Director, Commerce Strategy & Retail Media Planning

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of integrated commerce and retail media strategies that connect client business objectives, retailer priorities, shopper behavior, eCommerce goals, and media opportunities.
• Translate complex business challenges into clear strategic recommendations, planning frameworks, and commerce roadmaps.
• Shape annual, quarterly, and campaign-level commerce planning initiatives across priority retailers, brands, and business units.
• Identify opportunities where retail media investments can accelerate sales growth, support customer priorities, drive new-to-brand acquisition, improve share performance, and strengthen retailer partnerships.
• Develop strategic POVs, recommendations, thought leadership, and planning frameworks that inform client investment decisions.
• Lead strategic retailer prioritization and investment planning across retail media networks.
• Create budget allocation recommendations, investment rationale, and scenario planning models aligned to business objectives.
• Develop retailer-specific planning approaches that reflect customer priorities, market opportunities, and commerce growth objectives.
• Connect Joint Business Plan (JBP) priorities, shopper insights, eCommerce objectives, and media opportunities into a unified planning narrative.
• Partner with client and agency leadership to evaluate emerging opportunities, innovation programs, and growth strategies across the commerce ecosystem.
• Serve as the primary strategic interpreter of client requests, ensuring all workstreams have clear objectives, business context, decision criteria, and expected outcomes.
• Establish planning frameworks, briefing standards, and strategic processes that improve planning quality and alignment across teams.
• Build strategic briefs and recommendation frameworks that enable Activation and Analytics teams to define executional requirements and measurement approaches.
• Identify strategic gaps, conflicting priorities, unclear direction, and missing inputs before work progresses into execution.
• Drive greater consistency, rigor, and clarity across commerce planning activities.
• Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to client stakeholders and cross-functional agency leadership teams.
• Lead client-facing discussions related to commerce strategy, retailer prioritization, budget allocation, measurement frameworks, and growth opportunities.
• Present executive-ready recommendations, planning narratives, and business cases to internal and external stakeholders.
• Partner closely with Client Service, National Planning, Commerce Activation, Analytics, Creative, and retailer partners to deliver integrated commerce solutions.
• Accurately represent the client perspective while balancing agency expertise, retailer realities, and business objectives.
• Mentor, coach, and develop commerce strategy team members while fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and strategic excellence.
• Establish best practices, planning standards, and strategic frameworks across the Commerce Strategy discipline.
• Contribute to organizational planning, capability development, operating model evolution, and long-term commerce practice growth.
• Champion innovation, thought leadership, and continuous improvement initiatives across the Commerce organization.
• Influence cross-functional partners to improve planning processes, decision-making quality, and overall client outcomes.

  Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, Analytics, or a related field preferred.
  • 8+ years of experience in media strategy, digital planning, or performance marketing with a focus in commerce & retail media and/or shopper marketing.
  • 3+ years of leadership experience managing, mentoring, or developing high-performing teams.
  • Demonstrated experience developing commerce and retail media strategies across major retailers and retail media networks.
  • Deep understanding of retail media ecosystems including Amazon Ads, Walmart Connect, Roundel, Kroger Precision Marketing, Instacart, Criteo, and similar platforms.
  • Proven ability to translate business objectives into actionable commerce, shopper, and media planning frameworks.
  • Experience leading executive-level business discussions and presenting recommendations to senior stakeholders.
  • Strong analytical mindset with the ability to synthesize business, retailer, consumer, and performance inputs into strategic recommendations.
  • Experience working within highly matrixed environments that include Client Service, Planning, Activation, Analytics, retailer partners, and external agencies.
  • Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and storytelling skills.

  Benefits

  • Medical, vision, and dental insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Short-term and long-term disability insurance
  • 401(k)
  • Flexible paid time off
  • At least 15 paid holidays per year
  • Paid sick and safe leave
  • Paid parental leave