Provide oversight across campaign structure, taxonomy, QA, pacing, and optimization to ensure consistency and quality.
  • Partner with DSPs and platforms to evaluate new capabilities, guide test opportunities, and integrate innovation into client roadmaps.
  • Establish and evolve best practices that improve efficiency, effectiveness, and cross-team collaboration.

Analytics, Measurement & Insight

  • Lead measurement strategy across your portfolio, ensuring tagging, reporting, and data flows align with client KPIs and business outcomes.
  • Guide teams in diagnosing performance trends, identifying risks early, and resolving complex challenges with clarity and confidence.
  • Elevate reporting and insights—ensuring outputs are clear, narrative-driven, and designed to drive action.
  • Shape investment decisions through performance patterns, audience behavior, and predictive insights.
  • Champion structured test-and-learn approaches that generate meaningful, scalable learning.

Client Partnership & Thought Leadership

  • Serve as a senior strategic partner to clients—translating complexity into clear recommendations and forward-looking opportunities.
  • Build trust through consistent delivery, honest communication, and thoughtful guidance grounded in both data and empathy.
  • Connect programmatic performance to broader marketing and business impact, identifying opportunities for growth across channels.

Leadership & Team Development

  • Lead and mentor supervisors and emerging leaders—building capability, confidence, and depth of craft across the team.
  • Foster a culture of shared ownership, curiosity, and collaboration through consistent modeling of the Arc Code.
  • Partner cross-functionally with Planning, Account, Analytics, and Creative teams to ensure integrated, cohesive work.
  • Support staffing, resourcing, and operational improvements to strengthen team performance and scalability.
  • Represent Programmatic in agency-wide initiatives and contribute to the evolution of our overall capability.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

You bring deep expertise, strategic clarity, and a leadership style grounded in both rigor and care.

  • 7+ years of programmatic experience across major DSPs, with the ability to lead strategy at both client and portfolio levels.
  • Strong ability to distill complexity into clear, actionable direction tied to outcomes.
  • Advanced analytical capabilities (Excel, Tableau, SQL, Python, or similar), paired with a mindset that turns data into insight and action.
  • Proven leadership experience, with a track record of developing talent, setting standards, and building high-performing teams.
  • Operational discipline with the ability to manage multiple workstreams while maintaining quality and consistency.
  • Strong client leadership skills, with the ability to build trust, navigate complexity, and guide decision-making.
  • A collaborative, no-ego approach that strengthens partnerships across teams and disciplines.
  • A forward-looking perspective—anticipating industry shifts and helping shape the evolution of programmatic at Attention Arc.

WHO YOU ARE

You are a strategic leader who brings clarity, direction, and intention to both the work and the people around you.

  • All In — You take full ownership of outcomes, leading with conviction, consistency, and a deep sense of responsibility.
  • No Sidelines — You create alignment across teams, fostering collaboration that strengthens ideas and elevates execution.
  • Move With Curiosity — You challenge assumptions, explore new possibilities, and use data to unlock smarter, more impactful decisions.
  • Truth With Heart — You communicate with honesty and empathy, building trust while guiding teams and clients through complexity.

You are a trusted advisor, a builder of capability, and a leader who strengthens both the craft and the culture.

SALARY & COMPENSATION

We believe transparency and fairness are essential to building trust and showing up with integrity. The salary range for this role is $110,000–$140,000, commensurate with experience, skills, and location.

In addition to base salary, this role may be eligible for performance-based bonuses and a comprehensive benefits package, including health coverage, retirement savings, paid time off, and ongoing learning and development opportunities.

We view compensation as part of your broader journey—supporting your growth as a leader, your impact on the business, and your ability to build meaningful, lasting work at Attention Arc.

WHO WE ARE

Attention Arc is a modern media agency built on a simple belief: we exist to make media matter. Media is too big to take for granted and too powerful to leave to chance. We bring together expertise, creativity, technology, and human attention to turn insight into impact and make every media dollar work smarter.

Our culture is shaped by our values:
All In — we show up with intensity and ownership.
No Sidelines — we collaborate without ego or boundaries.
Move With Curiosity — we ask why, explore boldly, and learn fast.
Truth With Heart — we communicate with honesty and empathy.

We are human-led, AI-accelerated, and purpose-driven. And we’re building a future where our work and culture speak for themselves.

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at Attention Arc? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Education

Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Attention Arc’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.