Digital Innovation/Website Operations Lead

Merchants Distributors, LLC•Hickory, NC

About The Position

The Digital Innovation and Website Operations Lead is a key leader in a digital marketing agency, responsible for modernizing and optimizing digital infrastructure for a network of independent grocery retailers. The role drives operational excellence across website ecosystems, e-commerce integrations, and mobile applications, ensuring digital touchpoints perform at enterprise standards. It combines hands-on technical work with strategic operations, with an emphasis on website performance, automation, and innovation. The position owns website and e-commerce operations, including site lifecycle management, migrations, integrations, technical infrastructure, accessibility, performance, SEO, and vendor coordination. It also manages e-commerce optimization and partnerships, mobile app operations, automation and AI initiatives, performance reporting, project management frameworks, and digital strategy. The role collaborates with internal teams, vendors, and retailer partners to improve customer experiences, operational processes, and digital growth.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Computer Science, or a related field.
At least 5 years of experience in website operations, digital marketing, or e-commerce program management.
Proven experience with CMS and e-commerce platforms such as WordPress, Instacart, Shopify, or Magento.
Deep understanding of web performance optimization, including Lighthouse, GTmetrix, and Core Web Vitals, and SEO best practices.
Hands-on experience with analytics and automation tools such as GA4, GTM, Looker Studio, HubSpot, Zapier, and Copilot/OpenAI Enterprise.
Strong proficiency in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript fundamentals, with the ability to coordinate effectively with developers and QA teams.
Demonstrated success in digital project management and cross-functional leadership.
Agency or multi-client environment experience is mandatory.
Ability to manage multiple complex digital products concurrently.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree.

Responsibilities

Manage the full lifecycle of retailer websites and e-commerce environments, including Instacart, WordPress, and custom CMS platforms.
Lead website migrations, optimization, and integrations with current and future vendors.
Oversee site architecture, DNS configuration, SSL, CDN utilization, and uptime monitoring.
Develop scalable onboarding frameworks and QA processes for website deployments.
Implement accessibility, page performance, and mobile responsiveness best practices.
Use SEO tools to conduct audits, analyze crawl data, and improve organic visibility.
Manage vendor SLAs, deliverables, and timelines across agency and SaaS partners.
Manage e-commerce partnerships and ensure API integrations, product data accuracy, and checkout performance.
Build conversion funnels and use analytics tools to analyze consumer behavior and optimize sales pathways.
Develop strategies to increase digital basket size, customer retention, and omnichannel engagement.
Implement A/B testing and personalization tactics to improve conversion rates.
Coordinate mobile app operations and align app features with web properties.
Partner with the Loyalty Product Team to evaluate and integrate mobile technology solutions.
Measure and report app adoption, session length, push notification engagement, and conversion attribution.
Coordinate with app vendors on updates, performance tracking, and UX enhancements.
Audit workflows and design automation frameworks to reduce manual or redundant processes.
Deploy AI-driven solutions to improve content generation, data categorization, and reporting efficiency.
Partner with IT and marketing operations to integrate automation into CRM systems.
Evaluate and pilot emerging MarTech platforms for reporting, data integration, and campaign execution.
Create executive dashboards and custom Looker Studio reports covering traffic, conversions, SEO rankings, and technical health.
Build customer-facing reporting templates showing ROI and engagement metrics for retailer websites.
Use data visualization and analytics platforms to extract insights and inform leadership decisions.
Lead monthly and quarterly reviews, communicating trends, wins, and opportunities to internal stakeholders and external partners.
Build and maintain project management frameworks within CRM and tasking systems.
Define SOPs for project intake, cross-departmental collaboration, and resource allocation.
Oversee digital initiative structure and tracking to ensure deadlines, quality, and deliverables are met.
Serve as the internal subject matter expert on digital experience and bring forward marketing technology ideas.
Monitor emerging AI, MarTech, UX, and e-commerce technologies and develop pilot programs.
Contribute to annual strategic planning for digital growth and technology adoption.