The Guardian Work For Us

Guardian Australia is part of Guardian News & Media (GNM), publisher of theguardian.com. As a leading global media organisation, we are renowned for our pioneering independent journalism and our award-winning digital products.

We are seeking a highly skilled, results-driven, Head of Advertising Operations to lead our dynamic Advertising Operations team in our Sydney office.

In this role you will…

• Provide strong people leadership to the Advertising Operations team.
• Manage the advertising operations function including act as the escalation point for all Advertising Operations work across both programmatic and direct platforms.
• Develop and maintain strong knowledge of all Guardian products including display, content, audio, print, video and programmatic in order to fulfill advertising operations functions.
• Work closely with internal teams collaboratively to drive innovation across Guardian's broad range of products and services, provide product feedback to internal and technical teams.
• Work with the local team to test new advertising formats for sale through both direct and Private Market Place (PMP), Preferred Deal (PD) channels.
• Assist in liaising with internal and external stakeholders to ensure client needs are being met.
• Work with the international Guardian team for technology and product support where required, and explore how it can be optimised for local advantage.
• Work with the State Sales Directors and Head of Advertising to optimise yield strategies to ensure Guardian remains competitive.
• Work with the Programmatic Account Director and Head of Advertising to design and deliver performance updates.
• Work closely with programmatic sales to maximise revenue across all programmatic channels.
• Provide guidance and technical support to Campaign Managers using Supply Side Platforms, Demand Side Platforms, Data Management Platforms and Google Ad Manager (GAM).
• Lead and develop the Advertising Operations team, establishing operational processes and accountability mechanisms to nurture a lean, efficient, and high-performing team.

You'll bring….

Knowledge and experience

• Demonstrated progressive experience in a senior capacity across advertising / technical operations.
• Relevant tertiary qualifications in a related discipline.
• Expert knowledge of digital media systems and tools (i.e. advertising servers, attribution, tagging, advertising verification).
• Strong understanding of Advertising Operations teams and how to deliver a best in class operations function.
• Extensive understanding of the online advertising industry / ecosystem including direct display, content, programmatic and data / targeting.
• Extensive experience leading, coaching and inspiring a team in a professional high-performing environment.
• Proficiency in MS Office; intermediate experience with PowerPoint and Excel, including pivot tables and advanced functions.
• Strong analytical abilities in looking for opportunities and trends in data and able to solve problems through innovative thinking.

Skills / behaviours

• A strong interest in, and understanding of the Guardian brand, including values alignment.
• Strong leadership skills, with the ability to inspire, motivate, set direction and maintain momentum.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across departments and geographies to achieve common goals and secure cross-functional buy in.
• Outcome-oriented strategic thinker with a creative, pragmatic and insights-driven approach to decision-making and problem-solving.
• Highly organised with the ability to prioritise competing demands, manage expectations and work to tight deadlines to deliver on key outcomes.
• Outstanding communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to simplify complex issues for different audiences, translate data into actionable insights, and deliver impactful presentations.
• Ability to remain resilient and stay calm in the face of setbacks, responding with a positive attitude under pressure.
• Advanced situational awareness and interpersonal nous, knowing how to deal sensitively and strategically with different people in different situations.
• Excellent attention to detail.

About working at Guardian Australia…

• Hybrid working
• Employee assistance program (EAP) to support employee wellbeing
• Paid volunteer leave
• Dedicated diversity and inclusion employee groups, action plans (including our Reconciliation Action Plan) and cultural competency training
• Guardian digital subscription

For more information please view the full job description here.

This role is being offered on a full-time, permanent basis.

To apply for this position, please apply online and upload your résumé (maximum three pages) plus covering letter as one document. In your covering letter please outline your motivation for applying for the role and why you think you are suitable.

Closing date for applications: Sunday 19 January 2025

If you have application questions or if you require an adjustment to be made during the recruitment process, please email australia.hr@theguardian.com

We believe that our role in the Australian media is to give a voice to the most marginalised people in society and value and respect all differences in all people — including people of colour, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from different social classes, people with diverse gender and sexual identities, and people with disabilities (seen and unseen). We believe that these communities must be centred in the work we do, bringing a new perspective and a diversity of thought. We also encourage flexible working and aim to create a work environment where all employees feel respected.