AdTech & Programmatic Lead (Berlin, or remote - London, Prague, Barcelona)

We’re entering an exciting new chapter — scaling our advertising business, expanding programmatic partnerships, and building the technical infrastructure to connect the world’s top travel brands with our global audience. We’re looking for an AdTech & Programmatic Lead to be the technical backbone of that growth.This is a strategic, hands-on AdTech position for someone who understands the programmatic ecosystem from the inside — how auctions work, how to interrogate a supply partner’s value proposition, how to configure and debug ad delivery at the code level, and how to architect ayield strategy that scales.You’ll own Rome2Rio’s full ad tech stack — both the operational infrastructure and the programmatic layer. On the operations side, that means leading the technical configuration and governance of Google Ad Manager: ad unit architecture, targeting logic, line item structure, and the systems that ensure campaigns deliver accurately and at scale. On the programmatic side, it means evaluating and onboarding demand partners, leading header bidding strategy, setting and testing price floors, and ensuring our ad implementation is technically sound — from the ad call to the rendered creative. As we bring on new programmatic partnerships and scale our ad products, this role will be central to shaping how we monetise.What You’ll DoProgrammatic Strategy & Partner ManagementEvaluate and qualify demand partners — assess the uniqueness of their demand,scrutinise their tech stack and data signals, and make recommendations on whom tocontract and on what terms. Own the end-to-end programmatic deal pipeline — from initial partner conversationsthrough contract, technical integration, and ongoing optimisation.Lead header bidding strategy — determine the right wrapper solution for Rome2Rio’sneeds, manage Prebid.js configuration, and evaluate competing HB partners ontechnical merit and yield.Design and run price floor testing — set, iterate, and analyse floor strategies acrossopen auction and PMP channels to maximise net revenue without sacrificing fill.Manage SSP and DSP relationships — hold partners accountable to performance,push back on black-box reporting, and ensure Rome2Rio is getting fair value from eachintegration.AdTech & ImplementationWork directly with HTML/JS ad templates — modifying, debugging, and extending ad unit implementations to ensure creative renders correctly across placements and devices.Own the ad tag layer — audit and adjust ad calls, diagnose low viewability issues at the slot level, and recommend implementation changes to improve performance (e.g. lazy loading, slot positioning, refresh logic).Manage GAM configuration end-to-end — line item architecture, key-value targeting, creative trafficking, and ad unit hierarchy — with a view to scalability, not just execution.Lead QA on ad delivery — validate that demand partners are rendering as expected, troubleshoot creative discrepancies, and own the relationship between implementation and revenue outcome.Yield & Revenue Operations Monitor and analyse auction dynamics across demand partners — identifying inefficiencies, cannibalism, and opportunities to improve overall yield.Develop a coherent auction strategy as new demand sources come online, including direct programmatic partnerships.Track programmatic performance at the partner, placement, and deal level — and translate data into clear recommendations for leadership.Advise on tooling decisions (e.g. header bidding wrappers, floor management platforms, ad quality vendors) with a view to long-term scalability.Cross-functional CollaborationWork closely with product and engineering on ad slot implementation — contributing technical requirements and reviewing changes that affect ad delivery.Partner with sales and campaign management on direct deals — ensuring the programmatic and direct stacks don’t conflict, and advising on feasibility of custom executions.Act as the internal authority on all things AdTech — capable of explaining auction mechanics, bid landscape dynamics, and implementation trade-offs to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.What You'll BringMust-Have5–8 years of experience in programmatic, AdTech, or publisher-side ad operations — with a strong focus on the technical and strategic, not just campaign execution.Hands-on experience with header bidding (Prebid.js strongly preferred) — you’ve configured adapters, debugged auction logs, and made informed decisions about wrapper architecture.Ad implementation experience — comfortable reading and modifying HTML/JavaScript ad templates, adjusting ad calls, and diagnosing creative or delivery issues at the code level.Deep understanding of the programmatic supply chain — how SSPs, DSPs, ad exchanges, and data layers interact, and how to assess whether a partner brings genuine incremental value.Experience with price floor strategy — you’ve designed and run floor tests, understand the trade-offs, and can interpret the results.Strong analytic