Digital Marketing/Communications Manager: Paid Media Buying — Publisher Direct, Endemic Trade & Programmatic

Responsibilities

• Publisher-Direct & Endemic Trade Media Buying
• Develops and evolves the annual endemic media plan, defining publisher mix, placement types, flighting, and budget allocation against campaign and business objectives.
• Negotiate rates, added value, and contract terms directly with trade publishers, evaluating rate cards against audience quality, historical performance, and comparable market benchmarks.
• Manages the full buy cycle from RFP and proposal evaluation through insertion order execution, trafficking, in-flight monitoring, make-good resolution, and post-campaign reconciliation.
• Assesses publisher audience composition, circulation and traffic claims, and third-party verification data to determine whether a placement reaches the intended buyer audience.
• Establishes scalable frameworks for publisher evaluation and renewal decisions, including performance thresholds that determine which partners scale, hold, or sunset.
• Maintains the publisher relationship portfolio, conducting regular performance reviews and surfacing new inventory, formats, and first-look opportunities.
• Sponsorships, Custom Content & Print Placements
• Plans and executes sponsorship packages including newsletter takeovers, webinars, research reports, awards programs, and industry event presence.
• Develops creative briefs for custom content and sponsored editorial, partnering with Content and Brand Marketing teams to produce assets that meet publisher specifications and brand standards.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in related discipline and 6 years' experience in a related field. The right candidate could also have a different combination, such as a master's degree and 4 years' experience; a Ph.D. and 1 year of experience; or 10 years' experience in a related field.
• Demonstrated experience buying media directly from publishers, including rate and contract negotiation, insertion order management, and post-buy reconciliation.
• Hands-on experience managing programmatic and paid social campaigns across demand-side platforms and self-serve buying platforms.
• Experience supporting multiple brands or business lines within a large, matrixed enterprise organization.
• Analytical thinking at a skilled level; interprets performance data, identifies root causes, and makes well-reasoned, data-based recommendations on media investment.
• Negotiation and vendor management; secures favorable terms and holds publishers and agencies accountable to committed deliverables.
• Business process management; builds repeatable processes and documentation where none exist and improves them as the function matures.
• Communication; explains media strategy, trade-offs, and results clearly to technical and non-technical audiences, including senior stakeholders.
• Collaboration and influence; works effectively across Marketing, Analytics, MarTech, Finance, and Supply Chain without direct authority.
• Business acumen; understands the automotive industry landscape and connects media decisions to revenue and pipeline outcomes.

Preferred

• Experience establishing a new capability or transitioning media buying from agency-managed to in-house is strongly preferred.
• B2B media experience preferred; endemic or trade publication buying experience is a significant advantage.

Benefits

• A competitive salary and top-notch bonus plans.
• Exceptional work-life balance, flexible time-off policies and accommodating work schedules.
• Comprehensive healthcare, with multiple options for individuals and families.
• Generous 401(k) retirement plans with company match.
• Professional development and continuing education opportunities.
• Inclusive parental leave policies, plus comprehensive fertility coverage and adoption assistance.
• Extra perks like pet insurance, employee discounts and much more.