12+ years of experience in media management with a proven record of handling $100M+ in aggregate media spend.
A media agnostic expert who understands diverse platforms without preference.
High emotional intelligence to simplify complex concepts for clients and navigate corporate politics.
Data fluent with understanding of marketing measurement methodologies like MMM and MTA.
Responsibilities
Co-develop agency's strategic vision for future media activation.
Create frameworks for profitability and sustainable growth across all media channels.
Implement unified audience-first strategies across media partners and channels.
Leverage high-level connections for competitive advantages in media buying.
Expand media market presence beyond major platforms to include niche publishers.
Lead and mentor the largest team in the agency, focusing on career growth and diversity.
Establish best practices for campaign setup, optimization, and reporting.
Benefits
Comprehensive healthcare, dental, and vision coverage.
Unlimited paid time off (PTO).
401k contributions to support retirement savings.
Monthly stipends for wellness, mobile phone, and internet expenses.
Generous annual learning and tuition stipends for professional development.
One-time home office equipment stipend for new hires.
16 weeks of parental leave for primary caregivers, 6 weeks for secondary caregivers.
Opportunity to work from anywhere for 4 weeks each year.
Full Job Description
The Role:
As the VP, Head of Activation, you will lead the largest and most dynamic engine within our Client Solutions department. This isn't a role for a spectator. You will be the architect of our execution strategy, overseeing a multi-channel powerhouse that spans all media that Kepler buys, consults, creates, or analyzes on behalf of clients. You will bridge the gap between high-level brand storytelling, agency innovation, and granular technical media execution. We need a visionary who understands that "performance" and "brand" are two sides of the same coin, and who possesses the industry clout and ability to negotiate at the highest levels with ad technology and media partners. Key Responsibilities: 1. Strategic Vision & Innovation
The Future of Agentic Media Activation: Co-develop the "North Star" for how our agency activates media in a rapidly evolving agentic-powered world.
Full-Funnel Integration: Create frameworks that drive profitable, sustainable growth across all media channels.
Omni-Channel Mastery: Ensure teams are implementing a unified strategy across all media partners and channels, via media platforms and Direct IOs, moving away from "channel-first" thinking to "audience-first" activation.
2. Partnership & Ecosystem Management
Deep Relationships: Leverage existing high-level connections at major platforms and publishers to secure first-to-market alphas, better rates, and strategic support.
Diversification: Expand our footprint beyond the Big Three. You should be as comfortable discussing a custom content integration with a niche publisher as you are discussing a YouTube Masthead buy.
3. Leadership & People Operations
Scale the Team: Lead, mentor, and grow the largest sub-department in the agency. You are responsible for the career mapping and retention of a diverse group of specialists.
Culture of Excellence: Foster an environment of continuous testing, learning, and critical thinking.
Global Activation for NAM: Manage high-performing global Activation teams that support Kepler's North America business.
4. Operational Excellence
Standardization: Develop global best practices for campaign setup, optimization, and reporting to ensure "best-in-class" work is the baseline, not the exception.
Technology Stack: Influence the selection and implementation of Kip, the Kepler Intelligence Platform, and our ad tech stack of preferred 3rd party tools and partnerships (e.g., DSPs, Buying/Bidding Tools, Analytics suites).
The Ideal Profile
12+ Years of Experience: You've spent over a decade in the weeds and in the boardroom, with a proven track record of managing $100M+ in aggregate media spend.
Media Partner and PlatformAgnostic: You aren't "a Google person" or "a Social person." You are a Media person who understands how brands grow, how people interact with brands, and which media opportunities will resonate best for sustainable growth.
High EQ: You can translate complex technical jargon into "client-speak" and navigate the internal politics of a large agency or corporate structure with grace.
Data-Fluent: You don't need to be a data scientist, but you must be able to challenge a measurement framework and understand the nuances of advanced measurement methodologies such as MMM (Marketing/Media Mix Modeling) and MTA (Multi-Touch Attribution).
Transparency is fundamental to Kepler's culture. Our compensation strategy is designed to attract, reward, and retain the talented employees that drive Kepler's growth and success. We aim to offer competitive direct compensation and a rich indirect compensation program that demonstrates the value we place on our employees and their wellbeing.
