Executive Director, Data Operations

Title: Executive Director, Data Operations

Location: Chicago United States

Job Description:

PHD is a global communications planning and media buying agency network delivering smart strategic thinking and creative innovation for the world’s leading brands. Brilliant media thinking is in our DNA. A culture of thought-leadership, creativity and innovation has seen us grow from a challenger agency in the UK, to a global leader with over 6,000 employees in over 100 offices worldwide. We combine the latest industry insight with the best creative minds to produce planning innovation and create award-winning work for some of the world’s largest advertisers. Finding a better way is our ethos and sums up how we approach everything – from a new client brief to the way we work.

Executive Director, Data Operations (PHD Media LLC, Chicago, IL)

Establish and maintain agency-wide standard practices for data operations, ensuring consistency and efficiency across technical systems and data management processes. Oversee the implementation and ongoing management of marketing intelligence processes and best practices to ensure system availability, performance, and compliance. Manage scoping and resourcing of data operations projects aligned with client business requirements; participate in recruiting and onboarding technical staff. Serve as primary point of escalation for critical data and system operational issues; coordinate with teams to develop and execute resolution plans prioritizing system stability and data integrity. Analyze resource utilization and project time allocation to optimize workload distribution and prevent over-extension of technical teams. Evaluate and select business intelligence tools and data platforms periodically to adapt to evolving media data needs and align with organizational standards. Define and enforce departmental data strategies, including standards for data ingestion, harmonization, storage, governance, and dashboard visualization. Act as the subject matter expert on data quality initiatives and business rules enforcement, ensuring adherence to best practices across onshore and offshore data teams. Collaborate with Media and Ad Operations teams to standardize taxonomy naming convention execution workflow and drive the integration of technology solutions supporting taxonomy management. Lead cross-functional and cross-organizational technical teams to identify and resolve complex data system issues, establish priorities, allocate resources, and implement process improvements. Promote adoption and effective use of in-house media Data Operations tools and processes to enhance operational efficiency. Develop and oversee a comprehensive departmental data management and integrity program, ensuring coordinated governance and consistent application across multiple accounts. Provide ongoing technical guidance and consultation to junior employees to uphold industry standards for data quality, compliance, and operational effectiveness. Drive cross-account documentation and standardization efforts for validating data implementation, optimization, and campaign reconciliation processes. Manage detailed documentation of technical workflows and project implementations; proactively identify and resolve data quality challenges and operational inefficiencies. Supervise Directors and Managers responsible for data operations, quality assurance, and support functions and foster team collaboration and professional development. Support individual growth of direct reports by aligning personal development goals with client and departmental objectives and skillset enhancement. Coordinate communication and collaborative workflows between internal team leads and distributed data operations teams to streamline data validation and reconciliation efforts. Maintain strong working relationships with cross-departmental teams (including Client Business, Strategy, Digital Investment, Programmatic, Search, Social) to support integrated data operations. Define and communicate department roles, responsibilities, and expectations, including RACI matrices, to ensure accountability and clarity. Lead development and maintenance of project implementation plans and change logs to support continuous improvement in data and account management operations. Demand the adoption of project management tools like Smartsheet, HIVE, and Microsoft Teams to ensure timely execution of technical initiatives. Up to 15% domestic travel required for business pitches, vendor events, and leadership summits and up to 5% international travel required to India and/or Mexico for leadership engagement. Telecommuting may be permitted up to 2 days per week. When not telecommuting, must report to PHD Media LLC at 225 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60601. Salary: $203,000 - $230,000 per year.

 

Minimum Requirements: Bachelor’s degree or U.S. equivalent in Management Information Systems, Computer Science, Data Science, Software Engineering, Business Information Systems, or related field plus 5 years of professional experience as a Data Manager, Data Operations Director, or any occupation/job title/position performing data operations and business intelligence functions for an advertising agency. Must also have the following SPECIAL SKILLS: 5 years of professional experience working with digital media data (including Ad Server, digital, social, and video); 5 years of professional experience working with Media Platforms including DCM, DV360, Google Ads, DoubleVerify, TradeDesk, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTik, and Prisma; 5 years of professional experience utilizing business intelligence tools including Advanced Excel, Tableau, and PowerPoint; 4 years of professional experience performing Data Management and Transformation using ETL tools, Alteryx, and SQL; 4 years of professional experience utilizing data storage and Cloud tools including AWS (including Redshift and S3) and Starburst.io; 4 years of professional experience working with search data; 3 years of professional experience working in an agile development environment and managing offshore teams; 3 years of professional experience writing business and technical requirements documentation, designing business rules, and administering BI tools; 3 years of professional experience working with offline data, IAS, and X (previously known as Twitter), as well as utilizing Datorama, Snowflake, and Looker/Looker Studio; 3 years of professional experience performing Project Management using HIVE, Smartsheet, and Microsoft Teams; 3 of professional experience performing client facing work in a management role and driving adoption and training; 3 years of professional experience using the data transformation features in Datorama; 2 years of professional experience utilizing Domo; 1 year of professional experience performing Media Planning using MediaTools; 1 year of professional experience utilizing Adverity, Python, and PowerBI; and 1 year of professional experience managing departmental requirements and projects.

This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on relevant experience, other job-related qualifications/skills, and geographic location (to account for comparative cost of living). The Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. For this role, benefits include: health insurance, vision insurance, dental insurance, 401(k), Healthcare Flexible Spending Account, Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, vacation days, sick days, personal days, paid parental leave, paid medical leave, and STD/LTD insurance benefits.

Compensation Range

$203,000 - $230,000 USD

This role is hybrid, requiring three (3) days per week in the office. The remaining two (2) days may be worked remotely. Specific in-office days will be discussed during the interview process, with flexibility to align with team needs. Please note that the number or required in-office days may be adjusted over time, potentially increasing the number of required in-office days based on business needs.