Full-Time
Customer Success Manager - Ad Tech Experience Required
Freestar
201-500 employees
Programmatic ad monetization for publishers
No salary listed
No H1B Sponsorship
Remote in USA
Remote
Fully remote role; work from anywhere.
 Customer Experience & Support (1) |
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- 3-5 years of success in a Technical Account Management, Customer Success, or Ad Ops role within the Ad Tech ecosystem.
- Advanced, hands-on knowledge of Google Ad Manager and Google Analytics.
- Deep understanding of the programmatic advertising ecosystem, including header bidding (Prebid.js), wrapper solutions, and ad serving principles.
- Familiarity with web technologies, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and experience using browser developer tools for high-level debugging and issue identification.
- Experience with CRM, project management, and support tools (e.g., HubSpot, Jira, Zendesk, Trello).
- Advanced Excel skills (Pivot Tables, VLOOKUPs, etc.) and experience interpreting complex performance dashboards.
- Own your publisher relationships end-to-end, beginning at onboarding through long-term growth and retention, acting as the single accountable lead for the account’s success.
- Serve as the primary technical point of contact and strategic advisor for a portfolio of premium and enterprise-level publisher accounts.
- Proactively monitor and analyze publisher ad performance, identifying and implementing technical optimizations to drive revenue growth.
- Independently perform high-level analysis to determine the root cause of technical issues affecting ad delivery and performance.
- Partner with the Support and Yield teams as necessary for escalations.
- Liaise daily with internal teams, including Support, Yield, Audience Strategy, Business Development, and Product, to escalate complex issues and advocate for publishers’ needs.
- Act as an expert on Freestar’s product suite and the broader programmatic ecosystem, providing technical guidance and best practices to clients.
- Educate publishers on new technologies and product features, and assist in upselling technical solutions that align with their business goals.
- Maintain a deep understanding of each publisher's technical nuances, business KPIs, and long-term goals.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with our publishers’ technical teams, building trust through expert consultation and rapid issue resolution.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Exceptional problem-solving and analytical skills, with the ability to navigate nuanced technical challenges under pressure.
- Strong work ethic and a drive to see technical projects through to completion.
- Collaborative and proactive team player with a proven ability to take initiative and provide strategic support to cross-functional partners.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, competitive environment, managing multiple priorities across various publisher accounts.
- Confidence and expertise to lead technical calls with clients and internal stakeholders.
- A passion for technology and a desire to stay on the cutting edge of the AdTech industry.
Freestar provides ad monetization solutions for digital publishers by managing and optimizing ad stacks to increase programmatic yields. It handles onboarding, ad-serving setup, partner connections, and layout testing, then continuously optimizes to raise revenue. A key offering is its AMP solution, which places premium ad units to attract high-paying advertisers, supported by SEO consultations, content strategy, and traffic growth services. Freestar earns revenue by taking a percentage of the ad revenue its platform generates, and it differentiates itself with white-glove, personalized support focused on traffic quality and brand safety, backed by its large scale reach as a Comscore Top 15 property.
Company Size
201-500
Company Stage
Private
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
Scottsdale, Arizona
Founded
2015
Get referred to Freestar
See people who can refer or advise you
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Boston Globe Media chose Freestar in August 2026 for three major properties.
- Freestar added John Ilacqua in March 2026 to accelerate global publisher sales.
- Audigent and TollBit integrations open AI monetization and curated demand streams for 500-plus publishers.
What critics are saying
- Google and privacy-rule changes can compress publisher ad yields, hurting Freestar revenue quickly.
- pubOS must prove adoption against Magnite, PubMatic, and Sourcepoint within 12 months.
- If publishers internalize monetization or shift to direct deals, Freestar loses its core service model.
What makes Freestar unique
- pubOS unifies monetization, operations, and growth in one publisher stack.
- Freestar combines white-glove service with proprietary header bidding and AI-driven yield optimization.
- Deep publisher niche: Fortune Media, AP, and Boston Globe Media trust its managed platform.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Company Match
401(k) Retirement Plan
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↑ 8%1 year growth
↑ 8%2 year growth
↑ 11%Boston Globe Media taps Freestar. Freestar Expands Publisher Monetization Deal PHOENIX, Aug. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Freestar, the leading publisher services and monetization partner for the world's most trusted digital media brands, has been selected by Boston Globe Media to fully manage programmatic advertising monetization across three of New England's most-read digital properties: The Boston Globe, Boston.com, and Boston magazine. The partnership supports Boston Globe Media's commitment to running a sustainable business built for and around its readers, helping it stay focused on its core strengths. Boston Globe Media has built one of the nation's most successful media platforms, anchored in the largest digital subscriber base of any metro news organization in America. The new partnership with Freestar is designed to grow advertising revenue to support the platform's high-quality reader experience across its digital properties. "We wanted a partner that could work side by side with our team and bring extensive monetization expertise to the unique pressures digital publishers face today," said Angus Macaulay, Chief Commercial Officer of Boston Globe Media. "With Freestar, we found a proven partner with deep news experience. Knowing that our ad revenue is in capable hands allows us to keep our attention on our subscription businesses, our audience, and the community-focused journalism our readers depend on." As a fully managed Freestar customer, Boston Globe Media gains access to proprietary ad technology, premium demand, and a dedicated support team with extensive news expertise, supporting the organization's focus on newsgathering, audience growth, and community building. The result: a fast site experience, thoughtful and relevant advertising that protects the quality of the reader experience, and a premium revenue stream that grows alongside its subscription business. "The Globe is focused on what matters most in news publishing: readers, subscribers, and community," said John Illaqua, Executive Vice President of Growth and Publisher Development at Freestar. "Balancing subscription growth with advertising performance is one of the biggest challenges in publishing, and it's exactly where we do our best work. Freestar is committed to providing a premium revenue stream while making sure Globe readers get the high-quality experience they've grown to expect." About Freestar Freestar is a leading publisher services and monetization partner to many of the world's most trusted digital media brands. Through pubOS - the Publisher Operating System - Freestar combines enterprise-grade technology, an integrated partner marketplace, and white-glove service to help digital publishers maximize revenue and navigate the AI Age. Over the past decade, Freestar has driven over $1 billion in revenue for publishers. It manages more premium Jounce Media Bellwether publishers than any other publisher services partner. Headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, it has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States on the annual Inc. 5000 list for seven consecutive years, most notably earning the number one spot in 2019. Additional honors include AdWeek's AI Tool of the Year and the Titan Business Awards Customer Service Team of the Year. Learn more at www.freestar.com. AdTech Edge is a leading digital publication covering the latest developments in advertising technology, AI-driven marketing, programmatic advertising, retail media, connected TV (CTV), data privacy, media buying, and digital advertising innovation.
