Director, Digital Shelf Strategy

VML•Cincinnati, OH

1d•$75,000 - $180,000•Hybrid

About The Position

VML is seeking a senior, client-facing strategist to define how brands optimize product content, discoverability, and shopper experiences across retailer and marketplace ecosystems. The Director combines CPG category and retailer expertise, digital shelf intelligence, and product content strategy to improve product visibility, shopper engagement, conversion, and commercial performance. They turn consumer and shopper insights, retailer requirements, search behavior, competitive intelligence, and analytics into content strategies, creative briefs, and measurable optimization roadmaps. The role serves as a strategic bridge across Commerce Strategy, Discoverability, Content, Creative, Analytics, and Retail Operations. It provides strategic guidance on product experience management (PXM), retailer-specific content requirements, and emerging discovery behaviors, including AI-powered search and agentic commerce. This is a strategy leadership position rather than a content production, syndication, or retailer portal operations role. The Director leads digital shelf and discoverability strategy, guides content briefing and strategic execution, advises on content architecture and governance, uses analytics to identify performance opportunities, and acts as a strategic advisor to CPG clients. The role also builds scalable frameworks and methodologies, supports internal enablement, and mentors team members. The position follows a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in digital commerce, digital shelf strategy, product content strategy, retail consulting, marketplace optimization, or related commerce disciplines.
Experience leading strategic engagements, developing client recommendations, and guiding cross-functional execution.
Strong experience working with CPG brands and major retailer ecosystems, particularly Walmart, Amazon, Target, and grocery or club retailers.
Proven ability to develop digital shelf and product content strategies that improve discoverability, shopper experience, and conversion.
Experience turning shopper insights, search intelligence, competitive analysis, and retail performance data into actionable content recommendations.
Experience developing strategic briefs and guiding creative or content teams through execution and quality assurance.
Strong understanding of product information architecture, taxonomy, retailer content requirements, and PXM principles.
Experience with digital shelf intelligence and analytics platforms such as Profitero, Stackline, CommerceIQ, Pacvue, or comparable solutions.
Excellent client-facing communication, presentation, strategic storytelling, and stakeholder management skills.
Ability to lead cross-functional workstreams and influence execution without direct ownership of every delivery function.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on or strategic experience with PXM/PIM platforms, particularly Salsify, Syndigo, or equivalent solutions.
Experience defining scalable content governance models, retailer-specific content standards, and product information frameworks.
Familiarity with retailer organic search algorithms, keyword optimization, and digital shelf discoverability methodologies.
Experience developing content strategies for enhanced product detail pages, A+ Content, brand stores, and retailer-specific rich media.
Understanding of how retail media, organic discoverability, product content, and conversion performance intersect.
Exposure to AI-powered product discovery, generative search, and emerging agentic commerce requirements.
Experience developing digital shelf strategy playbooks, capability frameworks, or managed service methodologies.

Responsibilities

Lead digital shelf strategies across major retailer and marketplace ecosystems, including Walmart, Amazon, Target, Kroger, Sam's Club, and Instacart.
Translate brand objectives, category dynamics, shopper insights, and retailer requirements into actionable product content strategies.
Define retailer-specific and cross-retailer approaches to product titles, descriptions, attributes, imagery, enhanced content, taxonomy, and product storytelling.
Identify opportunities to improve product discoverability, differentiation, engagement, and conversion, and develop prioritized optimization roadmaps.
Define discoverability strategies across retailer search, browse, category navigation, and emerging AI-powered shopping experiences.
Partner with Discoverability specialists to turn keyword intelligence, search trends, and organic ranking insights into product content recommendations.
Evaluate competitive positioning, share of search, content quality, and organic discoverability; monitor retailer algorithms, AI-powered search, and agentic commerce developments.
Translate strategy into actionable briefs for Content, Copy, Design, and Production teams, and provide strategic direction and feedback through content development and quality assurance.
Set content requirements, objectives, retailer considerations, and success measures for product detail pages, enhanced content, brand stores, and other digital shelf experiences.
Partner with Digital Shelf Operations and PXM teams to support execution and maintenance of strategic recommendations.
Advise on product content architecture, attribute completeness, taxonomy, governance, and the use of PXM/PIM platforms for scalable content management and retailer syndication.
Define content standards, optimization guidelines, and governance frameworks that support consistency, reuse, efficiency, and ongoing performance.
Use digital shelf intelligence, retailer analytics, and competitive benchmarking to identify opportunities and assess content quality, search visibility, organic ranking, share of search, ratings and reviews, and conversion.
Partner with Analytics teams to evaluate optimization impact and translate findings into prioritized recommendations with commercial rationale and measurable objectives.
Connect digital shelf performance with retail media, shopper experience, and omnichannel commerce strategies; develop insight-driven narratives for client reviews and planning.
Serve as a senior strategic advisor to CPG clients; lead workshops, assessments, planning discussions, and presentations.
Collaborate with Commerce Strategy, Discoverability, Creative, Content, Analytics, Retail Media, Technology, and Retail Operations teams, translating recommendations into workstreams and execution priorities.
Develop and maintain strategy frameworks, optimization methodologies, briefing templates, and strategic quality assurance standards.
Support internal education and enablement, strengthen the digital shelf strategy offering, and mentor team members.