Programmatic Account Manager

Company description

We help brands make BOLD MOVES. Nowadays, brands want rapid, spectacular growth and they expect media to deliver it. Clients used to give us media briefs that said “deliver 80% awareness” or “give me an impactful Christmas campaign.” Now we hear “Take me from 4th to 1st in my category”, “Help me grow 10% in a market declining 10%”, “Make me the most loved brand in my industry”. These are huge asks of media that can’t be met through tweaking the media plan of two years ago. Decades of advertising research prove that without a big change, large brands stay large and small brands stay small. This is why Zenith help brands make BOLD MOVES. Bold moves are big, brave changes to media strategy, delivering more impact for brands and more value for consumers. Bold moves are backed up with a solid forecast – they are a better path to growth. Bold moves build a partnership – we believe in this approach so much we link our growth to your success. Bold Moves bring bigger ROI. This approach works for our clients, our people and consumers – it’s why we are recognised as the UK’s best media agency.

Our Commitment: At Zenith UK, we believe that fostering an inclusive culture where all talent can thrive makes our company stronger. It enables a greater idea exchange, which fosters innovation and creativity, and enriches our perspective. We are committed to Publicis Groupe’s wide variety of talent engagement and inclusion programming, and encourage our people to take an active role in continuing to drive positive change within our agency.

Overview

Our vision is to have a Programmatic product that we can be proud of, that stands up in the room, drives value for both clients and Publicis Media and has universal understanding across the business. We strive for:

• A department where employees feel recognised, fulfilled and energized to do great work.
• Award winning work, thought leadership and features in every pitch.
• The best product/technology and data on the market combined with the best client service.
• Everyone pulling in the same direction. All brands talking to the same proposition.
• Maximise every single commercial opportunity.

The OneProgrammatic team sits within the Performics unit of Publicis Media but is supported by the Publicis Media Exchange (PMX). PMX are our trading arm of Publicis Media. OneProgrammatic works across a variety of programmatic executions, including running self-serve campaigns on Demand Side Platforms (DSPs) and operational set ups & reporting when working with our internal partners APEX and Epsilon. OneProgrammatic trading covers Display, Online Video, YouTube, Connected TV (CTV) and Broadcast Video on Demand (BVOD).

Responsibilities

The Programmatic Manager is responsible for all aspects of programmatic campaign implementation and will line manage a small team of Programmatic Executives and Senior Executives. The Programmatic Manager will report into the Programmatic Account Director.

You will be responsible for:

• Media planning excellence – Developing media plans that deliver on the client KPIs and that also deliver the best commercial outcomes for Publicis Media. Always ensuring that all calculations are correct. Seeking opportunities to showcase innovative approaches and proven campaign strategies to all relevant stakeholders.
• Test and learn – Creating test and learn roadmaps with a particular focus on robust test designs, hypotheses and measurement. Bringing innovation to your programmatic media plans & embracing a test & learn culture across the emerging solutions in market (cookieless, retail media data, SVOD platforms).
• Operational excellence – Driving brilliant basics across the team, and continuously work to deliver operational efficiencies through automation and smart thinking. Proactively organising workflow and implementing a process-driven approach for the full end to end implementation of multiple campaign types. Working with internal teams to manage finance queries and PO tracking and ensuring that the use of QA technology is mandated to mitigate errors.
• PCAs – Showcasing campaign performance across leading DSPs such as DV360, The Trade Desk & Amazon by providing in-depth analysis that demonstrates results and key learnings that can easily be the basis of making future campaign decisions.
• Awards – Identify market leading work that has been delivered by you and your team. Proactively track upcoming award entry opportunities and draft submissions to play your part in the OneProgrammatic team becoming recognised for award winning work.
• Client contact via on weekly calls – Build strong and trusted relationships with your clients by demonstrating that you understand your client’s business inside and out. Use the time spent with clients to showcase campaign results and identify new opportunities to expand on positive learnings that drive business value.
• Team management – You will have a small team of Executives and Senior Executive who you are responsible for the learning & development and performance, setting and delegating by and communicating clearly and effectively.

Qualifications

• Accurately selects key metrics and dimensions relating to the client's business and marketing success measures to report marketing outcomes.
• Is inquisitive about data and delivers actionable business insights.
• Identifies the limitations of available data and generates creative, solution‑driven strategies for data usage.
• Has a high attention to detail when practising quality assurance and due diligence on their own work and the work of their team.
• Uses the appropriate technology (both Publicis proprietary solutions and industry solutions) to solve client business challenges.
• Uses technology to increase efficiency of iterative work outputs. Tests new technology to determine its value for client engagements. Champions the team to use and test new technology.
• Will confidently present the benefits of Publicis proprietary solutions, e.g. Epsilon, APEX, and T&I products.
• Works collaboratively across channels, engaging appropriate colleagues when necessary.
• Pursues opportunities to utilise their skills outside of core role expectations.
• Approaches change with a mindset that seeks opportunity and growth.
• Ensures equal opportunities and supportive ways of working are in place for teammates with equity requirements by working with the Talent team.

Additional information

Zenith UK offers a wide range of benefits to support our employees. Full details are shared when you join, but highlights include core benefits such as Pension, Life Assurance, and Private Medical cover, alongside enhanced policies like Reflection Days and Shared Parental Leave. You’ll also have access to a range of additional initiatives, including:

📖Please check out the Publicis Career Page which showcases our Inclusive Benefits and our EAG’s (Employee Action Groups).

Publicis Groupe works primarily from the office or our clients’ office four days per week.

At Zenith UK, we are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, and do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion or belief, disability, age, citizenship, relationship status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic.

We are committed to providing a fair, accessible, and inclusive recruitment process. If you have any access needs - for example, related to disability, neurodivergence, or a health condition - please let us know. We’ll work with you to ensure the process works for you. Sharing this information will never impact your application.

Guided by our values, we listen with empathy, uplift each other, take responsibility, and embrace change - building a culture where everyone feels seen, respected, and genuinely included.