Manager, Audience Strategy & Operations

Overview of the RoleA leading retail media organization is seeking a Manager, Audience Strategy & Operations to lead the strategy, activation, governance, and continuous evolution of audience capabilities across its media ecosystem.This role serves as the primary subject matter expert for audience targeting, audience activation, and operational delivery, ensuring advertiser objectives are translated into actionable audience strategies that can be executed efficiently and accurately across channels. The successful candidate will operate at the intersection of audience strategy, retail media, data, AdTech, activation, measurement, and operations while partnering closely with Sales, Account Management, Product, Data, Marketing Technology, Reporting & Measurement, agencies, publishers, and external technology providers.The ideal candidate combines strategic audience expertise with strong operational leadership, helping drive audience performance, improve activation efficiency, and support the long-term evolution of audience products and capabilities.The BasicsDuration: 5 monthsHours: 40 hours per weekLocation: Bolingbrook, IL; HybridTop 3 Required Qualifications5+ years of experience in retail media, digital advertising, audience strategy, audience activation, AdTech, MarTech, or related fieldsDemonstrated experience developing audience targeting strategies using first-party dataStrong understanding of audience segmentation, audience activation, identity, syndication, and digital media ecosystemsOther QualificationsBachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Analytics, Communications, or related discipline preferredExperience with audience management platforms, CDPs, identity solutions, or audience marketplacesExperience working with agencies, publishers, media platforms, or technology partnersStrong analytical and problem-solving capabilitiesExperience evaluating audience performance and applying insights to improve outcomesAbility to translate business objectives into audience strategies and activation plansExperience supporting omnichannel or cross-channel media activationStrong project management and operational leadership skillsAdvanced Excel and PowerPoint proficiencyExperience within retail media networks, AdTech, retail, or media organizations preferredKey ResponsibilitiesAudience Strategy & Client AdvisoryServe as the organization's subject matter expert for audience targeting and audience strategyTranslate advertiser goals and campaign objectives into audience recommendationsPartner with Sales and Account Management teams during campaign planning and client discussionsDevelop audience targeting best practices across verticals, campaign objectives, and activation channelsEducate internal stakeholders and clients on audience capabilities, limitations, and operational considerationsIdentify opportunities to improve audience precision, relevance, scale, and performanceAudience Operations & ActivationOwn audience operations from request intake through creation, distribution, activation, maintenance, and retirementEstablish workflows, processes, governance standards, and operational controlsManage audience readiness and activation timelines across publisher and platform partnersOversee audience distribution and ensure campaigns launch successfullyResolve activation issues and operational challenges in partnership with agencies, publishers, and internal teamsMaintain audience governance, taxonomy, naming conventions, and platform hygieneAudience Product & Capability DevelopmentIdentify opportunities to improve audience capabilities, scalability, and operational efficiencyPartner with Product, Data, Marketing Technology, and external partners to implement enhancementsDefine business requirements for audience capabilities and activation workflowsEvaluate emerging technologies, data solutions, and audience productsSupport development of audience roadmaps, segmentation frameworks, and taxonomy standardsAudience Insights & PerformanceAnalyze audience-level campaign performance and identify trends, opportunities, and optimization recommendationsPartner with Measurement and Analytics teams to assess audience effectivenessDevelop repeatable frameworks for audience analysis and performance evaluationDocument learnings, best practices, and recommendationsTranslate audience insights into future campaign strategiesCross-Functional LeadershipCollaborate closely with Sales, Account Management, Product, Data, Marketing Technology, and Measurement teamsManage relationships with agency, publisher, and technology partnersLead cross-functional initiatives focused on audience operations and process improvementDrive issue resolution and stakeholder alignment across complex organizationsIndustry InnovationMonitor industry developments related to retail media, first-party data, privacy, identity, and audience activationBenchmark capabilities against market competitors and industry standardsRecommend new audience products, technologies, tests, and innovation opportunitiesHelp strengthen the organization's competitive audience offeringIdeal Candidate ProfileStrategic audience expert with strong retail media or AdTech experienceOperationally minded leader who can build scalable processes and workflowsStrong communicator capable of explaining technical concepts to non-technical audiencesData-driven marketer with a deep understanding of audience activation and performanceCollaborative partner who thrives in cross-functional environmentsComfortable managing ambiguity while driving executionPassionate about media, data, customer targeting, and advertising innovationIn this position, you may have access to client or customer systems, confidential and/or proprietary information or data. This position is onsite and requires you to work closely with other individuals in a collaborative team environment.Benefits Email Your Resume In Word To Lucy.Hastings@jobalert.creativecircle.com Looking forward to receiving your resume through our website and going over the position with you. Clicking apply is the best way to apply. Please do NOT change the email subject line in any way. You must keep the JobID: linkedin : LD9-1997770L930 -- in the email subject line for your application to be considered. Lucy Hastings - Senior Recruiter, Enterprise For Creative Circle to represent you for this opportunity, you must be currently authorized to work in the United States without the need of employer sponsorship for a non-immigrant visa such as a H-1B, TN, or O visa. We do not support or provide training for STEM/OPT programs. Additionally, you must be physically located in and perform the work for our client in the United States.This is a new role. This job was first posted by Creative Circle on 09/21/2026 and applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled or closed. Everforth Creative Circle is an Equal Opportunity Employer All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, genetic information, registered domestic partner status, marital status, disability, status as a crime victim, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Our hiring process includes AI screening for keywords and minimum qualifications. Recruiters review all results. Everforth Creative Circle will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local law, including but not limited to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the California Fair Chance Act. If you need a reasonable accommodation in the application process, please contact your Recruiter (the person you'll be interviewing with) or a member of our Human Resources team to make arrangements. Anthem / Blue Cross Blue Shield creates and publishes the Transparency in Coverage Machine-Readable Files on behalf of Everforth Creative Circle. Copyright © 2026 Everforth, Inc. All rights reserved.