The 3 Roles Reshaping AdTech Hiring in SEA (June 2025)

The Southeast Asian AdTech scene isn’t just growing, it's evolving fast. With digital budgets surging and cross-border campaigns the norm all around, the kinds of roles companies are hiring for are shifting. We’re seeing new job titles, different skillsets, and faster competition for niche talent.

At ugp, we like to think we are in the thick of it. From early-stage streaming players in Jakarta to global martech platforms hiring regionally out of Singapore, we have the privilege of seeing where potential growth is, before it happens.

So here’s what’s hot, what’s driving demand and what it means for both talent and employers in Q3.

‍Regional Go-to-Market Talent Is on the Rise

Companies are increasingly rolling out campaigns and products across multiple SEA countries, not just one. That means hires who understand the entire region. We often hear clients ask for “plug-and-play” leaders who can manage Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia – all from one base (often Singapore).

In fact, recruiters have noted a big push for talent with full regional Southeast Asia/APAC exposure. Previously, roles labeled “Regional Business Development Manager – SEA” or “Area Sales Director, APAC” were basically a title for a role based out of Singapore and a few deals occasionally in the region. However, now hires need to juggle different cultures, languages and local partners as a pre-requisite.

• Hot roles: Regional Sales/BD Directors, Channel/Partner Managers covering multiple markets, Regional Strategy leads.
• Key skills: Multi-country market knowledge; fluent English plus other local languages; experience in cross-border partnerships.

Example: A regional streaming startup is hiring a SEA Sales Head who can liaise with media buyers in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines (all from an SG office).

“Candidates who’ve sold AdTech solutions across SEA are suddenly supercharged. Companies want experienced players who can hit the ground running in multiple markets.”

OTT/CTV Expertise Is in Demand

The streaming boom continues, and with it the need for AdTech talent who not just “get” OTT and CTV but have in-depth expertise. Audiences in SEA are watching more content online, and advertisers are following them. In fact, global data show 56% of marketers plan to increase OTT/CTV spend in 2025, and Southeast Asian viewers are on board – 72% say they will maintain or increase their streaming video viewing. That creates a surge in roles around connected TV and online video.

Agencies and tech companies are hunting for people with OTT/CTV experience: think ad-sales for streaming platforms, CTV inventory management, or product roles at media-tech firms. We’ve seen job titles like “CTV Sales Director – SEA” or “Publisher Partnerships (OTT)” popping up. Even our technical hires need OTT chops: AdOps and engineers who can integrate publishers into mobile apps or Smart TVs. This is true across SEA – from Singapore (the regional hub) down to Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines where streaming adoption has jumped.

• Hot roles: CTV/Streaming Sales Managers; OTT Product Owners; Video Ad Operations & Engineering.
• Key skills: Familiarity with streaming ad formats (pre-roll, ad pods), programmatic video platforms, analytics for OTT.

Insight: Broadcasters, SVOD/AVOD platforms and programmatic firms in SEA are expanding CTV units. Streaming is fundamentally changing TV advertising, so having OTT know-how is now a core requirement for media sales and tech roles.

ugp says:

“We keep getting briefs for candidates with exactly OTT or CTV background. It wasn’t this urgent a year ago.”

Publisher Development & SSP Integration Skills

Programmatic advertising is maturing, which means publishers (news sites, blogs, video platforms) are under pressure to maximize revenue the best they can. They need savvy partners and sophisticated tech integration. This trend is fueling demand for Publisher Development and SSP (supply-side platform) integration talent.

Publishers want to get more of the action in the programmatic stack, and they’re leaning heavily on SSPs to do it. As one industry analyst puts it, “publishers will need to rely on SSPs more than ever in this emerging DSP-direct world”. In other words, having experts who can set up header bidding wrappers, optimize yield, and connect multiple demand sources is critical.

