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‚Äôs 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‚Äôs 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‚Äôs 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‚Äôs 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 ‚Äì 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