Ad Operations Manager in London

Location: London, Hybrid

Salary: £50,000 - £70,000 + Share Options

Reporting to: Head of Programme Operations

The Role

We’ve taken the Ad Operations discipline, the one that runs the backbone of every media agency, and pointed it at something new: brand advocacy programmes. This role doesn’t exist anywhere else in the market. We’re building it.

Programme Operations (Senior Programme Operator)

Programme Operations is a brand new function at Duel. We’re hiring a Senior Programme Operator to own the execution of programmes for our enterprise brands. The largest contracts, the most complex programmes, the highest commercial stakes. You’ll be one of the founding members of the function, helping define the operating rhythms, optimisation frameworks and playbooks the rest of the team will run from.

We’re Looking For Someone Who Will...

• Run programme operations end to end for our highest value enterprise brands, from architecture, configuration and QA through to launch, weekly optimisation and performance reporting.
• Design advocacy programmes that translate complex brand objectives into structures built to perform: acquisition flows, task design, reward mechanics, tier logic, community triggers.
• Monitor performance across multiple concurrent programme variants, diagnosing root causes when engagement, task completion or advocate activity drops, before the brand notices.
• Act as the primary operational contact for stakeholders, translating programme performance into the commercial language a brand CMO actually cares about.
• Run a Continuous Optimisation and Testing Cycle.
• Execute advanced A/B testing strategies, including multivariate, sequential and cohort based testing, with proper hypotheses, appropriate controls and enough statistical proficiency to trust the results.
• Make judgement calls about when to scale winners versus iterate further, balancing commercial pressure to show results with the discipline to wait for meaningful signals.
• Conduct programme audits that evaluate whether programmes are delivering against commercial objectives, not just engagement vanity metrics.
• Identify when programme issues require product fixes versus operational optimisation, and elevate clearly when the answer isn’t in your hands.
• Build the Function as You Go.
• Create the operational processes, playbooks, SOPs and reporting standards for Programme Ops. They don’t exist yet, and you’ll be the one writing them.
• Document learnings and translate them into frameworks that your team can apply across mid-market and SME brands. What you build at the top scales down.
• Mentor junior operators by reviewing their test designs, questioning their analysis and helping them develop the judgement that separates competent execution from sharp thinking.
• Work alongside Managed Services to flag inefficiencies, identify tasks that should be automated and compress the manual layer so everyone’s time goes further.

We’d Love to Hear from You If You Have...

• 4 to 6+ years in ad operations, campaign management or activation, ideally agency side, managing multiple high value accounts simultaneously under real commercial pressure.
• Deep experience in social ad ops (Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest or similar) with sophisticated campaign structures, optimisation strategies and meaningful budgets.
• A proven track record running complex A/B testing programmes with statistical analysis of results. Not as a theoretical skill, but as something you’ve done repeatedly on real accounts.
• Experience translating technical performance data into business outcomes for senior clients or internal leadership, and managing expectations when the story isn’t simple.
• Advanced understanding of A/B testing methodology, including multivariate testing, sequential analysis and Bayesian approaches. You know what a properly designed test looks like and can spot the ones that aren’t.
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in SQL, Looker, Tableau, Python/R or equivalent. You get your own data, you don’t wait for someone else.
• Comfortable using AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT or similar) to analyse datasets, automate repetitive tasks and accelerate operational work. You already use these in your current role as part of how you work, not as a novelty.
• Systems thinking that lets you see second order effects. When you change one variable, you instinctively consider what else it might impact.

The Person

You combine execution with commercial alignment. You understand that every programme has a revenue line attached to it.

You’re comfortable owning high stakes work where mistakes have material consequences, and that focus improves your work rather than paralysing it.

You’re curious about causation. You dig into why performance changed, not just that it changed.

You work autonomously, you communicate clearly with senior stakeholders, and you know when something needs to be escalated rather than solved alone.

You’re comfortable with ambiguity. This function is new, the playbook doesn’t exist (just yet). You make the best decision available and keep moving.

This is a founding role in a function that will become one of the most commercially important in the company. The people who get in early will shape how it works and how it scales. If that excites you more than it worries you, we should talk.

Bonus Points For

• Experience with brand advocacy, influencer marketing, creator programmes or community driven marketing.
• Familiarity with gamification mechanics, reward systems or behavioural engagement design.
• Background with enterprise retail or beauty brands.
• A track record of building automation that eliminates manual work at scale.

In-Person and Remote Working Balance

We do much of our best work together in person, which is why we’re hiring people within commuting distance of our London or New York offices. But we also recognise the value of deep work at home. Our hybrid philosophy gives you freedom and flexibility, you do you, as long as it’s not at the expense of others.

Duel Perks and Package

• Flexible working hours – if you need to fit around childcare or need to work around your life, we understand.
• Around 32 days of Annual Leave (28 excluding bank holidays and an extended break between Christmas and New Year, when we close the office).
• On‐going training where required.
• Options scheme for all full‐time employees – it’s important to us that everybody owns a part of the company and shares in the benefits of what we build.
• Company MacBook to work from.
• £350 WFH Set‐Up.
• Headspace Contributions.
• Personal Development budget and support.
• 2 additional days leave for volunteering.