Associate Director, Paid Media & Ad Operations (Paternity Leave Cover)

About Moonbug Entertainment

Moonbug Entertainment is an award-winning global entertainment company behind some of the most popular children's titles in the world. We create, produce, and distribute inspiring, story-driven content that feeds minds and warms hearts. Our line-up includes global sensations like CoComelon, Blippi, Little Angel, and Oddbods, which are loved by millions of families across streaming, digital, linear, gaming, and consumer products.

As a Candle Media company, we operate on a truly global scale. We are a digital-first, fast-paced team that thrives on collaboration, innovation, and creativity. At Moonbug, we believe in purposeful work that makes a meaningful, high-quality impact on the lives of children and parents everywhere.

Location

Los Angeles | On-site (5 days per week)

The Role

We're looking for an Associate Director, Media Operations to lead the day-to-day operations of our Media Ops team through a fixed-term parental leave cover.

You'll lead campaign delivery across Moonbug's owned-and-operated content and platforms, working with some of the biggest advertisers in the world. Based in our Los Angeles office alongside the US team, you'll also partner closely with our London-based Media Ops team.

This is a hands-on leadership role with a clear mandate: keep an experienced team executing at a high standard. You'll inherit a capable team of 3 and established processes. Our ideal candidate is a senior ad ops leader who knows how to run a world class digital advertising operations team at a high level during our busiest time of year.

Responsibilities

• Campaign Delivery: Oversee planning, trafficking, execution, pacing, and delivery of direct and programmatic media campaigns across Moonbug's digital portfolio.
• Problem Solving: Troubleshoot the complex issues that may prevent digital ad campaigns from delivering, performing at their fullest potential, and being accurately reported on.
• Team Leadership: Manage and develop a team of 3 ad ops professionals, from entry- to mid-entry level, setting clear priorities and unblocking work daily.
• Cross-Functional Operations: Act as the operational connective tissue between Ad Sales, Sales Planning, Account Management, Finance, Technical teams, and ad platform partners to ensure clean launches, accurate tracking, and on-time delivery.
• Financial Reconciliation: Partner with Finance on monthly campaign reconciliation, billing queries, and delivery variances.
• Quality Assurance & Systems: Maintain high standards for ad serving, targeting setup, and sell-side inventory management across YouTube, CTV, and paid social.
• Leadership Representation: Represent the Ad Operations function on behalf of the Head of Media as needed, acting as an escalation point for internal and external stakeholders.
• Client & Sales Support: Join pitch and post-campaign client meetings where operational or technical expertise is needed.

Requirements

• Experience: 10+ years of professional digital media experience, including 8+ years managing teams.
• Technical Expertise: Deep experience with sell and buy-side inventory platforms — Google Ad Manager, Google Ads, SpringServe, Meta Ads, TikTok Ads.
• Video & CTV: Strong expertise in digital video advertising, particularly YouTube campaign management, with a solid grasp of the CTV landscape.
• Programmatic Knowledge: Working knowledge of programmatic execution, including Programmatic Guaranteed (PG) and Private Marketplaces (PMP).
• Data & Analytics: Proficiency across Google Workspace, Looker Studio, and YouTube Analytics for reporting, troubleshooting, and campaign tracking.
• Problem Solving: Excellent analytical skills and high attention to detail, with the ability to find creative solutions inside platform constraints.
• Leadership Style: A supportive, approachable leader who can step into an established team and earn its trust quickly.
• Communication: Confident communicator across senior leadership, cross-functional teams, and external commercial partners.

_At Moonbug Entertainment, we are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse work environment. We believe that diversity enriches our workplace and enhances our ability to innovate and connect with audiences around the world. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status._

_Moonbug Entertainment is dedicated to fostering a culture where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to bring their unique perspectives and talents to the table. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application and interview processes._

_Join us and be a part of a team that celebrates creativity, collaboration, and the power of diverse voices._

Benefits

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development
• Free Food & Snacks
• Wellness Resources