Global Programmatic Architect

At Jellyfish, we believe in the power of diverse perspectives and inclusive collaboration. We welcome individuals who excel in collaborative, varied teams and value the unique contributions that each person brings to the table.

Jellyfish is a global digital marketing agency; a unique fusion of tech enthusiasts, creative minds, and media and data experts all united to empower our clients along their digital journey. Our commitment to embracing diverse perspectives fuels our innovation and strategies that challenge the status quo, reinvent media activation, and craft influential stories for our global clients and their customers. Join us in shaping a future where business growth and personal fulfilment go hand in hand.

Job Description

The Global Programmatic Lead (Programmatic Architect) is the senior technical practice leader for Programmatic Media across Jellyfish, sitting within the Domain Specialists hub and reporting to the Chief Solutions Officer - Media, Strategy & AI (CSO). You are the global custodian of how Jellyfish architects, engineers, automates, and commercialises programmatic activation across DSPs, SSPs, curation layers, bidding algorithms, and data clean rooms.

This is a senior role, there is no direct line management or people management but you are expected to collaborate with activation team leads & regional media leadership to affect positive change for Jellyfish clients. You are not running campaign ops or managing direct reports; you are the agency’s most senior programmatic technologist and systems architect. You define the global practice, codify frameworks for scaled delivery, contribute to our proprietary product roadmap, lead high-stakes pitches to win new business, drive technical advancement through strategic ad-tech partnerships, and serve as principal technical counsel to our highest-value global enterprise clients.

You partner closely with regional media and delivery leads across NA, EMEA, and APAC. While regional delivery teams execute programmatic campaigns in their local markets, you set the technical architecture, bidding methodologies, automation workflows, and delivery standards they operate from.

50% Product, Commercial & Technical Partnerships · 50% Client Strategic & Technical Leadership

The role is an intentional 50/50 split:

• 50% Practice & Product Architecture: Designing buying & audience strategies, automation hooks/MCP integration, steering ad-tech integration roadmaps, managing top-tier tech partnerships (Google, The Trade Desk, Amazon, etc.), and spearheading major pitches.

• 50% Client Strategic Leadership: Serving as principal programmatic strategist and trusted technical advisor for Tier-1 accounts, driving technical maturity (signal resilience, clean rooms, custom algorithms) and unlocking incremental retained revenue.

   

Your primary responsibilities will include:

1. Product Strategy, Automation & Technical Partnerships (50%)

• Define the Global Programmatic Methodology: Own and update the global programmatic playbook, codifying standards across audience intelligence, bidding, algorithmic optimisation, curated marketplaces (PMPs/PG), dynamic creative optimisation (DCO), and identity/signal resilience.

• Codify Delivery & Drive Automation: triage execution into fully automated, hybrid, or human-assisted workflows, handing off artefacts to delivery and MSP teams to streamline campaign build times and eliminate operational friction.

• Contribute to Proprietary Product Evolution: Partner directly with Jellyfish Product teams to feed technical requirements, data schemas, and API automation hooks into internal tooling.

• Ad-Tech Partnerships & Frontier Innovation: Own strategic technical relationships with core platforms (DV360, The Trade Desk, Amazon, Google, premium SSPs, retail ad networks, clean rooms). Secure first-mover advantage on platform alphas and betas, testing them technically and translating them into deployable client solutions.

• Product-Centric New Business: Architect winning product narratives, bespoke tech architectures, and commercial frameworks for major pitches and RFPs. Lead the programmatic discipline in tier-1 global pitches, driving high pitch-win rates and expanding retained scope.

• Cross-Discipline Integration: Architect the connective programmatic layer across Search, Social, Retail Media, GEO, and Creative, building unified full-funnel activation frameworks (e.g., audience syncing, cross-channel frequency management, closed-loop attribution).

2. Client Strategic & Technical Leadership (50%)

• Principal Technical Counsel for Tier-1 Clients: Act as the lead advisor for CMOs, Heads of Media, and MarTech executives at enterprise accounts - translating complex programmatic engineering into board-level growth strategies.

• Drive Client Programmatic & AI Maturity: Actively advance Tier-1 clients along the programmatic maturity curve.

• Brief Validation & Technical Governance: Serve as the technical filter on complex client briefs, ensuring brief feasibility and alignment with modern media architectures before execution.

• Thought Leadership & External Voice: Represent Jellyfish as a category authority through POVs, white papers, analyst briefings, industry summits, and keynotes on topics like cookieless addressability, agentic media buying, and AI-driven curation.

   

Qualifications:

• 8+ years of advanced programmatic and ad-tech experience within an agency, DSP/SSP, ad-tech vendor, or sophisticated brand-side media team.

• Expert Technical Proficiency across Enterprise DSPs: Deep technical fluency with platforms such as Display & Video 360 (DV360), The Trade Desk, Amazon DSP, Campaign Manager 360, and major SSP curation tools.

• Supply Path & Media Economics: Strong track record designing SPO frameworks, private marketplace (PMP) deal structures, and custom algorithm setups.

• Track Record in Commercial Growth: Proven background contributing to high-value new business pitches, RFPs, and expanding programmatic scope in enterprise brand accounts.

• No line-management required, but proven leadership through influence, upskilling, and technical mentorship across cross-functional teams.

Note: We emphasise skills, expertise and behavioural attributes over years of experience and traditional degrees. If you want to join our collaborative team, we invite you to apply today with your resume in English.

Additional Information

Join Jellyfish and experience a workplace where we prioritise your growth, celebrate your contributions, and empower you to tailor your work environment to suit your needs.

💰 Reward: You'll be eligible to join our discretionary annual bonus scheme.

💫 Custom Work Environment: Work remotely for up to 60% of your days and shape your day between 8am. and 6:30pm with flexible working hours.

👪 Family Support: Enjoy 14 weeks of paid leave for primary caregivers and 4 weeks of paid leave for secondary caregivers. We also provide £1000 (or equivalent) towards courses for returning primary caregivers to support your transition back into work.

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