Director, Ads for News

Internews is seeking to hire an Ads for News Director who will lead their Ads for News’ ongoing product and business development, outreach to the advertising industry, and thought leadership.

Internews’ Ads for News initiative is a unique and strategic program for Internews that supplies country-based lists of fact-based, local news media that brands and agencies can target in their advertising campaigns, bringing increased advertising revenue to those media. Ads for News currently covers more than 15 thousand news websites in 57 countries.

Responsibilities

Day to day tasks will include:

• Leading the effort to identify candidate websites using their automated scraper, along with the Media Business Unit’s Head of Technology.
• Managing their external contractor to refine Large Language Models (LLMs) that identify content characteristics of target websites (e.g., thematic focus, content type, content depth, information / disinformation, and being “Made for Advertising” (MFA)).
• Recruiting, training, and supervising a large cadre of researchers (in collaboration with their regional program teams) who index news websites that have passed initial analysis and LLM stages.)
• Cultivate and maintain high-level relationships with advertising agency partners, funders, supporters, and policy makers around the world, with the goal of growing our network of partners and supporters and guiding Product Development priorities (e.g., determining which countries to index).
• Lead efforts to generate new funding opportunities for Ads for News and related programmatic innovations.
• Lead the development and implementation of Ads for News’ operating plans, work plans and strategies, together with the Senior Director of Media Business and their MVA program team.

Required qualifications

• University degree or equivalent lived/professional experience
• At least 10 years of experience in the media and/or digital advertising sectors
• In-depth knowledge of working with news media
• In-depth knowledge of programmatic advertising
• Ability to cultivate high-level relationships with senior advertising executives in partner organisations
• Experience working with multi-stakeholder groups, working groups and coalitions
• Remote management of consultants, and collaboration with colleagues, globally
• Track record of planning, goal setting, and achieving major results to deadlines with minimal oversight
• Proven ability to prioritise and handle a multitude of complex ongoing assignments to deadlines
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of an international and diverse team in a flexible, dynamic environment across multiple time zones and working divisions
• Professional fluency in English
• Excellent communication skills: speaking, presenting, writing, and listening
• Ability to work both independently and as an effective team member
• Ability and willingness to travel as needed globally in support of programs and initiatives

How to apply

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until filled. To learn more and apply, please click here.