Director, Audience Activation (Agencies)
New York City, NY (Hybrid)
Posted 2 weeks ago
Job Summary
Own the end-to-end sales cycle for MRI‑Simmons audience solutions, leading audience activation and data enablement initiatives, building strategic relationships with agencies and brands, and coordinating cross‑functional teams to close complex deals.
- Drive new business and upsell opportunities in audience activation and data enablement
- Lead client engagements, strategy, and negotiations with internal stakeholders
- Collaborate with Commercial, Marketing, Operations and Product to inform prioritization and roadmap
Job Description
Responsibilities
- Identify, develop, drive new business and upsell existing opportunities focused on audience activation, enrichment and data enablement.
- Manage end‑to‑end customer engagement, including strategy, discussions, proposal and presentations development, negotiation, and contracts where necessary
- Own commercial discussions and manage deal terms and conditions in partnership with internal stakeholders to ensure audiences meet customer needs to drive utilizations
- Leverage strong, preferably existing, industry relationships across advertising and media agencies, and at times brands, and ad tech partners, with a strong focus on stakeholders in programmatic, digital, video, investment, and account teams
- Lead advanced advertising, audience activation, and other data‑driven proposals and presentations that clearly articulate the value of MRI‑Simmons audience intelligence
- Act as a trusted advisor to customers by aligning MRI‑Simmons audience solutions to customer business, media, and campaign activation objectives
- Requires approximately 25% travel; in-agency presence expected.
- Partner closely with Commercial, Marketing, Operations and Product teams to provide client feedback and input that informs audience development and utilization prioritization
- Support the development of new data enablement and activation initiatives, partnerships, and go‑to‑market strategies
- Serve as a subject matter expert for advanced advertising and audience‑based activation, use cases, both external with customers and internal guiding sales colleagues on cross-team opportunities
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree required
- 5–10+ years of experience in sales or business development within advanced advertising, programmatic, addressable, data enablement, audience data, or ad tech
- Proven success driving audience activation initiatives within agencies or brands
- Strong ad tech industry network across agency stakeholders, including programmatic, activation, investment, and digital teams
- Deep understanding of the advanced advertising, programmatic activation, and audience data ecosystem, including planning/insights, activation, and measurement/attribution solutions for digital video and CTV
- Demonstrated ability to communicate the value of audience and data‑driven solutions in a clear, compelling way
- Experience applying syndicated audience data to activation, planning, and partnership opportunities preferred
- Exceptional relationship management and executive‑level communication skills
- Strong negotiation skills with experience navigating complex commercial agreements
- Highly collaborative, proactive, and self‑directed
Preferred
- Consultative, self-directed seller and evangelist with a “hunter” mindset and the ability to create opportunity where none previously existed
- Comfortable leading complex, multi‑stakeholder communication efforts, connecting silos in an enterprise environment like a large agency holding company
- Familiarity with Challenger sales methodology and MEDDICC frameworks preferred
- Strategic thinker who proactively identifies new use cases and growth opportunities
- Strong agency presence is preferred with hands-on experience operating within ad agencies, leading educational programming, thought leadership initiatives, and events for agency planning and buying teams
Benefits
- Comprehensive healthcare plan (medical, Rx, dental, and vision).
- Flexible spending accounts and a Health Savings Account (including company contributions).
- Life and AD&D insurance.
- 401(k) retirement plan including company matching contributions.
- Disability insurance.
- Tuition Reimbursement.
- Discretionary paid time off program and 11 paid holidays.
- Flexible working environment
- Volunteer time off
- LinkedIn Learning
NielsenIQ (NIQ) is the world’s leading consumer intelligence company, delivering the most complete understanding of consumer buying behavior and revealing new pathways to growth. NIQ combined with GfK in 2023, bringing together the two industry leaders with unparalleled global reach. Today NIQ has operations in 95+ countries representing 97% of the world’s GDP. With a holistic retail read and the most comprehensive consumer insights—delivered with advanced analytics through state-of-the-art platforms—NIQ delivers the Full ViewTM.
Salaries
Posted range
$117K/yr – $150K/yr
Taken straight from the job posting.
Marketing Team
People
Marketing Leadership




