Director, Audience Activation

REF61710G

Location:  New York, NY

(US role, candidates must reside in US at time of application to be considered for this role)

Who We Are:

MRI-Simmons is an established brand that is aggressively reinventing itself through investments in technology and people. Widely recognized as the leading consumer insights company, MRI-Simmons measures consumer preferences, attitudes, and behaviors.  MRI-Simmons is co-owned by GfK and SymphonyAI Group, with GfK as the majority partner. In 2023, NIQ combined with GfK, bringing together the two industry leaders with truly global reach and operations in 100+ markets, covering more than 90% of the world's population.

What We Do:

We empower marketers, advertising agencies and media companies to turn deep consumer understanding into smarter strategies, targetable segmentation, and more effective advertising campaigns across all media channels: linear TV, Connected TV, Digital, and Social. We enrich customer first-party data to enable more comprehensive consumer profiling and activation. 

About this job

The Director, Audience Activation will be a key player in leading the sales initiatives for MRI-Simmons to grow our Advanced Advertising business, with solutions including data enrichment and audience activation.  The ideal candidate will work collaboratively with the Media, Brand and Agency verticals to develop new sales opportunities, lead or participate in Advanced Advertising presentations, assist in developing new Advanced Advertising product initiatives, and finalize negotiations and contracts in relation to closing new business. This position will lead our engagement and penetration of Agency holding companies, specifically with Investment, Programmatic, Video and Activation teams, while supporting our relationships with their Client teams. 

Responsibilities:

Revenue Growth & Deal Leadership

• Identify, develop, close new business and upsell opportunities focused on audience data enablement and activation
• Lead end‑to‑end sales cycles, including pre‑sales strategy, proposal development, negotiation, and contract execution
• Own commercial discussions and set pricing and deal terms in partnership with internal stakeholders

Client & Partner Engagement

• Leverage strong industry relationships primarily across advertising and media agencies, and at times brands, and ad tech partners, with a strong focus on stakeholders in programmatic, digital, video, investment, and account teams
• Lead advanced advertising, audience activation, and other data‑driven presentations that clearly articulate the value of MRI‑Simmons audience intelligence
• Act as a trusted advisor to clients by aligning MRI‑Simmons audience solutions to their business, media, and activation objectives
• Requires approximately 25% travel.

Product & Go‑to‑Market Collaboration

• Partner closely with Product, Commercial, and Operations teams to provide client input that informs product development and prioritization
• Support the development and launch of new data enablement and activation initiatives, partnerships, and go‑to‑market strategies
• Serve as a subject matter expert for advanced advertising and audience‑based use cases, guiding sales colleagues on complex opportunities
• Coordinate outreach and engagement with sales colleagues across all verticals

Operational Excellence

• Manage internal sales processes to ensure CRM accuracy, timely sales order execution, and revenue collection
• Collaborate with Operations, Development, and Client Service teams to define data, technical, and delivery requirements
• Ensure client reporting requirements and contractual obligations are met

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 5–10+ years of experience in sales or business development within advanced advertising, programmatic, addressable, data enablement, audience data, or ad tech
• Proven success selling audience data solutions to agencies and brands.
• Strong industry network across agency and brand stakeholders, including programmatic, activation, investment, and digital teams
• Deep understanding of the advanced advertising and audience data ecosystem, including measurement and attribution solutions for digital media
• Demonstrated ability to communicate the value of audience and data‑driven solutions in a clear, compelling way
• Experience applying syndicated audience data to activation, planning, and partnership opportunities preferred.
• Exceptional relationship management and executive‑level communication skills
• Strong negotiation skills with experience navigating complex commercial agreements
• Highly collaborative, proactive, and self‑directed

Seller Profile

• Consultative, self-directed seller with a “hunter” mindset and the ability to create opportunity where none previously existed
• Comfortable leading complex, multi‑stakeholder sales cycles
• Familiarity with Challenger sales methodology and MEDDICC frameworks preferred
• Strategic thinker who proactively identifies new use cases and growth opportunities
• Strong agency presence with hands-on experience operating within ad agencies, leading educational programming, thought leadership initiatives, and events for agency planning and buying teams

US Benefits

• Comprehensive healthcare plan (medical, Rx, dental, and vision).
• Flexible spending accounts and a Health Savings Account (including company contributions).
• Life and AD&D insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan including company matching contributions.
• Disability insurance.
• Tuition Reimbursement.
• Discretionary paid time off program and 11 paid holidays.
• Flexible working environment
• Volunteer time off
• LinkedIn Learning
• Employee-Assistance-Program (EAP)

This role has a market-competitive salary with an anticipated base compensation of the following range: $117,250.00 - $150,000.00.  Actual salaries will vary depending on a candidate’s experience, qualifications, skills, and location. This role is eligible for a sales-based incentive or performance-based bonus. Other benefits include flexible working environment, comprehensive health insurance, industry-leading parental leave, life insurance, education support and more.  

Our Benefits

• Flexible working environment
• Volunteer time off
• LinkedIn Learning
• Employee-Assistance-Program (EAP)

NIQ may utilize artificial intelligence (AI) tools at various stages of the recruitment process, including résumé screening, candidate assessments, interview scheduling, job matching, communication support, and certain administrative tasks that help streamline workflows. These tools are intended to improve efficiency and support fair and consistent evaluation based on job-related criteria. All use of AI is governed by NIQ’s principles of fairness, transparency, human oversight, and inclusion. Final hiring decisions are made exclusively by humans. NIQ regularly reviews its AI tools to help mitigate bias and ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. If you have questions, require accommodations, or wish to request human review were permitted by law, please contact your local HR representative. For more information, please visit NIQ’s AI Safety Policies and Guiding Principles: https://www.nielseniq.com/global/en/ai-safety-policies.

About NIQ

NIQ is the world’s leading consumer intelligence company, delivering the most complete understanding of consumer buying behavior and revealing new pathways to growth. In 2023, NIQ combined with GfK, bringing together the two industry leaders with unparalleled global reach. With a holistic retail read and the most comprehensive consumer insights—delivered with advanced analytics through state-of-the-art platforms—NIQ delivers the Full View™. NIQ is an Advent International portfolio company with operations in 100+ markets, covering more than 90% of the world’s population.

For more information, visit NIQ.com

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Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At NIQ, we are steadfast in our commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace that mirrors the rich diversity of the communities and markets we serve. We believe that embracing a wide range of perspectives drives innovation and excellence.  All employment decisions at NIQ are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. We invite individuals who share our dedication to inclusivity and equity to join us in making a meaningful impact. To learn more about our ongoing efforts in diversity and inclusion, please visit the https://nielseniq.com/global/en/news-center/diversity-inclusion