Main Responsibilities and Required Skills for an Ad Operations Specialist
An Ad Operations Specialist is a professional who plays a vital role in the digital advertising ecosystem. They are responsible for managing and optimizing advertising campaigns, ensuring accurate ad delivery, and maximizing campaign performance. In this blog post, we will delve into the primary responsibilities and the most in-demand hard and soft skills for Ad Operations Specialists.
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Main Responsibilities of an Ad Operations Specialist
The following list describes the typical responsibilities of an Ad Operations Specialist:
Advise
Advise and support program staff on issues related to subcontract modifications.
Advise on strategic media plans based on campaign objectives and budgets.
Align with
Align with inventory team on inventory needs and requirements.
Assist in
Assist accounting staff with invoicing and vendor payment.
Assist in troubleshooting technical issues.
Assist with monthly reporting for the management team.
Assist with training and mentoring of junior Ad Operations staff.
Collaborate with
Collaborate with Billing team to resolve monthly invoicing queries.
Collaborate with creative teams to ensure ad creative alignment with campaign objectives.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams of Sales, Account Management, Marketing & Technology.
Collaborate with implementation teams to onboard advertisers and publishers.
Collaborate with internal teams to gather campaign requirements and objectives.
Collaborate with sales team to onboard advertisers.
Conduct
Conduct A/B testing and multivariate testing to optimize ad performance.
Conduct ad inventory forecasting and management.
Conduct audience segmentation and targeting for personalized ad experiences.
Conduct quality assurance checks to verify ad functionality and display.
Contribute to
Contribute feedback to the product team on improving the platform.
Create
Create and document tests of different campaigns.
Create and manage creative and technical production timelines with Advertisers / Agencies.
Enrich
Enrich our culture of uniqueness, inclusivity, and empowerment.
Ensure
Ensure all aspects of campaigns are 100% Kid-Safe.
Ensure all campaigns set ups are optimized for correct client KPIs / and benchmarks.
Ensure smooth campaign delivery with client's KPIs at front of mind.
Ensure that all products work on rich media providers' sites.
Establish
Establish procurement trackers and manage all procurement documentation.
Expertise
Expertise with managing ad product integrations with third parties.
Follow
Follow Ad Operations workflow and guidelines and suggest enhancements to the process.
Follow-up
Follow-up and monitoring based on given KPIs.
Foster
Foster a culture of knowledge sharing.
Ideate
Ideate campaign strategy for key accounts to help the account management team grow the accounts.
Identify
Identify and resolve technical issues related for both clients and internal.
Identify opportunities to develop process.
Implement
Implement and improve quality control operating procedures.
Implement and managing ad campaigns across various platforms.
Implement and test various ad formats, such as display, video, and native ads.
Interface with
Interface with ICF Contracts and Subcontracts corporate departments.
Investigate
Investigate new ad technologies and network enhancements (targeting options, cost reduction etc.).
Lead
Lead adoption of new products and growth initiatives by connecting them to client's objectives.
Lead preparation for campaign activation through clear and concise communication.
Maintain
Maintain documentation for procurement-related environmental monitoring and mitigation reporting.
Manage
Manage ad tags and tracking pixels for accurate campaign measurement.
Manage ad trafficking in DoubleClick Campaign Manager.
Manage campaigns from end to end including initial setup, day to day optimization and reporting.
Manage relationships with external vendors and ad networks.
Manage the Ad Operations team around reporting and optimization processes.
Manage the integration of new products, services, and technologies.
Meet
Meet the required daily expectations.
Monitor
Monitor ad delivery and performance metrics to ensure campaign goals are met.
Monitor industry trends and best practices to optimize campaign strategies.
Optimize
Optimize ad placements and targeting to improve campaign performance.
Oversee
Oversee quality assurance.
Participate in
Participate in discovery sessions to understand campaign requirements.
Perform
Perform a broad range of quantitative and qualitative analyses.
Perform data analysis to identify insights and opportunities for campaign optimization.
Perform post-campaign analysis and generating performance reports.
Perform quality control of creatives, directly on the TVs.
Perform technical audits of client pages.
Produce
Produce reports and recommendations.
Provide
Provide campaign performance reports and financial data to internal / external clients as required.
