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Programmatic Director Jobs in Ontario (NOW HIRING)

Director, Programmatic Overview: As Programmatic has evolved, it has moved from being considered one of those specialty services towards a fundamental aspect of our digital activation strategy. While ...

The Digital Media Director is responsible for driving end‑to‑end digital media strategy ... You will lead cross‑channel digital media efforts across paid search, paid social, programmatic ...

Oversee paid media across Meta, programmatic, and emerging channels relevant to our markets * Ensure attribution is accurate and that spend decisions are grounded in real performance data * Direct ...

Decide where the next dollar goes across paid (Google, LinkedIn, Meta, programmatic), partnerships, events, webinars, direct mail, organic, and self-serve funnel optimization. Build the test-and ...

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Programmatic Director information

See Ontario salary details

$31K

$120.2K

$179.5K

How much do programmatic director jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 1, 2026, the average yearly pay for programmatic director in Ontario is $120,162.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $80,000.00 and $150,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Programmatic Director vs Media Buyer?

AspectProgrammatic DirectorMedia Buyer
ResponsibilitiesOversees programmatic advertising strategies, manages teams, and optimizes digital ad campaigns across platforms.Executes media plans by purchasing ad space, negotiating rates, and managing campaign placements.
Required SkillsData analysis, digital marketing, campaign management, leadershipNegotiation, media planning, digital advertising platforms
Work EnvironmentStrategic, managerial, often in an agency or corporate marketing teamOperational, hands-on, often in media agencies or advertising firms

The Programmatic Director focuses on strategic oversight and management of digital advertising campaigns using automation and data-driven techniques, while the Media Buyer handles the execution and purchasing of ad space. Both roles require digital marketing knowledge, but the Programmatic Director has a broader strategic scope and leadership responsibilities.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Programmatic Director, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Programmatic Director, you need deep expertise in digital marketing, data analysis, and campaign strategy, often supported by a degree in marketing or a related field. Familiarity with programmatic ad platforms (such as The Trade Desk, DV360), data management platforms (DMPs), and industry certifications like Google Ads or IAB Digital Media Buying & Planning are typically required. Strong leadership, strategic thinking, and excellent communication skills help drive teams and foster client relationships. These skills are crucial for efficiently managing large-scale digital campaigns, optimizing performance, and delivering measurable results for clients.

What are some of the main challenges a Programmatic Director faces when managing multi-channel advertising campaigns?

Programmatic Directors often encounter challenges such as ensuring seamless integration across multiple platforms, maintaining transparency in campaign performance, and staying updated with rapidly evolving ad technologies. Balancing client expectations with budget constraints and navigating complex data privacy regulations are also common hurdles. Effective communication and close collaboration with cross-functional teams, including data analysts, creative, and sales, are essential to overcoming these challenges and delivering successful campaign outcomes.

What is a Programmatic Director?

A Programmatic Director is a senior professional responsible for overseeing and optimizing programmatic advertising strategies within an organization. They manage teams and campaigns that use automated technology to buy and place digital advertisements in real time. Programmatic Directors analyze data, work with multiple platforms, and coordinate with clients or internal stakeholders to ensure marketing objectives are met efficiently. Their role is crucial in driving performance, maximizing ROI, and staying up to date with the latest trends in digital advertising.
What are the most commonly searched types of Programmatic jobs in Ontario? The most popular types of Programmatic jobs in Ontario are:
What job categories do people searching Programmatic Director jobs in Ontario look for? The top searched job categories for Programmatic Director jobs in Ontario are:
Infographic showing various Programmatic Director job openings in Ontario as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 83% Full Time, 13% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 90% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $120,162 per year, or $57.8 per hour.

Director, Programmatic

WPP Media

Toronto, ON • On-site

Other

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Posted 4 days ago


WPP Media rating

8.8

Company rating: 8.8 out of 10

Based on 14 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

7th of 75 rated media


Job description

About WPP Media 

WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients and communities. For more information, visit wpp.com.

WPP Media is WPP's global media collective. In a world where media is everywhere and in everything, we bring the best platform, people, and partners together to create limitless opportunities for growth. For more information, visit wppmedia.com.

At WPP Media, we believe in the power of our culture and our people. It's what elevates us to deliver exceptional experiences for both our clients and each other. In this role it will be critical to embrace WPP & WPP Media's shared core values:

  • Be Extraordinary by Leading Collectively to Inspire transformational Creativity.
  • Create an Open environment by Balancing People and Client Experiences by Cultivating Trust.
  • Lead Optimistically by Championing Growth and Development to Mobilize the Enterprise.

