Senior Director, Publisher Operations in New York, New York at Index Exchange

About Index Exchange:Index Exchange is a global advertising supply-side platform enabling media owners to maximize the value of their content on any screen. As a trusted partner and ally, we connect leading experience makers with the world’s largest brands to ensure a quality experience for consumers.
We’re a proud industry pioneer with over 20 years of experience accelerating the ad technology evolution. With our radically transparent business practices and dedication to total market efficiency, we’re committed to upholding the integrity of the programmatic ecosystem at large.
What’s it like to work at Index?Index is an exciting and fast-paced place to work. You'll be able to feed your ambition, lean into trust and transparency, and feel genuine support from your colleagues. We’re built on our core values and live them each day. They're‌ not just buzzwords.
We pride ourselves on our independence and openness, not only in our technology, but in our teams, too. Our diverse and inclusive culture celebrates how we can leverage our unique differences to help drive Index forward.
We have more than 550 Indexers around the globe dedicated to building a safe and transparent marketplace that provides a trusted experience for consumers, and we’re looking for talented professionals to help take us to the next level.
Are you ready to join the programmatic evolution?
What we’re looking for:

• Deep AdTech & Publisher Operations Expertise: You have a deep understanding of the programmatic advertising landscape, including SSP operations, ad serving technologies, streaming technology, integration hygiene, and account health management. You understand the operational mechanics that drive publisher performance and revenue, be it in traditional web, streaming or app channels.
• Leader of Leaders: You have significant experience managing senior managers and regional leaders. You build high-performing, quality-obsessed cultures, develop talent at every level, and create the conditions for your teams to do their best work.
• Customer-First Mindset: You advocate for our publisher partners and ensure their needs are represented through consistent communication to internal stakeholders across operations, product, marketing, and the executive team. You set the standard for delivering excellent operational support and take accountability for the operational quality of the organization.
• Strategic and Hands-On: You are equally comfortable setting a 12–24 month vision for the function and rolling up your sleeves to engage directly in a complex operational escalation or a major publisher account issue.
• Strong Communicator & Collaborative Partner: You communicate clearly and confidently across technical, commercial, and executive audiences. You build strong relationships with internal stakeholders and know how to drive alignment across organizations.
• Operational Mindset: You are process-driven and data-oriented, with a track record of establishing KPIs, improving efficiency, and building operating standards and playbooks that scale across regions.
• Solutioning & Product mindset: You listen closely to publisher needs, translate them into the right combination of our products and capabilities, and identify gaps — proposing workable alternatives where a perfect fit doesn't exist.
• Adaptable & Continuously Learning: You stay current with the evolving programmatic landscape and bring that knowledge back to your teams, your customers, and the broader business.

Here’s what you’ll be doing:

• Lead and Develop the Global Publisher Operations Organization: Manage a global team of Publisher Operations leaders and individual contributors, including recruiting, onboarding, and developing people managers in addition to individual contributors, ensuring scalable leadership, clear accountability, and succession planning across the function.
• Define Strategy and Vision: Set the strategy and operating model for Publisher Operations, translating company strategy into effective multi-quarter plans, including resourcing and capacity planning, as well as priorities across regions and teams.
• Drive Publisher Growth and Account Hygiene: Drive significant growth across publisher partners, always looking for new ways to grow revenue and ensure optimal integration setup and account hygiene.
• Operational Standards and Playbooks: Work cross-functionally with Publisher Operations leadership to outline requirements and standardize best practices for onboarding, integrating, optimizing, and improving publisher performance.
• Senior Escalation Point: Act as a senior escalation point of contact for internal teams and publishers on complex operational or technical issues and account-related questions.
• Operational Excellence and KPIs: Establish KPIs and operational metrics that drive accountability across the global team. Implement and monitor performance metrics, lead process improvements, and develop best-practice standards that ensure consistent quality in account management, integration support, troubleshooting, and publisher enablement across all regions.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Product, Engineering, Sales, Account Management, and Platform Partnerships. Act as a bridge between the commercial and technical sides of the business, advocate for publisher needs internally, and support strategic company initiatives that require senior operational leadership. Support product launches across MVP, Alpha, Beta, and GA phases, including creating documentation, training materials, and internal enablement resources.
• Customer & Stakeholder Relationships: Establish new and cultivate existing relationships with key publisher accounts, with a focus on becoming their top partner. Ensure delivery on key publisher objectives, initiatives, and account plans.
• Organizational Communication & Alignment: Keep global Operations leadership informed of key developments, wins, risks, and opportunities across the function. Communicate proactively, ensure alignment across regions, and partner with senior leadership on strategy execution.
• AI-Forward Leadership: You champion the adoption of AI across the team, staying current on emerging tools and use cases and translating that knowledge into practical, day-to-day workflows. You set a clear vision for how AI enhances Publisher Operations — from automating routine tasks to improving decision-making and account support — and you lead by example, driving hands-on adoption rather than just advocating for it from the sidelines.

Here's what you need:

• 10+ years of experience in programmatic advertising, publisher operations, SSP operations, or digital media, with significant exposure to global markets
• Significant experience leading large, globally distributed operations teams, including managing senior managers and regional leaders, across multiple regions.
• Deep understanding of publisher monetization strategies across display, video, CTV, app and emerging channels
• Strong understanding of SSP operations, ad serving technologies, integration hygiene, and account optimization strategies
• Demonstrated experience acting as a senior escalation point for complex, high-stakes operational situations
• Proven ability to develop and execute customer-centric strategies that grow publisher revenue and strengthen partner relationships
• Experience establishing and monitoring performance metrics, operational KPIs, and driving continuous improvement initiatives
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with experience presenting to executives and cross-functional teams
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, with a data-driven approach to operational decision-making
• Experience working across multiple geographies and time zones, with an appreciation for cultural nuance in global organizations
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Technology, or a related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred

Salary: The base salary range for this role is (X Number) to (X Number). The total compensation package may vary depending on non-discriminatory factors such as job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.
Why you’ll love working here:

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans for you and your dependents
• Paid time off, health days, and personal obligation days plus flexible work schedules
• Competitive retirement matching plans
• Equity packages
• Generous parental leave available to birthing, non-birthing, and adoptive parents
• Annual well-being allowance plus fitness discounts and group wellness activities
• Employee assistance program
• Mental health first aid program that provides an in-the-moment point of contact and reassurance
• One day of volunteer time off per year and a donation-matching program
• Monthly town halls and regular community-led team events
• Multiple resources and programming to support continuous learning
• A workplace that supports a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment – learn more here

Equal employment opportunityAt Index Exchange, we believe that successful products are built by teams just as diverse as the audience who uses them. As such, we are committed to equal employment opportunities. We celebrate diversity of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. Additionally, we realize that diversity is deeper than any status or classification—diversity is the human experience. For those who show grit, passion, and humility—Index will welcome you.
Accessibility for applicants with disabilities Index Exchange welcomes and encourages individuals with disabilities to apply to work with us.
If you require an accommodation, please share the details of your request and any information how we can assist you with the hiring recruiter when they contact you. Index Exchange will make reasonable efforts to ensure accommodation requests are met throughout the recruitment process.
Index everywhere, Index anywhereOur corporate headquarters are in Toronto, with major offices in New York, Montreal, Kitchener, London, San Francisco, and many other global cities. As a major global advertising exchange, we are committed to operating as a tightly knit global team and embracing and empowering talent wherever our colleagues may be.
AI Disclaimer: Automated tools including artificial intelligence may be used to assist in screening and assessing applicants for this role. All hiring decisions involve human review. Vacancy Status: This posting is for an existing vacancy.