Associate Director, Client Operations

Key Responsibilities

• Drive operational accountability, consistency, and continuous improvement across the portfolio of brands.
• Serve as a primary operational contact, managing escalations and ensuring timely resolution of operational and compliance-related issues.
• Identify opportunities to improve workflows, leverage automation and emerging technologies, and increase operational efficiency.
• Conduct root cause analysis to identify challenges, develop solutions, and implement sustainable improvements.
• Build and drive adoption of integrated processes supporting creative delivery and media activation across channels.
• Lead the development and implementation of operational playbooks, templates, toolkits, and best practices.
• Drive adoption and effective use of workflow and media technologies, including Mediatools, Mediaocean/Prisma, Asana, and OMNI.
• Support change management initiatives to embed new processes, tools, and technologies across the team.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Governance
• Partner with Client Business Leads, Strategy Leads, Craft Leads, Finance, and other stakeholders to align operational priorities with client goals.
• Support centralized account governance and maintain clear, current operational documentation.
• Communicate operational status, risks, challenges, and recommendations to leadership and client partners.
• Support the Group Director in identifying and implementing industry best practices and evolving operational capabilities.

Commercial & Financial Stewardship

• Oversee SOW management, including scope planning, resource allocation, and staff deployment in partnership with Client Business Leads.
• Oversee budget management, invoicing, reporting, and audit/QA processes to ensure accuracy, compliance, and timely delivery.
• Manage quarterly labor tracking and burn reporting in partnership with Finance; identify variances and recommend corrective actions.
• Monitor Media Activation Plans, including campaign budgets and fees, to ensure on-time and on-budget delivery of client monthly authorizations.
• Identify opportunities to improve financial tracking, reporting accuracy, and efficiency through tools and automation.

Required Skills & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field with 7-10+ years of media experience, including demonstrated expertise in operations.
• Healthcare/pharmaceutical experience strongly preferred; planning, buying, analytics, and/or Martech experience is a plus.
• Proven experience managing operational deliverables across a complex media account or as part of an Agency Operations team.
• Strong understanding of media workflows, including media dollar lifecycle, campaign planning, activation, and reporting processes.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with ability to investigate issues, develop solutions, and communicate recommended solutions clearly.
• Exceptional organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while maintaining accuracy and quality.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with ability to build effective relationships and collaborate across functions and levels of an organization.