Director, Commerce Strategy & Retail Media Planning

dentsu•Chicago, NY

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Commerce & Retail Media team at dentsu helps clients navigate an increasingly complex commerce ecosystem by connecting business objectives , retailer priorities, shopper behavior, eCommerce growth opportunities, and retail media investment strategies. We are looking for a strategic, collaborative, and experienced leader to join our growing Commerce organization. As the Director, Commerce Strategy & Retail Media Planning , you will serve as a strategic lead responsible for translating client business priorities into clear, actionable commerce and retail media strategies across key retail partners, including Amazon, Walmart, Target, Kroger, Instacart, and other retail media networks. This role acts as the strategic bridge between Client Service, Planning, Activation, Analytics, retailer partners, and client stakeholders to ensure commerce programs are grounded in clear objectives , thoughtfully prioritized investments, aligned KPIs, and actionable planning outputs. You will lead the development of annual, quarterly, and campaign-level commerce strategies while helping clients and internal teams make better business decisions through retailer prioritization, investment recommendations, measurement frameworks, and executive-ready strategic narratives. This role is responsible for ensuring workstreams move into Activation and Analytics with clear objectives , strategic direction, and business rationale. This is not a project management role. Rather than owning timelines, task management, and workflow coordination, this role owns the "why," "what," and strategic direction of commerce and retail media planning. The ideal candidate combines commerce expertise , strategic thinking, business acumen, and senior stakeholder leadership with the ability to influence across highly matrixed teams. This role reports to the VP , Commerce & Retail Media .

Requirements

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 c ommerce & 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.

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.
Develop budget allocation recommendations, investment rationale, and scenario planning models aligned to business objectives .
Create 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.