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- Tasks: Lead and evolve the UK programmatic function, driving strategy and operational excellence.
- Company: Dynamic company based in London, focused on innovation and collaboration.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career development, and a vibrant work culture.
- Why this job: Shape the future of programmatic advertising in a fast-paced environment.
- Qualifications: 7-10 years in programmatic advertising with strong leadership experience.
- Other info: Join a team that values creativity, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
The predicted salary is between 72000 - 108000 £ per year.
Reporting to the Global Operations Director and based in our new office near Victoria in London, this role is responsible for leading and evolving the UK programmatic function. The core focus covers strategic leadership, operational excellence, audience strategy, regional enablement (UK), product, analytics & technical collaboration, creative integration, and future readiness within the UK market. The Programmatic Director (UK) sets and drives the UK programmatic strategy, ensuring operational excellence, audience-led planning, and close collaboration with Product, Analytics, Insights, Technical Solutions and Creative. While global frameworks may be defined centrally, this role is accountable for implementing, refining and optimising them for the UK market — driving client revenue growth and performance through excellence in programmatic delivery.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic Leadership & Market Planning (UK)
- Define and evolve the UK programmatic strategy in alignment with global commercial, operational and product priorities.
- Translate global strategic priorities into actionable UK frameworks, standards and KPIs.
- Anticipate and prepare the UK function for industry shifts (privacy, identity, AI, media, creative, tech).
- Act as senior advisor to the Global Operations Director on UK programmatic innovation, performance and competitive positioning.
- Lead structured innovation and test-and-learn initiatives within the UK market.
- Ensure UK programmatic strategy is commercially aligned to revenue growth and margin improvement.
- Lead and mentor the UK Programmatic team (regional leads, managers, traders and hub teams where applicable).
- Set clear expectations to drive UK programmatic performance and revenue growth through excellence in execution.
- Ensure global frameworks, standards and audience strategies are embedded effectively within the UK market.
- Foster a culture of accountability, communication and knowledge sharing across UK teams.
- Partner with other regional leads to share best practice and elevate standards.
- Audience & Media Strategy (UK Market)
- Develop and oversee a UK audience strategy aligned to global principles, with clear frameworks for segmentation, targeting, data usage and measurement.
- Collaborate with Analytics and Insights to build predictive, privacy-compliant audience approaches tailored to the UK market.
- Ensure audience insights inform planning, optimisation and performance measurement.
- Identify opportunities for smarter buying, improved efficiency and increased client revenue through audience refinement.
- Creative Integration (UK)
- Partner closely with the Global Creative Production Director and UK Creative leads to align audience strategies, media activation and creative approaches.
- Develop structured creative testing frameworks (variant testing, DCO, contextual creative strategies) for deployment within UK programmatic channels.
- Ensure media performance insights inform creative strategy, and creative learnings feed back into media activation.
- Champion innovative creative activations in programmatic environments within the UK market.
- Operational Excellence & Governance (UK)
- Own and evolve UK programmatic operating workflows including trafficking, targeting, optimisation, QA, reporting and performance frameworks.
- Ensure adherence to global playbooks and SLAs, adapting where necessary to UK market realities.
- Monitor UK performance dashboards, proactively resolving issues and driving continuous improvement.
- Partner with Technical Solutions and Product to improve workflows, tooling and automation within the UK function.
- Ensure high standards of delivery, accuracy, compliance and efficiency.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Work closely with Product, Analytics, Insights, Technical Solutions and Creative to ensure UK executional excellence.
- Performance Oversight & Commercial Impact (UK)
- Oversee UK programmatic performance against agreed KPIs.
- Drive improvement in Cost of Sale while balancing scale, efficiency and margin.
- Identify systematic opportunities to increase UK client revenue through audience optimisation, creative testing, and smarter buying strategies.
- Capability Building & Culture
- Drive UK capability development through structured training, certification and coaching.
- Build a culture of excellence, collaboration and innovation.
- Ensure strong alignment between UK and global programmatic standards.
- Establish clear career pathways and skills development opportunities within the UK function.
Ideal Background
- 7–10 years in programmatic advertising with UK market leadership experience.
- Strong hands-on campaign management experience across major DSPs.
- Proven experience establishing and managing operational processes, including remote or hub teams.
- Demonstrated success in strategic programmatic leadership, audience strategy and operational excellence.
- Experience collaborating closely with Product, Analytics, Insights, Technical Solutions and Creative teams.
- Strong commercial acumen and ability to drive revenue growth through frameworks, innovation and capability building (rather than direct client ownership).
- Strategic thinker with deep programmatic expertise.
- Excellent communicator, able to influence senior stakeholders.
Programmatic Director/Head of Trading - UK employer: Crimtan
Contact Detail:
Crimtan Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Programmatic Director/Head of Trading - UK
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with industry folks on LinkedIn or at events. We all know that sometimes it’s not just what you know, but who you know that can land you that dream role.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company inside out. Understand their programmatic strategies and be ready to discuss how your experience aligns with their goals. We want to see you shine!
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your expertise during interviews. Bring examples of past successes in programmatic advertising and how you've driven revenue growth. We love hearing about real results!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we’re always looking for passionate individuals who can help us evolve our programmatic function.
We think you need these skills to ace Programmatic Director/Head of Trading - UK
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to reflect the specific skills and experiences that align with the Programmatic Director role. Highlight your strategic leadership and operational excellence in programmatic advertising, as these are key for us.
Showcase Your Experience: Don’t just list your past roles; share specific achievements that demonstrate your hands-on campaign management and audience strategy expertise. We want to see how you've driven revenue growth and improved performance in previous positions.
Be Clear and Concise: Keep your application straightforward and to the point. Use bullet points where possible to make it easy for us to see your qualifications at a glance. Remember, clarity is key when communicating your experience and ideas!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to submit your application directly through our website. This ensures that your application gets to the right people quickly and efficiently, making it easier for us to review your credentials.
How to prepare for a job interview at Crimtan
✨Know Your Programmatic Stuff
Make sure you brush up on the latest trends in programmatic advertising, especially in the UK market. Be ready to discuss how you would adapt global strategies to local needs and demonstrate your understanding of audience-led planning.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples of how you've led teams in the past, particularly in a programmatic context. Highlight your experience in mentoring and driving performance, as this role requires strong leadership to guide the UK Programmatic team.
✨Be Data-Driven
Familiarise yourself with analytics and insights that inform audience strategies. Be prepared to discuss how you've used data to optimise campaigns and drive revenue growth, as this is crucial for the role.
✨Collaborate Like a Pro
This position involves working closely with various teams. Think of examples where you've successfully collaborated across departments, especially with Product, Analytics, and Creative teams, to achieve common goals.