Freestar appoints former Washington Post executive John Ilacqua as EVP of growth and publisher development. Ilacqua joins Freestar to further accelerate growth and help publishers drive meaningful revenue. Posted Tuesday, March 10, 2026 10:53 am PHOENIX - Freestar, the leading publisher services and monetization partner for the world's most trusted digital media brands, today announced the appointment of John Ilacqua as executive vice president of growth and publisher development, where he will lead the expansion of Freestar's global footprint and deepen the organization's relationships across the advertising ecosystem. In this new role, Ilacqua will oversee the company's go-to-market strategy and expansion of its publisher partner base. He will also work alongside Freestar's leadership team to identify new market opportunities, ensuring the company continues to deliver measurable value to its publisher partners and advertisers. Ilacqua joins Freestar from The Washington Post, where he most recently held the position of managing director, Arc XP, with a focus on publisher growth, strategy, content operations and sustainable revenue streams. Before The Washington Post, Ilacqua held leadership positions at The Media Trust, EMX Digital, Jun Group (now Verve) and CBS. "John is an incredibly well-respected leader in the publishing ecosystem," said Kurt Donnell, CEO of Freestar. "He truly understands firsthand the pressures that today's publishers face - from juggling fragmented tools and data to the new complexities brought on by AI. We're thrilled to welcome him to the Freestar leadership team as we continue to scale our impact for publishers." Freestar is a publisher-first partner for mid-sized to enterprise publishers that want to streamline programmatic monetization, optimize yield and reduce operational burden through integrated technologies, innovation and white-glove customer service. Most recently, the company announced its new publisher operating system, pubOS, providing digital publishers with a single, integrated platform to manage monetization, operations and growth. "Supporting news institutions, journalism and new media has always been near and dear to my heart," said Ilacqua. "Publishers deserve experienced partners who can help them build and grow sustainable businesses, so that they can remain focused on what matters most: news gathering, quality journalism and storytelling. Freestar has earned a reputation for being one of the most trusted partners for premium publishers, who can strategize around today's complex monetization challenges. I'm excited to bring more of the world's best publishers into the Freestar ecosystem so they can truly thrive." Freestar is a leading publisher services and monetization partner to many of the world's most trusted digital media brands. Through pubOS - the Publisher Operating System, Freestar combines enterprise-grade technology, an integrated partner marketplace, and white-glove service to help digital publishers maximize revenue and navigate the AI Age. Over the past decade, Freestar has driven over $1 billion in revenue for publishers. It manages more premium Jounce Media Bellwether publishers than any other publisher services partner. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, it has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States on the annual Inc. 5000 list for seven consecutive years, most notably earning the number one spot in 2019. Additional honors include AdWeek's AI Tool of the Year and the Titan Business Awards Customer Service Team of the Year. Learn more at www.freestar.com. Other items that may interest you E&P Exlusives
Freestar, a publisher services and monetisation partner, has launched pubOS, a unified Publisher Operating System designed to help digital media companies optimise revenue and streamline operations. The platform replaces fragmented technology solutions with an integrated system combining monetisation tools, partner marketplace and expert support. PubOS features Freestar's proprietary monetisation technology, including a custom Prebid wrapper and AI-driven yield engine. It integrates with partners like TollBit for AI content monetisation, The Media Trust for ad quality, and Gamera for audience analytics. The platform aims to reduce vendor fatigue by simplifying solution testing and integration. The system includes dedicated yield strategists and engineers who work directly with publishers. Freestar has driven nearly $1 billion in revenue for publishers over the past decade and manages premium publishers across desktop, mobile and in-app environments.
Freestar works with Audigent to help publishers meet programmatic demand.
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sourcepoint, the practical privacy software company trusted by the world’s most influential brands, announced a partnership with Freestar, the leading monetization partner for content publishers and e-commerce sites, to provide Freestar’s customers with Sourcepoint’s best-in-class privacy products. Through the new partnership, Sourcepoint will equip Freestar’s customers with the solutions and expertise needed to navigate today’s complex privacy landscape. The partnership sees Sourcepoint’s consent management platform (CMP) included in Freestar’s offering, providing customers with the support needed to work towards compliance in a landscape of ever-changing regulations, industry frameworks, and platform requirements. “Our partnership with Freestar brings market-leading privacy products and support to some of the world’s largest enterprises,” said Nial Ferguson, Managing Director, Europe at Sourcepoint. “Privacy and consent management drive business outcomes and we look forward to working with Freestar and its customers to ensure compliant privacy experiences and monetization.”