Director, Programmatic

Overview:

As Programmatic has evolved, it has moved from being considered one of those specialty services towards a fundamental aspect of our digital activation strategy. While our programmatic teams are a part of a broader programmatic community dedicated to shaping best practices, our individual trading teams work directly with their agency counterparts to create and execute campaigns that support our clients overall marketing objectives.

About the Role:

You will be responsible for overseeing the overall health and success of the clients respective campaigns. Within this role you'll be responsible for the ownership of your clients' programmatic media strategy and oversee its implementation and day-to-day execution. The primary responsibilities of the role include the management of the programmatic team and engaging with respective digital agency counterparts, clients, and external partners. You will also be expected to be the team's strongest programmatic trader and should be a source of expertise and point of escalation for all aspects of the execution of a programmatic campaign including implementation, optimization and inventory, and audience strategy. Typically, you will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day workload, training and career development of between 3-8 reports.

Your Impact:

  • Collaborate with planning teams to develop a programmatic strategy that ensures the clients marketing objectives are met with appropriate programmatic tactics
  • Oversee the management of campaigns to ensure they consistently meet or exceed client KPIs and lending support to day-to-day trading as needed
  • Act as the team's central point of trading expertise and escalation to address problems as they arise for the account
  • Create and enforce workflow processes to ensure deliverables are completed accurately and on time
  • Hold members of the team accountable to flawless execution of campaign implementation and develop the QA processes that allow them to do so
  • Own and improve the working relationships with members of the broader digital account teams including planning, investment, operations, and analytics
  • Develop relationships with platform, inventory, and data providers to maximize their value specific to account needs
  • Keep key stakeholders including clients and account teams updated on campaign and account level performance via regular and ad-hoc reporting and status meetings
  • Conduct regular and ad hoc analysis to identify opportunities to improve performance within and across campaigns
  • Ongoing training and support of the career growth of direct reports
  • Keep Senior Leadership informed of the overall status of the trading team to ensure any challenges are appropriately resolved and/or escalated
  • Develop best practices that improve the quality or efficiency of work within an account or broader agency programmatic team
  • Develop POVs, Presentations or other shareable collateral that improves the overall level of programmatic education across programmatic and digital teams
  • Support the Programmatic Agency lead as needed for larger presentations, projects, or pitches

Your Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's Degree in Business, Analytics, Marketing, Communications, Advertising; OR equivalent professional work experience
  • 6+ Years of relevant career experience, with 3+ years' experience trading programmatic campaigns at an agency, brand, DSP or Ad Network strongly preferred.
  • DV360 and Prisma experience strongly preferred.
  • Other Programmatic functions, Paid Search, Paid Social, Ad Operations, Digital Analytics or Digital Planning or client-side roles supporting a direct response or ecommerce brand may also be considered for high qualified candidates.
  • Past management experience is required
  • Familiarity with key programmatic and digital platforms
  • Understanding and familiarity of key industry concepts and trends
  • Advanced Excel User (Pivot Tables, Joining Data Sets, Complex Formulas, etc.)
  • Experience with other database, visualization tools or coding languages is a plus
  • Excellent verbal and written skills
  • Exceptional organizational skills and detail-oriented mindset
  • Strong presentation skills and comfort presenting to senior stakeholders
  • Strong analytical abilities and quantitative skills
  • Ability to prioritize tasks effectively
  • Natural curiosity and desire to continuously learn

Life at WPP Media & Benefits 

Our passion for shaping the next era of media includes investing in our employees to help them do their best work, and we're just as committed to employee growth as we are to responsible media investment. WPP Media employees can tap into the global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, grow their networks, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising. We have a variety of employee resource groups and host frequent in-office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. Our benefits include competitive medical, group retirement plans, vision, and dental insurance, significant paid time off, preferential partner discounts, and employee mental health awareness days. 

WPP Media is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.
We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we've adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process. 


WPP Media is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to, among others, individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans. If you need an accommodation because of a disability to search and apply for a career opportunity with WPP Media, please send an e-mail to WPP Media Leave Administration at Leave.Administration@groupm.com or call (212) 297-8507 and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. 

Please read our Privacy Notice (https://www.wppmedia.com/pages/privacy-policy) for more information on how we process the information you provide.

While we appreciate all applications received, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. 


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