Associate Director, Analytics - Media

About the role

The Associate Director, Media Analytics and Insights plays a crucial role in applying data-driven insights to Spark Foundry's planning, investment, and measurement processes. They are responsible for designing and implementing advanced measurement plans and longer-term roadmaps for clients, working closely with internal cross-functional teams and Analytics leads.

Responsibilities

• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders, facilitating synergy between planning and activation functions.
• Identify organic growth opportunities and partner with Client and Analytics leadership to convert these opportunities.
• Drive a culture of 'always-on' data-driven decision making that institutionalizes the use of consumer-driven analytics in media/marketing investment planning and activation.
• Scope and direct advanced analytics projects to ensure they answer valuable client and media team questions, and that timelines and scope are adhered to.
• Consult with senior client marketing and business leaders to define and answer the most important business questions.
• Advise on how to best leverage media and marketing investments to drive business results.
• Collaborate with the network to provide the client with thought leadership and leverage it to create meaningful and measurable marketing experiences.
• Underpin client marketing processes with 'big picture' measurement frameworks and KPIs that will be used to evaluate experiences and specific plans, campaigns, or investments across paid, owned, and earned media environments.
• Stay updated on the evolving media landscape, including research and emerging trends, to provide insight to both media teams and clients.
• Guide and work closely with the planning teams and client teams to deliver on 'data-driven' marketing investment decisions (how much, where, when, which channels, etc…).
• Create and manage deliverables against detailed project plans that align expectations with actionable outcomes.
• Provide a high-value consultation layer on top of analytics deliverables.
• Work collaboratively with the client media teams to align on the strategy, implementation, and measurement plans for all key accounts.
• Determine the best means of communicating analytical insights to clients that ensures understanding of results and application of the analyses is applied.
• Create presentations providing clear analytics stories – why the work is important, the truths that the analytics reveal, and the actions that should follow the analysis.
• Build the profile of Analytics within the agency by packaging and evangelizing best-in-class client work.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in performing analytics in marketing sciences capacity at a media agency, market research, or consulting company, or in-house at a brand.
• Working knowledge of databases and SQL is preferred.
• Knowledge of web measurement technologies: Ad serving platforms, website analytics software, and data visualization skills (e.g. Tableau, Datorama, PowerBI, etc.).
• Quantitative education or experience preferred (Statistics, Social Sciences, Economics, Quantitative Marketing).
• Experience in a cross-functional team environment with agency experience a big plus.
• Strong understanding of contemporary marketing analytics, advertising technology, and research techniques, as well as an innovative vision on how the practice should evolve to keep pace with the ever-changing marketing environment.
• Strong client management/consultative experience with both presenting and resolving issues.
• Extensive experience leading and managing marketing technology projects from ideation through implementation.
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills – a demonstrated ability to mine data for relevant and actionable insights.
• Solid written and verbal communication skills with ability to communicate/translate complex concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Strong understanding and experience with digital media buying, KPI development, and technology practices during campaign planning and execution.
• Demonstrated experience with programmatic audience buying concepts and execution.
• Powerful leadership qualities, as will be required to lead external and internal resources into new marketing effectiveness territories.
• Strong attention to detail, and be able to quality-check their teams' work to ensure that data anomalies/mistakes are caught prior to delivery of the analysis to the client teams.
• Strong management capabilities, both operationally (as well as strategically) to ensure that guidance is given to all teams on how to enhance the product as the account matures.
• Outgoing and able to integrate with fast-paced planning and activation teams.
• Able to cultivate excellent relationships with technology and research partners.
• Able to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Hands-on, problem-solving abilities – "can do" approach (someone who is a thinker and a doer).