Director, Strategy and Technology, blu.

Job Description

Who We Are  
Horizon Next is one of the industry's most innovative and data-driven marketing organizations and sits at the intersection of three constantly changing landscapes: people, data, and media. Our business provides strategic leadership to accelerate growth for our clients through brand strategy, media planning and investment, and best in class analytics across all channels. As the leader in innovative business solutions, we are always pushing ourselves to understand what’s next: our next innovation, our next advancement in analytics, the market’s next media evolution, and your next breakthrough idea. Horizon Next operates with the single goal that tomorrow must outperform today. 

At Horizon Next, we understand the value that different perspectives can bring to our clients and culture, so we strive for an environment where our employees feel welcomed, safe and empowered. We value YOU and believe that your authentic voice and unique perspective allows us to create a more rewarding culture, and experience, together.

Our simple recipe for success? We hire talented people (thinkers, doers, dreamers, makers), challenge them and give them every opportunity to grow.

What Is blu.
Over the last four years we have been building out our blu. capabilities. These solutions and services are enabled by our Connected Marketing Platform. The foundation of this platform is an Identity Framework built upon our relationship with TransUnion, whose PII data acts as our identity spine. By integrating with data partners who have deterministic data assets we have licensed and attached 14K+ attributes to bridge the gap between martech and adtech to deliver a true 360 consumer view. This enables brands to engage customers and prospects across all journeys. Our portfolio of solutions and services are designed to complement a clients’ existing tech.

Proprietary insights tools enhance profiles with psychographic attributes and custom models identify and assign propensity against audiences based on KPIs. We have a central, connected, user-friendly platform for insight to audience development and activation.

Job Summary

The Director, Strategy and Technology, blu. acts as a day-to-day contributor across all Horizon NEXT client teams focusing on omni-audience development and measurement, and coordination with traders, activation teams and Advanced Analytics for campaign implementation and measurement. The Director, Strategy and Technology, blu. is an expert in leveraging Horizon’s proprietary Connected Marketing Platform to enable data-driven marketing, and partners directly with Business Solutions, Data Solutions and Insights, Marketing Sciences, and Media Technology and Data resources on the accounts to ensure that data is at the forefront of everything we do. This role will be across all Horizon NEXT accounts and report directly to the SVP, Strategy and Technology, blu. In addition to client work, this role will be expected to be a contributor to content and use cases for new business.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

35%- Understanding Data Driven Marketing at Horizon

• Comprehensive understanding of how the blu. platform works and can be used. This includes understanding all blu. data sources, data dictionaries, taxonomy, refresh cadence, and how and where data can be accessed (UI, Snowflake, APIs).
• Work with Media Technology and Data and Operations teams to oversee 1P data onboarding, pixel set-up, and log level data passback
• Ability to produce net new use cases and custom analysis for existing clients and new business pitches

45%- Insights & Planning

• Work with Data Solutions & Insights and Business Solutions to explore and define seed audiences for audience strategy against business objectives and product using blu. and/or client 1P data. Help outline overarching audience framework for each client and product.
• Assist in the direction of Marketing Scientists on queries needed for insight development and/or custom audiences (with oversight from SVP)
  • Define correct model
  • Dictate individual model inputs
  • Framework of business rules for query
• Help review similarities and differences of attributes against audiences. Uncover insights that lead to high value audiences through output investigation. Prioritize audiences against KPIs.
• Aid in identifying use cases for usage of attitudinal data or custom survey work
• Partner with Business Solutions, Activation, and Analytics teams to align audience framework to measurement framework
• Consult on sizing seed audiences, look a likes and availability of audiences by partner in blu., to aid in budget planning
• Based on comms goals, ensure screen & partner allocation align properly with audience framework
• Align with Business Solutions on how audience framework ties to messaging and landing page experience
• Work with platform activation teams who help recommend 2nd party and platform data that is needed based on client objectives

20% Activation & Optimization

• Consults on final tactical media plan to ensure budgets, channels, partners, and tactics are all aligned to the proper audience segments
• Using 1P and pixel data, help define suppression and retargeting strategies
• Point of escalation for issues relating to media partner distribution and platform matching
• Collaborate directly with traders and activation teams on campaign implementation and troubleshooting as related to audience targeting
• Aid in development, set-up, and implementation of any custom in-platform algorithms
• Partner with Business Solutions, Activation, Marketing Science, and Analytics on reporting insights and custom analytics needed to answer business and media performance questions

Who You Are

• Analytical, inquisitive, forward thinking
• Collaborative
• Confident with internal stakeholders and clients

Preferred Skills & Experience

• BA/BS from accredited school required
• 7+ years’ experience with data and tech including using DMPs/CDPs, Addressable TV
• Understanding of programmatic
• Proven experience in audience development
• Hands on experience using multiple data sources for activating including 1P data
• Experience using AI and LLMs

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Horizon Media is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.  We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

Salary Range

A successful applicant’s actual base salary may vary based upon, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, licensure/certifications, and equity. As an organization, we take an aptitude and competency-based hiring approach.  We provide a competitive total rewards package including a discretionary bonus and a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, retirement savings plans, company paid holidays and unlimited paid time off (PTO), mental health and wellness resources, pet insurance, childcare resources, identity theft insurance, fertility assistance programs, and fitness reimbursement.