Programmatic Director / Head of Programmatic

Chain Reaction · Dubai

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Chain Reaction is an award-winning digital marketing agency based in GCC and Levant. We develop bespoke digital strategies to help our clients achieve their growth goals, bringing together online marketing techniques including Online Advertising, SEO, Content Marketing, Social Media, Influencer Marketing, and more.

Chain Reaction is looking for a Programmatic Director who will be responsible for building, owning, and scaling the agency’s programmatic and AdTech offering from the ground up. This role will act as the central programmatic authority across the agency—shaping product strategy, enabling business units, supporting client pitches, and onboarding best-in-class AdTech platforms and partners.

This position sits at the intersection of strategy, technology, and revenue growth, working directly with business unit heads and client leadership teams to translate programmatic and data capabilities into clear business outcomes for advertisers.

This role is ideal for a hands-on programmatic leader who enjoys building frameworks, influencing stakeholders, and solving complex client problems, while remaining deeply involved in platform architecture and execution design.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

1. Programmatic & AdTech Strategy

• Define and own the agency’s programmatic vision and roadmap, aligned to client growth and business objectives
• Design scalable programmatic frameworks across display, video, CTV, audio, DOOH, and emerging channels
• Establish best practices for audience strategy, activation, measurement, and optimization

2. Publisher Relationship Management

• Build and maintain direct relationships with premium publishers, CTV platforms, and supply partners
• Act as the agency’s primary point of contact for strategic publisher discussions
• Collaborate with publishers to:
• Develop custom, verticalized, and audience-led deals
• Access premium and differentiated inventory
• Align supply packages with advertiser objectives
• Evaluate publisher performance and optimize partnerships based on quality, scale, and results

3. Client Strategy & Business Enablement

• Partner closely with Business Unit Heads and Client Leads to support:
• New business pitches and RFPs
• Strategic client roadmaps and annual planning
• Complex programmatic and data-led proposals
• Act as a programmatic advisor to key clients, helping them understand how AdTech and data can drive incremental growth
• Translate technical programmatic capabilities into simple, outcome-oriented client narratives

4. AdTech Platform & Partner Onboarding

• Evaluate, Onboard, and manage programmatic platforms and AdTech partners, including:
• DSPs, SSPs, CTV platforms
• CDPs / DMPs
• Identity, data, and measurement partners
• Own partner relationships, commercial structures, and platform governance
• Ensure platforms are integrated into agency workflows and client offerings in a scalable, compliant manner

5. Data, CDP & Audience Strategy

• Work with client and agency teams on:
• First-party data onboarding and activation
• CDP / DMP integration and use-case design
• Audience segmentation, lookalike modeling, and personalization strategies
• Guide business units on how to leverage data responsibly for targeting, measurement, and optimization

6. Measurement, Attribution & Effectiveness

• Work with Data & Analytics team to define programmatic measurement frameworks including:
• Incrementality testing
• Attribution approaches
• Cross-channel and cross-platform measurement
• Partner with analytics and data teams to ensure programmatic outcomes are clearly tied to business KPIs

7. Internal Enablement & Knowledge Leadership

• Act as the programmatic POC across the agency
• Enable business units through:
• Training sessions and playbooks
• Pitch templates and case studies
• Clear operating models for programmatic activation
• Influence without formal line management, driving adoption through expertise and trust

Experience

• 10–14+ years of experience in programmatic, AdTech, or digital media, ideally agency-side
• Proven experience building or scaling programmatic offerings for advertisers
• Strong exposure to:
• DSPs (e.g., DV360, Amazon DSP, The Trade Desk, etc.)
• CDPs / DMPs
• Data, identity, and measurement solutions

Skills & Capabilities

• Strong strategic thinking combined with hands-on technical depth
• Ability to explain complex AdTech concepts to non-technical stakeholders
• Commercially minded, with experience supporting pitches and revenue growth
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and building from scratch
• Highly collaborative, credible with senior leadership and clients

Benefits

Joining our team ensures that your opinions matter, providing you with a platform to express yourself. You will experience continuous growth, and learning opportunities, and be empowered to push your limits. We are dedicated to fostering a positive environment that prioritizes your well-being and health. Collaborate with a strong and supportive team that is committed to motivating you both in your personal and professional journey.

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