Senior Media Analyst - Programmatic Media Buying & Optimization

Sr Media Analyst

About us:
Target is an iconic brand, a Fortune 50 company and one of America’s leading retailers. Fuelling the continued success of one of the world’s most beloved and recognized brands is a distinctly capable, creative and innovative Marketing organization. Target Marketing is well known for inspiring and surprising guests, and we pride ourselves on connecting them to the products and experiences they expect and deserve from Target. We study our guests to discover new needs and insights, and then craft every interaction to build brand love. We are market experts who insist on a clear and cohesive understanding of our business objectives, guest segments and behaviours, strategies and tactics, overcoming obstacles and measuring success. Our commitment to partnering both internally and with external agencies gives us a wide range of capabilities, from award-winning creative work to exciting and unique promotional marketing. Leveraging our collective assets and fostering a healthy, supportive and open team culture, we deliver a holistically gratifying experience that guests can only get at Target.

Role Description:
The Senior Media Analyst (L5 Trading & Optimization Manager) will serve as a subject matter expert in programmatic media buying, leading full-funnel, data-driven campaign strategies that deliver measurable business impact. This role owns the end-to-end programmatic campaign lifecycle — from strategic planning, audience and media research, and execution across DSPs, to continuous optimization, performance analysis, and insights delivery. The ideal candidate will combine technical fluency in digital advertising platforms with strong analytical and consultative skills, driving efficient budget utilization and superior ROI. As a cross-functional leader, the role will collaborate closely with sales, product, creative, and analytics teams to design and execute innovative media strategies, evaluate technology and data solutions, and contribute to the broader growth of performance marketing capabilities. Staying ahead of industry trends, sharing best practices, and shaping the evolution of Target’s digital advertising & programmatic excellence will be key to success in this position.

Scope of Role

• Category-Level Ownership: Accountable for end-to-end trading and optimization across multiple categories, ensuring delivery against pacing, KPIs, and revenue growth targets.

• Client Impact: Direct influence on top/critical accounts within the portfolio, driving measurable ROI, incremental sales, and client retention through optimization excellence.

• Strategic Influence: Provide insights and best practices to internal leadership, clients, and cross-functional stakeholders; contribute to shaping category media strategies and product development.

• Operational Leadership: Ensure consistency of trading performance, process rigor, and knowledge-sharing across the team. Lead cross-functional problem solving and serve as the SME for trading practices and technologies.

• Global Collaboration: Work across geographies and time zones, aligning with partners during US business hours when required to ensure seamless execution.

Responsibilities

• Trading & Optimization

  • Manage and optimize digital media campaigns across DSPs, SSPs, and Exchanges (Desktop, Mobile, Video, CTV, and Retail Media).

  • Apply advanced programmatic practices including brand safety guidelines, ad viewability, fraud prevention, and inventory quality assurance.

  • Lead category-level pacing, delivery, and performance management across multiple high-value clients.

  • Drive incremental sales, upsell revenue, and improved operational health metrics (error-free execution, KPI achievement, retention).

• Client & Stakeholder Engagement

  • Act as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for trading and optimization—supporting partners with troubleshooting, QA, process improvements, and platform-level problem-solving.

  • Engage with clients, sales partners, and stakeholders regularly to understand business objectives and provide optimization strategies that translate into measurable results.

  • Deliver strategic recommendations to clients on campaign performance, future opportunities, and category-level growth.

• Business & Category Leadership

  • Partner with category leads to align trading strategies with overall category and client business objectives.

  • Work in alliance with all team members to ensure consistent performance across top/critical accounts.

  • Contribute to category practice discussions, share best practices, and support process innovation.

  • Actively participate in extended cross-functional business projects with marketing, analytics, product, and engineering teams.

• Training & Development

  • Mentor and onboard new hires through structured training and development programs.

  • Share expertise in trading operations, optimization, and platform usage to uplift team capabilities.

  • Serve as the first point of contact for trading-related escalations and knowledge-sharing sessions.

• Global Operations

  • Flexibility to work during US Daytime (CST) for specific business periods.

About You

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Marketing, Economics, Data/Technical field, or related discipline (MBA preferred).

• 8–10 years of experience in digital/programmatic marketing, with 3–5+ years in hands-on DSP campaign management and optimization.

• Strong background in Trading Desks, DSPs, SSPs, or Exchanges, with proven ability to manage large-scale campaigns and budgets.

• Deep understanding of omnichannel paid media practices (Programmatic, Retail Media, Social, Display, Video, CTV, Search).

• Skilled in media planning, forecasting, and advanced analytics across digital data sources (advertising data, DMPs, social/search data).

• Previous experience managing enterprise-level accounts at a media agency, retail media network, or technology platform.

• Passionate about media, analytics, data-driven decision-making, and marketing technology.

• Strong collaborator, team player, and knowledge sharer with demonstrated leadership in peer learning and process improvement.

Technical & Business Skills

• Performance Marketing: Mastery in driving ROI through data-driven performance marketing.

• Ad Product Knowledge: In-depth understanding of DSPs (DV360, The Trade Desk, Amazon Ads, Meta Ads Manager, Google Ads, etc.), Retail Media platforms, and measurement systems.

• Creative & Content Review: Ability to evaluate ad creative for messaging, compliance, and performance effectiveness.

• Client & Category Understanding: Strong grasp of client business models, vertical-specific KPIs, and growth levers by category.

• Tech Stack Proficiency: Skilled in campaign management platforms, fraud detection tools, analytics platforms (Google Analytics, MMPs), and BI/visualization tools (Tableau, Looker, Power BI).

Soft Skills

• Problem Solving: Able to diagnose campaign issues, identify root causes, and implement innovative solutions.

• Sales & Communication: Skilled at simplifying complex trading concepts for stakeholders and clients.

• Client Management: Strong relationship-building ability, with experience handling executive-level conversations.

• Project Management: Capable of managing multiple high-stakes campaigns, deadlines, and cross-functional dependencies simultaneously.

Useful Links-

Life at Target- https://india.target.com/

Benefits- https://india.target.com/life-at-target/workplace/benefits

Culture- https://india.target.com/life-at-target/belonging

Experience Level

Senior Level