Senior Manager, Media Operations

Job description

The Senior Manager, Media Operations owns the operational governance, financial integrity, technical measurement infrastructure, VIN feed governance, and OEM co-op compliance of AutoNation’s media ecosystem. This role serves as the operational backbone of the Integrated Media Strategy & Comms Planning team, bridging Finance, Marketing Analytics, Media Strategy, IT, and Agency partners to ensure that all media activity is fiscally accountable, technically sound, operationally disciplined, and performance protected. The Senior Manager ensures budgets are reconciled precisely, campaigns are tracked accurately, inventory feeds are structured appropriately, and compliance standards are upheld. This leader actively participates in pacing, planning validation, and optimization decisions while providing enterprise-level oversight of the systems that power media performance. The ideal candidate is a highly detail-oriented, systems-minded operator who thrives at connecting financial stewardship, operational rigor, and technical enablement to maximize media investment effectiveness. This role is onsite out of our HQ in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Key Responsibilities Operational Excellence & Data Integrity • Build, document, and continuously improve end-to-end media operational processes to ensure fiscal, operational, and technical integrity. • Establish and enforce tagging, tracking, taxonomy, and naming convention standards across all channels and partners. • Oversee implementation and QA of media tags to ensure accurate campaign tracking, attribution, and reporting. • Maintain governance over lead scoring models, quality tiering, and intent classification frameworks. • Act as the checks-and-balances function between Analytics (budget guidance), Media Strategy (allocation decisions), and Agency partners (execution). Financial Operations • Translate top-down budgets (by Line of Business) into store-level allocations • Own the invoicing process and serve as the primary liaison with Marketing Finance and Analytics for monthly and quarterly budget reconciliation. • Maintain alignment between agency pacing reports and internal budget trackers to prevent overspend/underspend. • Validate major reallocations, such as shifting funds between LOBs or markets, ensuring alignment with business priorities. • Prepare consolidated budget updates and variance reports for senior leadership. • Support budget forecasting and proactively flag financial risks and opportunities. • Partner with Finance to ensure billing and reconciliation accuracy; resolve discrepancies quickly. • Ensure accurate Coupa uploads, approvals, and budget tracking alignment. Process Improvement & Automation • Develop and maintain operational SOPs and governance documentation. • Identify automation and tooling opportunities to reduce manual workload and improve reliability. • Improve cross-team workflows to increase scalability, efficiency, and execution rigor. • Lead continuous improvement initiatives across finance, feeds, tracking, and reporting processes. Media Technology & Ad Operations • Partner with internal cross-functional teams (Marketing Analytics, Digital Marketing, IT) and agency partners to ensure all tracking and tagging is accurate, up to date, and aligned with business requirements. • Oversee the implementation and QA of media tags across channels to ensure proper campaign tracking and attribution. • Conduct regular tag audits to identify and resolve broken, missing, or misaligned tags. • Provide senior oversight of VIN-level and store-level feed strategy to ensure inventory is structured and activated correctly across platforms. • Govern feed logic to support performance optimization, OEM compliance, and channel accuracy. • Oversee feed updates, routing logic, and inventory distribution workflows in partnership with IT and external feed partners. VIN Feed & Inventory Governance • Provide senior oversight of VIN-level and store-level feed strategy to ensure inventory is structured and activated correctly across platforms. • Govern feed logic to support performance optimization, OEM compliance, and channel accuracy. • Oversee feed updates, routing logic, and inventory distribution workflows in partnership with IT and external feed partners. • Escalate and resolve feed-related risks that may impact performance, compliance, or budget pacing. • Lead product feed management and updates for new media initiatives and testing programs. Cross-Functional & Agency Partnership • Serve as the operational hub between Integrated Media Planning, Finance, Marketing Analytics, and Agency teams. • Provide clear communication and process guidance to agency teams to ensure compliance with financial and technical requirements. • Coordinate with Analytics to ensure measurement frameworks are operationally feasible and accurately implemented. • Build strong relationships across the organization to ensure smooth budget flow and execution readiness. Reporting & Insights • Deliver clear, concise budget and pacing updates for internal stakeholders. • Translate complex operational, technical, and financial data into actionable insights for media strategy refinement. • Oversees media analytic analysis across traditional media, digital media and 3P platforms to guide optimizations. • Support leadership in assessing media investment performance from an operational, fiscal, and technical setup standpoint. • Lead preparation of ad-hoc reporting for leadership and special projects. Leadership • Mentor junior team members and help build internal media operations capabilities. • Serve as a subject matter expert on operational best practices, financial processes, and media technology. • Act as an advocate for operational discipline and process adoption across all internal and external partners. Qualifications • Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, or related field. • 10+ years in media operations, marketing finance, or related advertising/media experience; client-side experience preferred. Bonus for Automotive and or Retail experience. • Strong understanding of media planning/buying processes across digital and traditional channels. • Proven ability to manage large, complex budgets across multiple business units. • Hands-on experience with tracking, tagging, and marketing technology platforms. • Highly proficient in Excel; comfortable working with large data sets and BI tools (Power BI, Tableau, etc.). • Strong project management skills; able to lead initiatives from conception through implementation. • Exceptional communication and presentation skills; able to work effectively with senior leadership. • Organized, thorough, and detail-oriented with strong time management skills. Exciting Benefits and Perks Await You: Competitive compensation and 401k matching Enjoy a healthy work-life balance with insurance plans (health, dental, vision) and maternity benefits. Associate purchase and discount programs for new and pre-owned vehicles, services, parts, collision, accessories, and AutoGear Access amazing deals and discounts through YouDecide, a website with offers from top providers and retailers Join our DRVPNK mission to raise and donate millions of dollars to cancer research and treatment, partnering with cancer charities nationwide AutoNation is one of the largest automotive retailers in the United States, offering innovative products, exceptional services, and comprehensive solutions, empowering our customers to make the best decisions for their needs. With a network of dealerships nationwide strengthened by a recognized brand, we offer a wide variety of new and used vehicles, customer financing, parts, and provide expert maintenance and repair services. Through DRV PNK, we have raised over $40 million for cancer-related causes, demonstrating our commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of our Associates, Customers, and the communities we serve. AutoNation is committed to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment in our workplace and the services we provide. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds who are passionate about making a positive impact. Even if you do not meet every requirement, we encourage you to apply. Join our team and help us foster a culture of belonging while contributing to our revolutionary work in the automotive industry. We value innovation, teamwork, and a commitment to making a positive impact in the world.