Saatchi & Saatchi

Associate Director, Media Business Operations

Saatchi & Saatchi$97K — $149K *
Media
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in finance, business, advertising, marketing, or related field preferred; experience may be substituted.
  • 7+ years supporting media operations and finance in advertising or in-house marketing teams.
  • Experience with tools like Prisma, MediaTools/Guideline, or similar.
  • Extensive background in media finance focusing on budget management and reconciliation.
  • Understanding of media campaigns, planning, and buying in an agency setting.
  • Strong budget management skills, comfortable with financial analysis.
  • Prior experience in a client-facing role or direct client presentations.
  • Excellent organizational skills with attention to detail.

Responsibilities

  • Manage and oversee media financials, including billing reconciliations and vendor invoice validation.
  • Collaborate with clients to provide updates and develop solutions to operational challenges.
  • Ensure campaign setups are accurate and aligned with financial expectations.
  • Engage in evaluations of buying tools and support process rollouts and integrations.
  • Work with vendors to create tailored solutions for agency needs.
  • Review, negotiate, and manage agency contracts in collaboration with the Legal team.
  • Address operational challenges and propose actionable solutions to leadership.

Benefits

  • Medical coverage
  • Dental and vision insurance
  • Disability insurance
  • 401K retirement plan
  • Parental and family care leave
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Flexible time off
Full Job Description
Overview

Digitas is seeking an Associate Director, Media Business Operations to join our team and provide operational and financial support and leadership to media campaigns and solutions for our prominent financial services client!

In this role, you will be responsible for the management and oversight of Media Business Operations initiatives for a small portfolio of clients. You will serve as a key stakeholder and point of contact between Digitas and our client, collaborating with agency teams and external partners to analyze financial inconsistencies and operational trends with the aim to refine and develop process.

Areas of focus will include monitoring client(s) financial health, agency systems evaluation, audit compliance, process architecture, legal contract support, and agency growth initiatives.

The ideal candidate brings a blend of operations, finance, media, and client partnership in an advertising agency operations environment. Experience working with tools such as Prisma, MediaTools/Guideline, or something similar will help shorten the runway to success.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a hybrid role that can be based out of either our Boston or Detroit office and will require onsite engagement an average of 3-4 days/week. Candidates local to one of those locations who are willing to commit to a hybrid schedule will be prioritized but highly qualified candidates in other ET/CT markets may also be considered.

Responsibilities

  • Manage, support, and own media financials for assigned clients and teams including monthly billing reconciliations, executing audits, vendor invoice validation, and similar tasks.
  • In partnership with the VP Media Business Operations, meet with client to present updates, identify and triage issues, and develop and implement solutions.
  • Ensure campaigns are properly set up in the system and regularly review campaigns for accuracy and alignment to financial, business, and operational expectations.
  • Serve as a key stakeholder in buying tool evaluations, process rollouts, user subscriptions and tool integrations including preparation of POVs, recommendations, etc.
  • Work with vendors to create solutions that work best to satisfy the needs of the agency and its clients.
  • Partner with the Legal team to review, negotiate, and manage agency contracts from a business and compliance standpoint.
  • Escalate operational challenges and financial inconsistencies to leadership and bring well-thought out solutions to the table.
  • Partner with multi-level, cross-functional media teams, finance, accounts payable, legal and leadership to ensure a seamless integration of work.
  • Evaluate, assess, and recommend the most effective financial and operational solutions to satisfy clients' objectives.
  • Maintain a clear and reasonable vision of "next steps" and the "big picture" during meetings or when the parameters of a project changes.
  • Meet regularly with Media Business Operations leads to evaluate task execution and provide ongoing feedback to improve efficiency.
  • Enforce adherence to internal audit controls and participate in external audits.
  • Serve as a leader and SME within the team and build relationships and trust with clients, vendors, and internal stakeholders on behalf of the team and the agency.
  • Assist in the completion of monthly staffing analysis reports, monitoring burn rates and advising on resource allocations as appropriate.
  • May mentor, motivate, manage and/or serve as escalation point for more junior Media Business Operations team members.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in finance, business, advertising, marketing, or related field preferred; experience may be substituted.
  • 7+ years of progressively-responsible professional experience supporting media operations and finance in an advertising agency environment or in-house marketing team.
  • Experience working with specialized tools like Prisma, MediaTools/Guideline, or similar.
  • Extensive experience managing media finance and operations initiatives with a specific focus on budget management and reconciliation.
  • An understanding of media campaigns, planning, and buying in an advertising agency environment.
  • Fiscally responsible with a knack for budget management - numbers are your friend.
  • Prior experience managing people and the ability to mentor and guide team members to get the best out of them while driving career growth and development.
  • Prior experience working with and presenting directly to clients.
  • Highly organized with an exceptional attention to detail.
  • Familiarity with prompt-based interaction and commonly used generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Google Gemini, DALL• E, Midjourney) is a plus, especially for tasks like ideation, research, or content generation.
  • Active listener with exceptional storytelling, verbal & written communication, presentation, and negotiation skills as well as a high degree of emotional intelligence.
  • A natural sense of urgency with an ability to work quickly, efficiently, and accurately within tight deadlines and constantly-evolving project parameters, scope, and goals.
  • Flexible and adaptable with an ability to manage and drive success across multiple concurrent projects and competing priorities.
  • Comfort operating with a high level of ownership, autonomy, and accountability.
  • Highly collaborative but independently capable.

Additional information

Our Publicis Groupe motto "Viva La Différence" means we're better together, and we believe that our differences make us stronger. It means we honor and celebrate all identities, across all facets of intersectionality, and it underpins all that we do as an organization. We are focused on fostering belonging and creating equitable & inclusive experiences for all talent.

Publicis Groupe provides robust and inclusive benefit programs and policies to support the evolving and diverse needs of our talent and enable every person to grow and thrive. Our benefits package includes medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401K, as well as parental and family care leave, family forming assistance, tuition reimbursement, and flexible time off.

Compensation Range: USD $97,375.00 - USD $149,296.00/Annually. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and the Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. Temporary roles may be eligible to participate in our freelancer/temporary employee medical plan through a third-party benefits administration system once certain criteria have been met. Temporary roles may also qualify for participation in our 401(k) plan after eligibility criteria have been met. For regular roles, the Company will offer medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401k, and paid time off. The Company anticipates the application deadline for this job posting will be 10/1/2026.

About Saatchi & Saatchi

Saatchi & Saatchi is a global advertising agency headquartered in New York City. The company was founded in London in 1970 by brothers Maurice and Charles Saatchi and is now part of the Publicis Groupe, a French multinational advertising and public relations company. Saatchi & Saatchi has over 6,000 employees in 114 countries and provides a range of advertising and marketing services to clients in various industries, including automotive, consumer goods, financial services, and telecommunications. The company is known for its creative and innovative advertising campaigns, including the iconic 'Nothing is Impossible' campaign for Toyota. Saatchi & Saatchi has won numerous awards for its work, including Cannes Lions, Clios, and Effies.
Learn more about Saatchi & Saatchi
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