Senior Director, Commerce and Retail Media

Title: Senior Director, Commerce & Retail Media

Location:

New York

Chicago - N. State

Full time

Job Description:

The Commerce & Retail Media team leads strategy, activation, and optimization for large buy-side brands (CPG, Consumer Healthcare, etc.) across Amazon, Walmart, Instacart, Criteo, and other retail media networks. As a Senior Director, you will own a portfolio of key accounts, driving growth, retention, and client satisfaction. You will also serve as a subject matter expert across organic and paid Retail Search. You'll guide teams to build and execute scaled, data-driven programs and testing roadmaps that deliver measurable business outcomes, and you'll cultivate senior client relationships as a trusted advisor.

You will report to the VP, Retail Media.

What You'll Do

Strategy & Product

• Set the vision and strategic principles for client commerce programs (organic + paid), aligned to brand and performance objectives.
• Develop action plans, measurement frameworks, and test-&-learn agendas; determine KPIs, pacing, and optimization guardrails.
• Evaluate and recommend the full spectrum of Commerce alliances (retail networks, tech, data, bid/dash/reporting tools) and integrate with broader media/creative/CRM efforts.
• Stay ahead of platform changes and industry trends; continually evolve best practices and codify POVs, playbooks, and case studies.

Client Leadership & Growth

• Serve as senior engagement lead and day-to-day escalation point; build and maintain executive-level relationships.
• Own account health, growth, and renewal; identify and convert organic growth opportunities.
• Translate insights into clear narratives and actions; present strategies, QBRs, and roadmaps that tie activity to commercial impact.
• Monitor competitive dynamics and category trends to inform positioning, investment, and testing recommendations.

People Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop team; set goals, allocate work, and provide ongoing feedback and formal evaluations.
• Recruit and retain top Commerce talent; foster a culture of curiosity, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Activation, Performance & Operations

• Oversee flawless execution across marketplaces and retail media networks (e.g., Amazon Search and DSP, Walmart Search + DSP, Instacart, Kroger, Criteo), ensuring adherence to best practices and compliance
• Guide teams on campaign builds, budget management, bid strategies, pacing, audience/keyword/targeting, creative/ASIN/PDP optimization, and ongoing performance improvements.
• Leverage automation and campaign management tools (e.g., Pacvue, Skai) for campaign management, reporting, and alerting.
• Partner with analytics/reporting to produce accurate, timely, and actionable performance insights and dashboards.

Partnerships & Thought Leadership

• Maintain strong relationships with retail media partners and platform reps; pilot betas and bring forward innovation.
• Collaborate cross-functionally (strategy, media, creative, data/tech) and across agency partners to ensure cohesion and maximize impact.
• Contribute to agency thought leadership through POVs, education, and internal enablement.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive digital performance experience with several years in Commerce/Retail Media; proven Director-level ownership of complex, multi-market or multi-brand portfolios.
• Deep activation and optimization experience with Amazon, Walmart and Instacart; hands-on retail media experience across Criteo and other major networks.
• Proven success applying search/commerce to direct-response outcomes; experience with organic marketplace optimization (e.g., PDP, content, ratings/reviews) a plus.
• Demonstrated track record managing budgets, setting and meeting KPIs, and leading growth/retention for key accounts.

Technical & Analytical

• Proficiency with bid and campaign management tools (e.g., Pacvue, Skai) and retail platform UIs.
• Advanced Excel and strong analytical rigor; comfort with measurement frameworks, incrementality testing, and insight generation.
• Familiarity with research and reporting tools (e.g., Strattum, Scintilla, AMC) and audience/retailer data integrations.

Leadership & Communication

• Strong people leadership: hiring, coaching, performance management, and team org design.
• Excellent client communication and storytelling skills; adept at simplifying complexity and influencing senior stakeholders.
• High integrity, ownership, and agility in a rapidly evolving Commerce & Retail Media landscape; appetite for innovation and test-and-learn.

The annual salary range for this position is $114,425-$180,000. Placement within the salary range is based on a variety of factors, including relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and other factors permitted by law.

Benefits available with this position include:

• Medical, vision, and dental insurance,

• Life insurance,

• Short-term and long-term disability insurance,

• 401k,

• Flexible paid time off,

• At least 15 paid holidays per year,

• Paid sick and safe leave, and

• Paid parental leave.

Dentsu also complies with applicable state and local laws regarding employee leave benefits, including, but not limited to providing time off pursuant to the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, in accordance with its plans and policies. 

At dentsu, we believe great work happens when we're connected. Our way of working combines flexibility with in-person collaboration to spark ideas and strengthen our teams. Employees who live within a commutable distance of one of our hub offices, currently located in Chicago, metro Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York City, are required and expected to work from the office three days per week (two days per week for employees based in Los Angeles). Dentsu may designate other Hub offices at any time. Those who live outside a commutable range may be designated as remote, depending on the role and business needs. Regardless of your work location, we expect our employees to be flexible to meet the needs of our Company and clients, which may include attendance in an office.

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Location:

New York

Brand:

Iprospect

Time Type:

Full time

Contract Type:

Permanent

Dentsu is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees. We do this without regard to race, color, national origin, sex , sexual orientation, gender identity, age, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital status, political affiliation, religious practices and observances, citizenship status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.