Associate Director, Media Investment & Partnerships

Bully Pulpit International is an outcomes agency made up of strategists, data scientists, and artists. We come from politics, brands, and government and we communicate without barriers and measure what matters. We have more than 350 team members in six countries and thirteen offices — Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, D.C., London, Los Angeles, New York, Oslo, San Francisco, and Zürich. We apply our unique expertise across strategic communications, public affairs, research, and digital marketing to create sophisticated and customized strategies that make change possible for both American and European clients.

• Salary range: $100,000 - $115,000

•

Location:

Expectation to work from DC, New York, Chicago, SF or LA offices at least 3 days a week

This role will be the strategic leader responsible for overseeing BPI's multi-hundred-million-dollar media investment strategy, focused on maximizing agency-wide value and performance across all top-tier platform and publisher partners. You will sit at the critical intersection of media, finance, and client strategy teams, ensuring BPI maintains its competitive edge and delivers high-impact outcomes for our clients.

What You’ll Do

• Investment & Negotiation Strategy:
Develop and implement the agency-wide media investment strategy, focused on securing and leveraging maximum value, efficiencies, and first-look access from top-tier media partners

• Lead the negotiation, execution, and ongoing management of annual Joint Business Plans (JBPs), deals, and investment agreements with media platforms and publishers

• Establish and track agency-level key performance indicators (KPIs) for media value and partnership ROI, ensuring BPI meets investment thresholds and unlocks tiered benefits

• Innovation & First-to-Market Access:
Identify and secure agency-wide access to platform alphas, betas, and emerging media placements, ensuring BPI maintains a competitive edge and delivers first-to-market opportunities for our clients

• Establish BPI's formal point of view on joint partnerships and industry shifts, translating complex market changes (e.g., identity solutions, AI integration) into actionable guidance for internal teams in partnership with Planning, Buying, and Marketing Analytics leads

• Co-manage and coordinate the internal distribution of non-financial partnership benefits, such as proprietary research, training, and event access, to maximize value across all teams

• Operational Leadership &

Collaboration:

Serve as the main point of contact for top media partners, providing quarterly updates to agency leadership and collaborating with paid media leadership to align on client spend projections

• Serve as the primary point person for managing and overseeing the media partner NDA process, working in close coordination with the Legal & Contracts teams to ensure timely execution

• Provide project-based support for reviewing and negotiating contract terms related to specific client media engagements, while defining and enforcing BPI's standards for brand safety, ad fraud, and data privacy

Requirements

What You Bring

• 7+ years of experience in media investment or media partnerships at a leading media agency, trading desk, or major platform (e.g., Google, Meta)

• Proven track record of successfully negotiating and managing large-scale, agency-wide media agreements and joint business partnerships

• A robust professional network and deep knowledge of key media partners (CTV, premium news, social), with a track record of staying ahead of industry mergers, platform pivots, and evolving publisher capabilities.

• Deep understanding of the digital media ecosystem and market dynamics, with a proven ability to leverage that knowledge to secure strategic investment advantages

• Exceptional financial, legal, and operational acumen, with specific experience in media credit management, compliance, and contract review

• Technical literacy regarding data privacy regulations and identity solutions to ensure all partnerships and data standards are future-proofed

• Cross-functional leadership skills and the gravitas to influence and align senior-level partners, Finance, and Client Strategy teams

• Enthusiasm to…