The Company:
Hearts & Science has been inspired by confident marketers seeking business advantage in a world of personalized digital marketing, where CRM and addressable channels converge, and decisions must be made in real time to aggregate effective reach and deliver the right message at the right time.
Designed to inform brand strategies with real-time insights, Hearts & Science is a data-driven marketing agency with expert media planning and buying capabilities, among other services that include shopper marketing, marketing innovation and content activation.
Role Overview
The Associate Director, Media Operations will lead the design, implementation, and adoption of operational improvements across a large piece of business. This role serves as the strategic bridge between Media teams, Data Operations, and the AI Automation & Architecture organization—working in close partnership with the Associate Director of AI Automation & Architecture to translate business challenges into scalable operating model improvements and AI-enabled ways of working.
This leader will identify opportunities to simplify workflows, eliminate inefficiencies, standardize processes, and improve collaboration across Media. The role will drive transformation initiatives from concept through implementation, ensuring new processes, tools, and automation solutions generate measurable business impact while improving the experience of teams across the organization
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Define and drive the Media Transformation roadmap in support of business priorities.
- Partner closely with the AI Automation & Architecture team to identify opportunities where automation and AI can improve operational performance.
- Evaluate current operating models and recommend improvements that enhance speed, efficiency, quality, and scalability.
- Identify cross-functional opportunities to optimize workflows and reduce manual effort across Media.
Process Transformation & Operational Excellence
- Assess and redesign workflows across planning, activation, reporting, measurement, financial operations, and governance functions.
- Establish standardized processes, documentation, and best practices across teams and Lines of Business.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives that improve operational efficiency and employee productivity.
- Implement operational frameworks that support sustainable growth and scale.
Change Management & Adoption
- Lead implementation of new processes, tools, and ways of working across Media teams.
- Develop change management strategies that drive stakeholder engagement and adoption.
- Create communication, training, and enablement plans supporting transformation initiatives.
- Monitor adoption and identify opportunities to improve utilization and effectiveness.
Stakeholder Engagement
- Act as a strategic advisor to Media leadership on operational transformation opportunities.
- Facilitate alignment across Media, Operations, Data, Analytics, Technology, and Client teams.
- Translate business needs into actionable requirements for AI and automation initiatives.
- Influence stakeholders across multiple teams and functions without direct authority.
Qualifications
- Proven experience leading operational transformation, process improvement, or organizational change initiatives.
- Strong understanding of media agency workflows, operating models, and delivery processes.
- Experience managing complex cross-functional programs and stakeholders.
- Exceptional communication, facilitation, and change leadership skills.
- Experience working alongside technology, data, automation, or AI-focused teams.
This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on relevant experience, other job-related qualifications/skills, and geographic location (to account for comparative cost of living). The Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. For this role, benefits include: health insurance, vision insurance, dental insurance, 401(k), Healthcare Flexible Spending Account, Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, vacation days, sick days, personal days, paid parental leave, paid medical leave, and STD/LTD insurance benefits.
This role is hybrid, requiring three (3) days per week in the office. The remaining two (2) days may be worked remotely. Specific in-office days will be discussed during the interview process, with flexibility to align with team needs. Please note that the number or required in-office days may be adjusted over time, potentially increasing the number of required in-office days based on business needs.
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