Sr. Manager, In-House Media Operations

Role Summary

The Senior Manager, Media Operations, In-House plays a pivotal leadership role within Pfizer’s Global Media team. This position is responsible for overseeing and evolving the financial operations and governance of in-house media investments, with a focus on programmatic, search and social media. The Senior Manager will lead the development and implementation of enterprise-wide budget frameworks, drive strategic financial planning, and ensure compliance with internal controls and external regulations. This role requires a strong command of media finance, operational excellence, and cross-functional collaboration to optimize budget performance and support business objectives.

The Senior Manager will serve as a key advisor to leadership, championing financial stewardship and operational rigor across the organization and with external partners. They will also mentor and guide team members, fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and execution of scalable budget governance models across in-house media teams.
• Establish and maintain financial KPIs to monitor performance, identify risks, and drive continuous improvement.
• Provide strategic guidance to senior stakeholders on budget allocation, forecasting, and investment optimization.
• Spearhead the development of advanced tracking and reporting tools to support strategic planning and analysis.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on Pfizer’s internal and external finance platforms.
• Partner with analytics and technology teams to enhance data-driven decision-making capabilities.
• Direct the plan-to-pay workflow for in-house media, including administration of the Prisma system and oversight of billing, reconciliation, and reporting.
• Integrate vendor billing and delivery data into holistic brand-level financial reporting.
• Collaborate with Finance and Media Activation teams to manage Pfizer’s media investment lifecycle, from planning to actualization.
• Architect and institutionalize standardized budget processes that enable real-time visibility and decision-making.
• Drive adoption of financial best practices across Global Media and partner functions.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to enhance financial transparency and operational efficiency.
• Oversee end-to-end vendor payment processes, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with financial policies.
• Implement robust QA protocols for invoice reconciliation and financial data integrity.
• Ensure adherence to Pfizer’s financial controls and audit requirements.
• Supervise and mentor media budget operations staff, fostering professional growth and high performance.
• Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, and innovation within the team.
• Lead change management efforts to support evolving business needs and media strategies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with at least 6+ years of experience in media operations, financial planning, or budget management, preferably within a large enterprise or agency environment.
• Strong understanding of media investment lifecycle, including planning, forecasting, reconciliation, and reporting.
• Experience and understanding of campaign management platforms including advanced knowledge of – Media Ocean (PRISMA), Google Campaign Manager (CM360), Google Ads, Facebook Ads Manager, and Programmatic DSPs (e.g. DV360, The Trade Desk, Yahoo).
• Excellent project management skills, with the ability to drive initiatives from strategy to execution.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with attention to detail and data accuracy.
• Effective communication and stakeholder management skills, including experience presenting to senior leadership.
• Ability to mentor and develop team members, fostering a high-performance culture.
• Comfort with ambiguity; ability to act without having the total picture.
• Demonstrated breadth of diverse leadership experiences and capabilities including influence, collaboration, coaching, and driving meaningful business outcomes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in programmatic media, media agency operations or ad operations

Additional Information

• 10% travel
• Work Location Assignment: NYHQ or Lake Forest, IL, onsite 2.5x a week