Head of Programmatic Inventory and Yield Management

News can change the world, save lives, and bring us all closer together through empathy and understanding - but not if it isn’t read. Out of the hundreds of millions of articles and posts, how do we deliver the information that matters the most? How do we avoid the filter bubble of personalization and widen people’s interests and knowledge?

SmartNews is creating an entirely new model for the news industry. Our mission is to evaluate (in real-time) what makes a quality story and deliver the stories that matter to people who need it. We are dedicated to the idea that people make better decisions when provided with better information.

We’re not there yet, but we have a great head start. We’re one of the very few pre-IPO, (double) unicorns focused on the news with thousands of publisher partners globally. Founded in Tokyo in 2012, SmartNews has become the go-to source of news for users around the world. We have more than 20M+ monthly active users worldwide, billions of channel interactions, and article pageviews generated per month.

Join us and be a part of the solution as we work to escape the filter bubble, strengthen democracy, and help people be better informed.

About you

You are a passionate, disciplined and experienced programmatic manager capable of leading and growing our global programmatic advertising business in the US and JP with a plan to expand to other countries in the near future. You will be responsible for fundamentally shaping our programmatic offering, executing revenue strategies and identifying opportunities for expansion and general business operations. With responsibilities in the US and JP, you are capable of orchestrating and developing strategic efficiencies across all programmatic partnerships to create sustained revenue growth in each market. This includes strengthening the foundations of the new JP programmatic strategies and platform overall, while accelerating revenue growth in the US.

Responsibilities

Developing unique strategies and approaches that mutually benefit the US and JP markets while recognizing the nuances of each market to maximize revenue capture across each market, while leading ops teams in both markets. Assess and audit the US programmatic strategy, team staffing R&R, and develop recommendations to accelerate revenue growth, improve efficiency and yield.

• Deliver quarterly programmatic revenue goals.
• Develop and grow partnerships with partners, including SSPs, DSPs, and data providers.
• Collaborate with Ads Product and Engineering to develop SDK integration strategies and product recommendations.
• Manage, optimize various ad exchanges/ad networks partners to optimize yield, maximize revenue.
• GAM set-up, ad unit creation, key value creation, etc, for 3P integrations
• Set day-to-day pricing rules for monetization partners, bidding partners, SSP’s, etc
• Analyze programmatic performance data and identify areas of improvement.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Sales, Product, Business, Ad Ops, and Trust Safety & Operations Excellence (TSOE) team to ensure seamless programmatic operations.
• Accountable for reports and presentations on programmatic performance, and stay up-to-date on the latest trends and developments in the programmatic advertising space in the US and JP
• Lead negotiations and contract discussions with programmatic advertising partners, ensuring favorable terms and conditions.
• Provide regular reporting and updates on programmatic advertising revenue, performance, and market trends to senior management.
• Ensure quarterly programmatic revenue goals are achieved

Requirements

• Minimum of 5-7 years of experience in programmatic advertising, preferably with a publisher: demonstrated understanding of the programmatic landscape and how to navigate its complexities.
• Proven track record of success in driving revenue and optimizing yield: to showcase the candidate’s ability to generate positive results (revenue) in a programmatic setting.
• Strong analytical and data-driven mindset: essential for analyzing performance, identifying trends, and making informed decisions.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and negotiation skills: for building relationships with partners (external) and stakeholders (internal).
• Experience working with major programmatic advertising platforms: e.g., Google Ad Manager, DV360, The Trade Desk) is highly desirable.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, manage multiple priorities, and meet tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with industry partners.

Nice to have experience

• Has built programmatic GTM from scratch, and grown existing platforms
• Experience working in a startup: demonstrates candidate’s ability to be adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity, especially in the evolving field like programmatic advertising.
• Experience working with programmatic ad ops at an online publisher in the US and abroad: provides deeper understanding of nuances of different markets.
• Experience with specific programmatic tools/technologies: expertise in additional tools such as DMPs, DSPs,SSPs and data analytics platforms can further enhance the candidate’s capabilities.

Benefits

• Equity included
• 401(k) matching program
• 100% medical, dental and vision insurance coverage (for self and family)
• Benefit plan with monthly allowances
• Free lunch, snacks, drinks at the office

Compensation range of $180,000~$250,000 base salary, plus bonus and equity.