Junior Programmatic Trader

Junior Programmatic Trader

The Shipyard is a leading, independent agency that builds performance-driven brands audiences can't help but love. By applying modern mindsets to established models, we fuel brand and marketing decisions that are more courageous and more validated. Our ability to align bold creativity with individual consumer motivations lets us do more than hope for brand love we methodically engineer it throughout the consumer journey. That's how we activate the synergistic power of brand building and performance marketing. Engineering brand love through the courageous ambitions of our people and our clients. The agency has significant momentum and we're still growing. Come join our team!

We're looking for a sharp, driven, and collaborative Junior Programmatic Trader to join our San Diego or Sacramento team. This person will be looking to take the next step in their programmatic career by moving beyond campaign support into hands-on ownership of programmatic activations. In this role, you'll begin managing campaigns directly within the DSPs while building confidence in optimizations, reporting, and cross-departmental communication.

As a Junior Programmatic Trader, you will support the execution of strategic media recommendations while beginning to develop and articulate your own tactical input. You'll ensure campaigns launch accurately and deliver against client KPIs, while also proactively monitoring pacing, performance, and opportunities for improvement. You will be a bridge between Coordinator and Trader responsibilities, balancing executional accuracy with growing strategic insight.

This role requires strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and a collaborative mindset. The Junior Trader is expected to participate in ongoing training, actively pursue platform certifications, and contribute to process improvements and team knowledge sharing.

At The Shipyard, we know that it's your unique talents, backgrounds, and perspectives that make you who you are, just like our team, who come from various career paths and experiences. We believe we can't be truly diverse without bringing your most authentic self to the agency.

Studies show that people from marginalized communities may not always apply for positions if they don't meet every single requirement in a job posting. At The Shipyard, we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet all the requirements. We believe that your passion for what we stand for our values and purpose is just as important as meeting every checkbox.

What You'll Do

• Independently set up and QA campaigns across DSPs (e.g., The Trade Desk, Amazon, etc.) with guidance from Traders and Senior Traders
• Monitor campaign delivery and pacing daily, proactively flagging issues, optimizing for performance, and communicating updates to internal teams
• Tagging & trafficking creative assets and accurately utilize standard naming conventions
• Pull, format, and analyze reporting data to identify early insights and trends
• Contribute tactical recommendations in RFP responses, including vendor selection, audience targeting, and budget allocation support
• Communicate clearly with internal planning, creative, and data teams to ensure smooth campaign launches and troubleshooting
• Participate in vendor trainings and platform certifications, staying current on programmatic best practices and emerging tools
• Ownership and implementation of quality assurance standards for the Programmatic media team
• Maintain and update team documentation, ensuring learnings and optimizations are shared consistently

What You'll Bring

What You'll Get