Head of Publisher Development

The Head of Publisher Development - JAPAC will drive success for the PubDev team and GumGum’s publishers. Serving as the senior most supply expert for the JAPAC region, the leader in this role will cultivate C-Suite publisher relationships and leverage metrics to drive the publisher acquisition process with operational rigor. This role will generate lucrative business model opportunities by deepening premium supply partnerships, identifying new revenue trends and leveraging a thorough understanding of our industry by attending in-person local events and conferences. This role will work very closely with the Head of Sales and other leaders to understand bespoke customer needs on a regular basis and tactfully build towards delivering on those needs with a client-first mentality.

Over time, this leader will identify the appropriate team resourcing required for the JAPAC region related to business development/sales, onboarding publishers, operations and technology support, and account management. They will effectively lead, manage and mentor the PubDev team within JAPAC. They are also responsible for collaborating with other regional PubDev leaders within the organization to share best practices and ensure a holistic approach for global publishers.

Reporting to the EVP of Global Platform Strategy and Operations and serving as a member of the JAPAC leadership team for GumGum, this person will manage and grow the Publisher Development team in the JAPAC region, and play a key role in our continued success.

Note: This position offers the opportunity for remote work or 'work from home' as there isn't a nearby office. However, GumGum is excited to only consider applicants residing in the local area listed in the job description for business needs including some or all of the following: client interaction, team interaction, timezone, etc.

#li-hybrid

What You'll Achieve

• Publisher Pipeline Development
  
  • Pitch to senior-level decision makers to close new supply partnerships
  • Nurture and close a pipeline of premium publisher relationships to contribute to team revenue goals
  • Pursue and manage strategic channel partnerships
  • Identify and assess potential new markets/areas of expansion of our offering
  • Create, automate and improve processes that accelerate sales and new business growth
  • Analytically shape the portfolio to meet sales requirements in terms of publisher tier quality, targeting needs
• Publisher Account Leadership
  • Ensure the team is effectively managing the portfolio of publisher relationships, working to satisfy client requirements for successful advertising campaigns, meet economic goals, while ensuring the needs of publisher partners for revenue, user experience and provide counsel to improve their own businesses
  • Maximize the value of existing partnerships, including terminating poor performing alliances and restructuring deal terms where applicable
  • Drive and articulate GumGum’s positioning with key publishers within the digital media ecosystem
  • Lead the team responsible for partnering with publishers to ensure available inventory across quality sites and to drive adoption of ad formats
  • Proactively collaborate with leading publishers to understand their needs, utilizing insights and technology where appropriate
  • Ensure the PubDev team is managing existing publishers with end-to-end operational excellence
• Supply Strategy & Management
  • Develop & execute growth strategies with the executive team and board of directors
  • Develop business plans for the region that include target account lists, account assignments, and quotas
  • Drive a publisher development strategy and recruitment tactics to grow GumGum’s business initiatives
  • Consistently analyze & present data and to Sales leaders regarding inventory levels across products, and collaborate to develop innovative ideas to grow monetization where there is opportunity
  • Formulate and execute annual plans for growth, investment and overall innovation
  • Lead inventory management strategy and recommend JAPAC  publisher development annual plans and projects
• Publisher Development Operations
  • Develop and drive implementation and standardization of global supply tactics and tools
  • Develop and tweak playbook, tools and working methods
  • Ensure consistency in Presenting, Pitching, Role Plays, Sales materials
• Leadership & Management
  • Lead, recruit and inspire a team of exceptional sales and business development talent
  • Utilize superior communications skills to motivate staff and develop effective working relationships with peers, executives, and clients
  • Recruit, manage and develop the Publisher team to ensure each individual's success including defining the team structure, key target list and goals
  • Monitor overall team health including utilization, individual satisfaction, output and succession planning
  • Ensure training and certification of Supply Teams
• Supply Reporting & Analytics
  • Forecast, track and measure sales KPIs using CRM and reporting to manage up to the GumGum executive team
• Voice of the Publishers
  • Represent the voice of the publisher in feature development prioritization and product roadmap planning
• Industry Leadership
  • Contribute to and attend industry events and thought leadership forums
  • Attend webinars, thought leadership sessions and local industry events to build/solidify partnerships and maintain your industry knowledge
  • Keep abreast of emerging technology changes and innovations through formal or informal study, reading business and professional publications, networking, and participation in professional organizations

Skills You'll Bring

• Bachelors' degree from an accredited and recognized institution is required with an advanced degree (MBA, equivalent) or equivalent experience
• 8+ years of relevant experience within the publisher area of ad tech with at least 7+ years of experience driving business development / sales is required, and 4+ years of people management experience. 
• Experience developing and leading high-performance sales and business development teams
• Experience working in a company with a complex and multi-faceted product/solutions offering with a deep understanding of ad tech and supporting technologies
• Brings a network of industry connections
• Track record of consistently meeting / exceeding new business and revenue targets using a high-trust, consultative sales approach
• Strong experience providing information to leadership on trends, performance, action plans, etc.
• Strong track record of leading ongoing technology-related business development (i.e., emerging trends and technologies serving the online and digital advertising marketplace)
• Ability to work across departments - product, sales, marketing and tech
• Demonstrated thought leadership in creating, influencing, and driving business strategy
• Deep knowledge of the digital advertising ecosystem and programmatic media buying/selling
• Strong team management and leadership skills including proven ability to support the management, coaching, mentoring and development of a team to optimum performance
• Skills and proficiency in Powerpoint, Excel, Salesforce, and Google Drive (Docs, Sheets, Slides)
• Good presence and bearing in support of external visibility and industry speaking engagements
• Excellent and compelling communicator with a natural ability to lead strategic conversations and adjust to varying audiences
• A dynamic seller eager to be out in front of people, comfortable with C level decision makers
• Enjoys working in a fast-paced environment and be flexible to react to changing priorities and the ability to prioritize and deliver in a deadline-oriented environment
• Able to travel to meet customers/clients and to attend industry trade shows and events