On the hiring side, we see roles such as “Publisher Business Manager,” “Programmatic Yield Analyst,” and “Ad Ops Specialist (SSP)” becoming popular. These positions often sit at the intersection of sales and tech: the person must develop publisher relationships and troubleshoot the ad stack integrations (Google Ad Manager, Prebid.js, etc.). Countries like Indonesia and the Philippines, where digital publishers are growing fast, are especially active. Singapore remains a hub where AdTech firms build teams of integration engineers and client-facing publisher managers to serve the wider SEA market.

• Hot roles: Publisher Development / Partnerships Managers, Programmatic AdOps Engineers, Yield / Revenue Analysts.
• Key skills: In-depth knowledge of SSPs/DSPs (e.g. PubMatic, Magnite, Xandr), header bidding technology, and ad server tools.

Market note: Ad networks and exchange platforms (from local players to branches of big SSPs) are rapidly expanding their SEA teams. Many listings now explicitly ask for “experience scaling publisher inventory” or “hands-on with major SSP integrations.”

We note a growing number of requests for these roles.

Candidates, particularly younger talent, value clarity, coaching, and care as much as or more than just cash.

ugp says:

“I’ve never seen publisher-side ad operations this hot. Everyone’s chasing yield, so they want people who know how to squeeze efficiency out of supply-side platforms.”

Who’s Hiring and Where

Across SEA the largest hubs of AdTech hiring are Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines – each for different reasons.

🇸🇬Singapore: Still the regional HQ for many tech and media giants. We’re placing a lot of Singapore-based roles with a SEA remit (for example, a Singapore Ad Sales Manager covering campaigns in MY, ID, PH). Big international agencies and platforms in SG are actively hiring for global and regional positions.
🇲🇾 Malaysia: The market is booming with digital growth. Malaysian media and ecommerce companies are hiring digital marketing and programmatic specialists (often needing bilingual skills). There’s also demand for regional roles based in KL.
🇮🇩Indonesia: As the region’s largest population, Indonesia’s mobile and digital ad market is expanding fast. Local publishers and app developers are recruiting programmatic and analytics talent, and Indonesian nationals with multi-market experience (or even relocating SMEs) are in high demand.
🇵🇭Philippines: Known for English fluency and a strong tech services sector. We see many international firms placing regional support and sales teams in Manila. OTT and social media campaigns have huge reach here, so roles in ad operations and media buying for video and mobile are common.

Hot role examples (SEA-wide): Regional Sales Director, Programmatic Account Executive, Data/Analytics Lead (marketing), CTV/OTT Commercial Manager, Publisher Partnerships Manager, Ad Operations Engineer.‍

What This Means for Candidates and Companies

For job seekers now’s a great time to highlight SEA-wide experience and new media skills. Brush up on OTT/CTV ad formats, programmatic ecosystems, and regional market knowledge. If you can show success managing campaigns or partnerships across countries, or optimizing ads on streaming platforms, recruiters will take notice. Don’t be surprised if employers expect you to understand multiple markets – even for roles based in just one country. Being flexible (willing to travel occasionally) and culturally fluent is a big advantage.

For employers, competition for talent is fierce. If you’re hiring in AdTech or digital media, be ready to act fast and possibly adjust compensation/benefits. Consider partnering with specialist recruiters (like ugp) who know the space and have regional networks. Clarify whether you truly need region-wide expertise or strong local knowledge first; either way, articulate it in your job postings to attract the right candidates. Also, investing in some in-house training (for example, on emerging ad tech tools) can widen your talent pool.

In summary, our hiring pipelines at ugp show that regional exposure and technical expertise are now baseline requirements in many commercial and tech roles. Ad spend is shifting, new channels are emerging, and the best people bridge those worlds. If you’re a marketer or technologist in SEA, use this momentum: learn new skills and don’t hesitate to tell recruiters about your regional successes. And if you’re a company looking to build an AdTech/MarTech team, now is the time to reach out – talent is out there, but you may need help finding the perfect match.

Reach out our team for a conversation. Whether you’re talent exploring new opportunities or a business building your next AdTech dream team, we’re here to connect you to success. Let’s go to market, together. – The Uncommonly Good People