Provide exceptional customer service.
Provide insights to campaign team for inclusion in weekly or end of campaign reporting.
Provide onboarding support for new brands and offers.
Provide scalable improvements to our digital ad operations infrastructure.
Provide technical support.
Provide technical support and guidance to clients and internal stakeholders.
Provide the sales team with supporting data required for successful client engagement.
Provide training to customers on creating and maintaining their own campaigns.
Pull
Pull and analyze campaign data for reporting and optimizations.
Report
Report any issues and system errors with the manager.
Review
Review sites in Salesforce and fill out pertinent information within the system.
Secure
Secure asset delivery to ensure campaigns launch in a timely manner.
Set-up
Set-up campaigns, including tag creation, scheduling, targeting, landing pages and tracking.
Set-up, test and deploy client, marketing / email campaigns.
Set up and manage programmatic advertising campaigns.
Setup and manage experiments to determine the optimal client setup.
Support
Support account directors in communicating campaign success and optimizations to clients.
Support translation requests.
Troubleshoot
Troubleshoot and resolve issues.
Troubleshoot any issues relating to the campaign.
Troubleshoot campaign / publisher issues which are affecting delivery and / or performance.
Troubleshoot technical issues related to ad serving and tracking.
Utilize
Utilize ad server platforms to schedule and deliver ads.
Validate
Validate campaign setup to ensure performance will be in line with customer expectations.
Work with
Work closely with Campaign Activation Specialists, account management and sales teams.
Work closely with our account management and sales teams.
Work closely with Sales and Account Management teams to execute and manage advertising campaigns.
Most In-demand Hard Skills
The following list describes the most required technical skills of an Ad Operations Specialist:
Proficiency in ad server platforms such as Google Ad Manager, DoubleClick Campaign Manager, or similar.
Knowledge of programmatic advertising platforms and demand-side platforms (DSPs).
Familiarity with ad verification tools and technologies.
Experience in ad trafficking and ad tag implementation.
Understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for troubleshooting and ad customization.
Proficiency in data analysis and reporting tools like Excel or Google Sheets.
Knowledge of ad creative formats and specifications for various platforms.
Familiarity with ad targeting and audience segmentation techniques.
Understanding of tracking and attribution methodologies.
Experience in using analytics platforms such as Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics.
Knowledge of digital advertising industry standards and guidelines.
Familiarity with video ad serving technologies and VAST/VPAID tags.
Proficiency in using ad management APIs and automation tools.
Understanding of dynamic creative optimization (DCO) techniques.
Knowledge of ad fraud detection and prevention methods.
Experience in setting up and managing retargeting campaigns.
Understanding of viewability metrics and optimization strategies.
Proficiency in data visualization tools such as Tableau or Data Studio.
Knowledge of ad monetization and yield optimization techniques.
Familiarity with mobile ad serving and in-app advertising platforms.
Most In-demand Soft Skills
The following list describes the most required soft skills of an Ad Operations Specialist:
Strong attention to detail for accurate campaign setup and troubleshooting.
Analytical mindset to interpret data and identify optimization opportunities.
Excellent problem-solving skills to address technical and campaign-related challenges.
Effective communication and collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
Time management and organizational skills to handle multiple campaigns simultaneously.
Adaptability to work in a fast-paced and ever-changing digital advertising landscape.
Proactive attitude to anticipate issues and take preventive measures.
Ability to work well under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
Strong interpersonal skills for building relationships with clients and vendors.
Customer-oriented approach to deliver exceptional service and support.
Conclusion
Ad Operations Specialists play a critical role in ensuring the successful execution and optimization of digital advertising campaigns. They possess a unique blend of technical expertise, data analysis skills, and effective communication abilities. In this blog post, we explored the primary responsibilities of Ad Operations Specialists, ranging from campaign management and optimization to technical troubleshooting and reporting. We also highlighted the most in-demand hard skills, including proficiency in ad server platforms, programmatic advertising knowledge, and data analysis capabilities. Additionally, we discussed the importance of soft skills such as attention to detail, problem-solving, and effective communication in the field of ad operations. By acquiring these skills and staying updated with industry trends, professionals can excel as Ad Operations Specialists in the dynamic and ever-evolving world of digital advertising.
