Company description

Spark Foundry is a global media agency that exists to bring HEAT – Higher Engagement, Affinity, and Transactions – to brands. By combining flawless media fundamentals with aggressive innovation, Spark inspires consumers to pay more attention, to care more about our clients’ brands, and to buy more products and services from them.

Balancing the nimble spirit of a startup with the powerhouse soul of Publicis Media, Spark Foundry delivers the best of both worlds to a client roster that spans some of the world’s best and most beloved brands and companies. We combine boutique-caliber insights and service with the buying clout and first-look access of a global leader, bringing the heat to challenger brands that want to act like giants, and to giant brands that want to act like challengers.

With a bottom-up culture that celebrates diversity and aims for all voices to be heard, Spark has become a magnet for the industry’s best talent, with one of the best retention rates in the industry. And by applying a whole-person approach to professional and personal development, Spark develops a workforce that is well prepared for today’s challenges, and also poised to create meaningful careers in the years to come.

Because we know that heat arises the intersection of complementary forces, our professionals come from myriad disciplines and backgrounds: data, analytics, and insights, content and creative production, communications and strategy, finance and marketing, and sociology, psychology, and other liberal arts disciplines.

Overview

The EVP, Investment role is dedicated to servicing a $1B+ media portfolio. It requires a highly motivated media leader who is able to elevate the brand via large-scale partnerships, challenge marketplace status quo, and deliver best-in-class negotiations results. This is a Total Investment role with purview across all channels, including linear TV, digital video, programmatic, display, audio, branded content, paid social, influencer, affiliate, OOH, local, cinema, print, direct mail, search, and more.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities

Lead investment, activation, partnerships, thought leadership, and marketplace navigation across all aforementioned channels for one of Publicis’ biggest accounts
Manage a staff of 60+ high-performing professionals (ranging from Associates to SVPs) on media industry, brand-building best practices, negotiation skills, and crafting elevated media narratives
Drive innovation via unparalleled determination and ability to push boundaries with partners
Know organization inside-and-out, including major stakeholders across C-suite, media, marketing, procurement
Possess intimate knowledge of enterprise-level business priorities and challenges, consumer habits and touchpoints, and up-to-date consumption trends across all channels
Deliver on annual cost guarantee via aggressive negotiations and solution-oriented savings approach
Effectively manage revenue projections and generate net new agency profits via proprietary products and pipeline opportunities
Own and implement staffing needs, team evolution, succession planning
Serve as major stakeholder in scope proposals
Broker large-scale partnerships in the form of industry-best Upfront investments, JBPs, etc.
Liaise between media and creative on both agency side and client side
Develop go-to-market strategy and budget allocation based on deep knowledge of media channels, marketplace dynamics, KPIs
Advise clients and direct reports on marketplace conditions, media inflation projections, and first-to-market opportunities
Compile and deliver presentations on both high-level and campaign tactical media recommendations in high-stakes, dynamic settings
Leverage deep connections with major players at media networks and publishers on behalf of clients
Craft knowledgeable and relevant POVs that assess media opportunities with an innovation-first mindset
Play a leading role in all aspects of campaign management, including partner liaison and delivery
Oversee all aspects of activation from buying to trafficking, to posting to reporting, to billing reconciliation
Serve as point of escalation across all investment and marketplace matters

Qualifications

Qualifications

Agency experience highly preferred, with experience managing large client account billings from $500M to $1B+ a plus
15+ years experience across digital media buying, video media buying, and branded content; experience across other channels (paid social, influencer, affiliate, commerce, programmatic, audio, etc.) a plus
12+ years of management experience, with strong leadership and mentorship skills
Ability to inspire, innovative, and collaborate
Ability to recruit and retain top talent
Strong negotiation skills, with Upfront experience preferred
Firsthand practice in audience driven media investment strategy and optimization
Experience leading tactical campaigns across multiple lines of business
Experience managing cost guarantees preferred
Proven success with revenue driven agency solutions a plus
Must have excellent verbal/written communication skills, inter-personal skills, detail-orientation, and follow-though skills
Must have C-Suite tested presentation skills
Must have excellent marketplace reputation and relations
Must have strong analytical, research, and quantitative skills
Must be hard-working, resourceful, able to multi-task, work well under tight deadlines, and thrive in a fast-paced environment
Must possess strong understanding of the technology marketplace including key publishers, products, and trends
Must possess advanced Excel and PowerPoint skills, formulas, v-lookup, conditional formats, pivot tables, etc.
Experience with Prisma, Media Ocean, DCM preferred
Experience with Research tools such as Nielsen, Comscore preferred
Experience with leveraging platforms/DSP/data solution-based investment activation, measurement analysis and allocation decisioning

Additional information

Our Publicis Groupe motto “Viva La Différence” means we’re better together, and we believe that our differences make us stronger. It means we honor and celebrate all identities, across all facets of intersectionality, and it underpins all that we do as an organization. We are focused on fostering belonging and creating equitable & inclusive experiences for all talent.

Publicis Groupe provides robust and inclusive benefit programs and policies to support the evolving and diverse needs of our talent and enable every person to grow and thrive. Our benefits package includes medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401K, as well as parental and family care leave, family forming assistance, tuition reimbursement, and flexible time off. If you require accommodation or assistance with the application or onboarding process specifically, please contact USMSTACompliance@publicis.com.

Compensation Range: $241,000 - $325,500 annually. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and the Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. Temporary roles may be eligible to participate in our freelancer/temporary employee medical plan through a third-party benefits administration system once certain criteria have been met. Temporary roles may also qualify for participation in our 401(k) plan after eligibility criteria have been met. For regular roles, the Company will offer medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401k, and paid time off. The Company anticipates the application deadline for this job posting will be 01/16/2026.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

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EVP, Holistic Investment (Digital Focus)