Programmatic Media Buyer at Backbone Media | Denver, CO | $60K/yr – $70K/yr

Backbone Media

Programmatic Media Buyer

Denver, CO (Hybrid)

$60K/yr – $70K/yrMid Level3+ years expFull time

Posted 3 months ago

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Job Summary

Drive programmatic media planning and optimization across TV, CTV, and audio with cross-team collaboration.

Own end-to-end programmatic campaigns across DSPs (e.g., The Trade Desk, Tatari) and across channels.
Must-have: 3–6+ years in TV/CTV/audio cross-channel media buying.
Standout: Cross-functional leadership with Strategy, Analytics, Account, and Creative teams.

Job Description

Responsibilities

Collaborate with the paid media team to plan, execute, and optimize programmatic campaigns within DSP platforms, ensuring strong performance across digital channels.
Oversee day-to-day campaign management, including pacing, optimization, trafficking coordination, vendor communication, and ongoing maintenance.
Develop comprehensive media plans that include audience strategy, market mix, reach and frequency projections, budget allocation, and flighting recommendations.
Negotiate directly with broadcast, cable, streaming, and audio partners to secure effective PMP and programmatic guaranteed opportunities.
Partner closely with Media Strategy, Analytics, Account, and Creative teams to ensure campaign recommendations align with brand objectives, measurement frameworks, and ad-serving capabilities.
Analyze campaign performance, audience research, and market insights to deliver clear recommendations, forecast outcomes, and communicate results through client-ready reporting and presentations.
Ensure financial and operational accuracy by QA’ing buys, orders, invoices, and post logs throughout the campaign lifecycle.
Stay ahead of industry trends by identifying new platform capabilities, emerging tools, and test-and-learn opportunities across programmatic channels, with a focus on TV, CTV, and audio.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree
3-5 years of relevant experience
3–6+ years of experience in TV, CTV, audio, and cross-channel media buying, with hands-on expertise managing campaigns across display, online video, digital audio, native, and digital OOH.
Hands-on experience with The Trade Desk, Tatari, and/or other major DSP platforms.
Strong understanding of media planning and buying fundamentals, including reach, frequency, GRPs, CPMs, impressions, and budget pacing.
Proven ability to set up, manage, and optimize programmatic campaigns across channels, including bid strategy, performance analysis, and reporting.
Experience working with ad serving tools, dynamic creative, and cross-channel or attribution reporting platforms.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and quantitative skills, with close attention to detail and financial accuracy.
Strong communication and project management skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across teams, build internal and external relationships, and work both independently and in a team environment.
Curious, adaptable, and eager to learn, with a strong understanding of marketing, advertising, and media principles.

Preferred

Understanding of Backbone’s core values
A love of the outdoors
A sense of humor
Be you, on our team. We seek to build an inclusive team and culture that values diverse lived experiences, backgrounds and skill sets.

Benefits

Health, Dental, Vision, 401k match
Flex time, powder days, wellness incentives, work from home/remote work options, office kegs, team hikes, floats, runs and playtime

Backbone Media

At Backbone, we are insiders of the outside world; we bring an expedition mindset and discipline specializations to hone, amplify, and stoke brands in the active lifestyle space and beyond. Backbone is an integrated marketing agency with capabilities in public relations, paid media, strategy, social media, influencer marketing, search marketing (SEO and SEM), analytics, affiliate marketing, and retail marketing. From day one, Backbone was rooted in the idea that you could fuse passion for an outdoor, active lifestyle with a profession advocating for brands you believe in. Today, we’re a team of more than 100 hard-charging runners, skiers, climbers, cyclists, hikers, paddlers, hunters, anglers, dog lovers and travel enthusiasts. We align our employees’ passions with the brands they represent.Our fast-paced offices in Denver and Carbondale have landed us on Outside’s “Best Places to Work” list more years than we can count. But we don’t just throw around buzzwords like teamwork, trust, and transparency. We live and breathe by our true north — from lunch runs, the Powder Clause and happy hours to trail work days and river clean-ups.Check out our website to learn more about us and what we do.

Founded in 1997

Carbondale, Colorado, USA

109 employees (73 in marketing)

www.backbone.media