Associate Director of Advertising

Location: Pune

Department: Digital Advertising/Brand Management

Role Overview:

We are looking for a high-performing Associate Director of Advertising to lead our marketplace advertising initiatives across Amazon, Noon, and other regional eCommerce platforms in the MENA region. This role demands strong strategic ownership, hands-on team management, and a data-driven mindset to scale performance marketing for a diverse portfolio of brands.

The ideal candidate will have 8+ years of digital advertising experience, including 4–5 years of direct team leadership, and a proven track record of managing advertising operations that drive revenue, profitability, and market expansion across marketplace platforms.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic & Operational Leadership

• Own the end-to-end digital advertising strategy and execution across Amazon, Noon, and regional eCommerce marketplaces.
• Lead quarterly media planning, budgeting, forecasting, and performance tracking in alignment with brand and business goals.
• Drive advertising growth and profitability by developing scalable, structured strategies tailored to brand needs and regional platform dynamics.
• Act as a strategic point of contact for partner brands, presenting data-driven performance reviews and forward-looking recommendations.
• Lead and facilitate brainstorming and planning sessions with the ads team to develop campaign concepts and optimizations.

Product & Technology Development

• Identify and lead key product enhancement opportunities within the advertising function (automation, reporting, optimization features).
• Serve as the business owner for product and tech improvements, collaborating on requirements, testing, and rollout with internal stakeholders.
• Leverage tools such as Amazon Cloud Services, Helium 10, SEMrush, to automate reporting, improve keyword targeting, and scale campaign performance.

Team Management & Development

• Lead, manage, and mentor a team of advertising strategists and specialists, ensuring clarity on performance expectations and development goals.
• Foster a culture of accountability, proactivity, and continuous learning within the team.
• Provide structured training and upskilling paths to help the team stay current with evolving advertising tools, platform updates, and best practices.
• Step in as the primary decision-maker during leadership absences, ensuring business continuity and operational consistency.

Performance Optimization & Marketplace Growth

• Oversee campaign performance across search and display ads on Amazon and Noon, ensuring optimized RoAS and efficient use of budgets.
• Guide Amazon search optimization, keyword strategy, and bidding approaches using advanced analytics and third-party tools.
• Launch and scale brands across new product categories or marketplace regions within MENA through advertising-led initiatives.
• Monitor category trends and competitive movements to refine campaign positioning and product focus.

Data, Reporting & Platform Insights

• Own all performance reporting, budget tracking, and pacing reviews, ensuring accuracy and alignment with finance and brand expectations.
• Build actionable performance dashboards in Excel, PowerPoint, or Power BI, and deliver insights that inform strategy and execution.
• Conduct ongoing A/B tests and diagnostic deep-dives to uncover new growth levers.
• Keep leadership and brand partners updated on key KPIs including RoAS, TACoS, CPCs, CVR, and new-to-brand contribution.

Qualifications & Experience:

• 8+ years of experience in digital advertising, with a strong focus on marketplace platforms like Amazon and Noon.
• 4–5 years of direct team management experience in a performance marketing or eCommerce advertising function is mandatory.
• Proven track record of owning large-scale campaigns on Amazon (including DSP), Noon Sponsored Ads, and other local platforms.
• Hands-on experience with Helium 10, SEMrush, Amazon Cloud Services, and ad tech tools like Pacvue or similar.
• Strong command over Excel and PowerPoint for reporting, media planning, and presentations; familiarity with Power BI is a plus.
• Knowledge of Google Ads and Meta Ads is a value-add, particularly for cross-channel experimentation, but not essential.
• Strong commercial acumen, with the ability to connect advertising data to business outcomes.
• Excellent interpersonal, presentation, and communication skills.
• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, or a related field (MBA preferred).

What High Performance Looks Like:

• You take complete ownership of your vertical and team outcomes.
• You are analytical and agile, responding quickly to changing platform dynamics or business needs.
• You consistently drive innovation in advertising strategy, campaign optimization, and internal processes.
• You lead by mentoring others, setting high standards, and being a role model in execution and decision-making.
• You deliver clear, data-driven insights to internal teams and brand partners that influence strategic direction.