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.

The Impact You Will Make

• You will be the architect of BPI’s holistic media investment strategy, translating agency growth goals into actionable partnership commitments that drive efficiency, scale, and innovation.
• You will own and cultivate our most critical platform and media partner relationships, acting as the primary point of contact for senior-level leadership at companies like Meta, Google, major programmatic partners, and premium video, audio & news publishers (e.g., Disney, NBCU, New York Times).
• You will be the internal authority for adopting emerging media innovations and vetting best-in-class partners, ensuring BPI secures market-leading rates and premium offerings that directly accelerate our clients' goals and maintain our leadership in brand safety and platform innovation.

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.

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 work across our corporate, public affairs and non-profit clients as well as Democratic and progressive political clients.

BPI offers a wide range of benefits to U.S.-based employees, including 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) program with employer match up to 4%, generous time off for vacation, $50 monthly phone reimbursement, unlimited sick time, and 16 weeks of paid leave for new parents. BPI’s benefits prioritize employee wellness and progressive support to our diverse workforce.

We’re looking for all kinds of people.  

BPI Group is an integrated public affairs agency that delivers outcomes for the top organizations and leaders around the world. With expertise in strategic communications, digital marketing, creative, research, and measurement, we offer a cohesive approach across corporate, policy, and public affairs strategy in today’s interconnected world. By combining incisive strategy and deep tactical expertise, we make change possible. Our transatlantic presence includes offices across eleven markets in the US and Europe.

We are an equal opportunity employer and make employment decisions based on individual commitment to excellence. We want to have the best qualified people in every job. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, status as a protected veteran, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member) or any other consideration made unlawful by applicable federal, state or local laws. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. 

BPI is dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible workplace that fosters a sense of belonging – so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to still consider submitting an application. We consider applications holistically and you may be just the right candidate for this role or another one of our openings!

Let’s keep in touch. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter at bpigroup.com