Media Analyst – Trading & Optimization

About us:

Target is an iconic brand, a Fortune 50 company and one of America’s leading retailers. Fueling the continued success of one of the world’s most beloved and recognized brands is a distinctly capable, creative and innovative Marketing organization. Target Marketing is well known for inspiring and surprising guests, and we pride ourselves on connecting them to the products and experiences they expect and deserve from Target. We study our guests to discover new needs and insights, and then craft every interaction to build brand love. We are market experts who insist on a clear and cohesive understanding of our business objectives, guest segments and behaviors, strategies and tactics, overcoming obstacles and measuring success. Our commitment to partnering both internally and with external agencies gives us a wide range of capabilities, from award-winning creative work to exciting and unique promotional marketing. Leveraging our collective assets and fostering a healthy, supportive and open team culture, we deliver a holistically gratifying experience that guests can only get at Target.

As a Media Analyst, you will support Roundel Media Team to help meet the needs of Brand Category Marketing and Target Media Network businesses. This position is focused on analyzing performance, creating optimization recommendations and evolving bid strategies. They will assist in managing the day-to-day tasks associated with campaign set up and management.  This vital role will interface closely with internal support teams and Target’s agencies to improve marketing outcomes. You will act as the bridge between internal activation, product, analytics, and client-facing teams to ensure campaigns are strategically planned, flawlessly executed, and continuously optimized for efficiency and effectiveness. The ideal candidate for this role will have a passion for digital media, analytical rigor, ad-tech expertise, business acumen, strong stakeholder management skills, an eye for detail and enthusiasm for problem solving.

Responsibilities

Campaign Strategy & Execution

• Understand vendor and client campaign needs and translate them into executable plans across digital channels.
• Work closely with Media Analysts, Activation, and Product teams to ensure campaign goals are aligned with vendor expectations.
• Interpret and analyze media plans; ensure flawless campaign setup in ad servers and DSPs.
• Manage and reallocate budgets across display, mobile, social, search, video, channels to maximize ROI.

Optimization & Performance

• Provide holistic optimization strategies tailored to campaign objectives, covering channels like T.com, display, mobile, video, social, and search.
• Apply creative testing, audience segmentation, and advanced targeting to improve campaign efficiency.
• Evaluate campaign trends and performance metrics; proactively recommend optimization tactics to drive results.
• Translate performance patterns into actionable recommendations for future planning cycles.

Analytics & Reporting

• Deeply analyze campaign reports across platforms (Google Ad Manager/DFP, Campaign Manager 360/DCM, FB Ads Manager, DV360, Pinterest Ads Manager).
• Generate actionable insights and synthesize campaign learnings into business-impact recommendations.
• Build custom reports and dashboards to track performance, pacing, and optimization effectiveness.

Ad Tech & Tools Expertise

• Advanced hands-on knowledge of DSPs (DV360/DBM, The Trade Desk, AppNexus, MediaMath, Yahoo DSP, TubeMogul, Brightroll).
• Strong understanding of DMP workflows, audience segmentation, and retargeting models (Lotame, BlueKai, Neustar, Adobe Audience Manager, Oracle).
• Experience in ad networks (GDN, OpenX, ValueClick, Tribal Fusion) and rich media vendors (Sizmek, DoubleClick Studio, Medialets, Innovid).
• Familiarity with programmatic buying, RTB strategies, and campaign measurement tools.
• Intermediate to advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, macros, lookups) and PowerPoint for reporting and storytelling.

Business & Client Alignment

• Partner with internal teams to ensure performance marketing best practices are applied to campaigns.
• Develop deep category and client business understanding to shape media recommendations.
• Support creative and content review to ensure assets align with platform requirements and performance objectives.
• Contribute to product feedback loops by identifying opportunities for improving ad tech, automation, and optimization processes.

About You

• Experience: 3–7 years in digital media trading, optimization, or performance marketing.
• Domain Knowledge:
  • Strong understanding of the Display Advertising Ecosystem; experience working on Ad networks (GDN/Tribal Fusion/OpenX/Value click); Familiarity with ad servers(Google Adsuite / Openx),, rich media vendors(Pointroll / Sizmek / Doubleclick / Medialets),Social (FB /Twitter /Pinterest)  RTB/Programmatic buying experience a plus.(DBM / TTD / Mediamath / Appnexus / Mopub)
  • Should have a fair understanding of the retargeting & affinity models. Hands on experience in any of the DMP platforms (Lotame / Neustar / Bluekai / Oracle / Adobe) will be an added advantage
  • Provide optimization strategies holistically across the campaign channels based on unique campaign objectives; channels may include T.com, display, mobile, video, social and search; consider creative and audience optimization tactics.

• Analytical Skills: Advanced ability to interpret campaign data, identify trends, and apply optimization strategies.
• Business Skills: Performance marketing expertise, strong knowledge of ad products, creative review, category insights, and familiarity with enterprise media tech stacks.
• Tools Expertise: Proven track record of working with DSPs, DMPs, ad servers, and analytics/reporting platforms.

Soft Skills

Problem Solving – Strong analytical mindset with the ability to resolve campaign challenges and optimize in real time. Sales & Communication – Ability to articulate complex campaign performance insights into simple, actionable recommendations. Client Management – Skilled in managing client expectations, fostering trust, and translating business needs into execution plans. Project Management – Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple campaigns, priorities, and stakeholders simultaneously. Collaboration – Able to work cross-functionally with internal and external teams, maintaining alignment and accountability. Adaptability – Comfortable working in fast-paced, changing environments with shifting priorities.

Other Requirements

• Flexibility to work during US daytime hours (CST) for certain parts of the year.
• Highly motivated, detail-oriented, and capable of working independently with minimal supervision.
• A solution-focused, “can-do” mindset with strong time management and prioritization skills.