Amazon Advertising Manager

Rockstar

About The Position

Rockstar is recruiting for a marketplace management firm that specializes in operating brands' presence on Amazon, Walmart, Target Plus, and other channels. The client handles catalog, content, retail operations, and advertising for brands in CPG, cosmetics, skincare, apparel, footwear, and handbags. They are seeking a manager to lead their advertising and media program for a portfolio of client brands. About the Client The client manages the marketplace business for brands that can't afford to get it wrong. They handle catalog, content, retail operations, and advertising across Amazon (Seller Central and Vendor Central), Walmart Marketplace, Target Plus, and other emerging channels, and they run an AI Agentic Commerce practice building their own tooling for this work. Their clients span consumer packaged goods, cosmetics, skincare, apparel, footwear, and handbags. They hire them to operate their channel, not to advise from a distance.

Requirements

5+ years creating, managing, and optimizing Amazon Sponsored Ads campaigns (Sponsored Products, Brands, Brands Video, Display) and Amazon DSP campaigns
Experience leading digital advertising teams — hiring, coaching, reviewing, holding a standard
Hands-on experience pulling insights from Amazon Marketing Cloud and acting on them
Strong analytical skills; comfortable building your own models and reasoning about incrementality, attribution, and significance
Media planning, budget forecasting, and sales forecasting experience
Depth in PPC management and optimization, and in programmatic display
A track record of new-to-brand acquisition and consistent incremental sales growth, with numbers you can walk us through
Clear writing and speaking, including presenting media plans to client senior leadership and getting agreement
Honesty by default: you report the number you wish were different, and you persuade by being prepared rather than polished

Nice To Haves

Google Data Studio / Looker Studio and SQL, particularly for AMC queries
Agentic AI workflows — using AI to speed up analysis and build tooling
Walmart Connect and/or Target Roundel campaign management
Retail fundamentals: Buy Box, inventory health, catalog integrity, promotions, subscriptions, and how each limits what advertising can do
Agency or multi-brand portfolio experience
Advanced Excel and bulk operations; Python or scripting a plus

Responsibilities

Lead the advertising and media program for a portfolio of client brands.
Lead the analysts who execute the advertising and media program.
Own the media strategy, budget, return on investment, and client communication.
Plan media strategies and budgets quarterly and annually.
Forecast sales based on advertising spend.
Obtain client sign-off on media plans and budgets.
Review performance weekly with analysts.
Decide on budget shifts and identify potential problems.
Push tests to inform future media plans.
Commit to forecasts despite uncertain inventory positions.
Defend upper-funnel budget that may not show immediate results.
Distinguish between strategies that are not working and those that need more time.
Identify and capture unmet demand for brands.
Partner with the Strategy & Implementation Team on retail readiness.
Partner with the Design Team on creative assets.
Manage media planning across Amazon Sponsored Ads, Amazon DSP, Walmart Connect, and Target Roundel.
Allocate channel and tactic mix, and funnel allocation.
Time spend according to the relevant calendar.
Account for inventory, retail readiness, competition, and seasonality in plans.
Reserve budget for testing.
Manage budget forecasting, pacing, and sales forecasts.
Manage efficiency targets without losing sight of incrementality.
Interrogate search term, placement, product-level, DSP, and business reports.
Utilize Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) for advanced analysis.
Identify and reach new audiences and demand for brands.
Build and test audiences in AMC and DSP.
Run growth initiatives as a program: hypothesis, test, read, scale or kill.
Lead, coach, and develop analysts.
Set standards for QA, bulk-operation hygiene, naming conventions, and documentation.
Review analyst work closely to catch errors and provide reasoning.
Present plans, strategy, and performance to client senior management with recommendations.
Anticipate objections and name tradeoffs.
Adjust communication style for different audiences (CFO, brand lead, founder).
Report disappointing results promptly and present a plan.