Executive Director, Audience & Data Strategy

Adelphi Group•Chicago, IL

3d•$200,000 - $250,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Executive Director, Audience & Data Strategy is the strategic lead for audience, data, and addressable marketing solutions across a client portfolio. Embedded within client teams, this leader develops audience strategies that turn data and consumer insights into actionable marketing solutions. They advise senior client and agency stakeholders, using data-driven storytelling, strategic consultation, and audience expertise to address business challenges, support growth, and improve marketing effectiveness. The role leads a team of approximately five professionals and fosters a high-performing culture through coaching, mentorship, and talent development. It also advances the agency’s audience-centric approach through cross-functional collaboration, new business support, and thought leadership. The position leads audience strategies and addressable frameworks aligned with client objectives, and advances audience segmentation, consumer insights, targeting, and activation using data, technology, and industry trends. It translates complex insights into recommendations; develops audience frameworks, playbooks, and best practices; and contributes to new audience, data, and marketing solutions. The Executive Director leads the integration and application of first-party, syndicated, retail media, and platform data within Omni. The role guides audience development, personalization, omnichannel activation, measurement, and optimization, as well as identity and data connectivity strategies using identity resolution and privacy-safe collaboration solutions. It also identifies opportunities to apply AI and automation to audience discovery, segmentation, and performance. As a client and team leader, this person advises senior stakeholders, partners across strategy, planning, activation, analytics, and technology, and delivers presentations, recommendations, and thought leadership. They lead discussions on data strategy, privacy, measurement, platform innovation, and consumer behavior; define success metrics and KPIs with analytics partners; and evaluate performance, optimize strategies, and communicate business impact.

Requirements

Proven success developing audience-first, data-driven marketing strategies that deliver measurable business results.
Deep expertise in audience segmentation, consumer insights, addressable marketing, and omnichannel activation.
Experience with CDPs, DMPs, identity solutions, and marketing technology platforms.
Strong understanding of first-party data strategy, audience measurement, and privacy-conscious activation.
Deep understanding of identity resolution, audience onboarding, and data collaboration environments, including experience with platforms and partners such as Acxiom, Epsilon, and clean room technologies.
Experience applying AI and automation to improve audience strategy, analysis, and execution.
Exceptional communication, storytelling, and presentation skills, including the ability to translate complex data into actionable business recommendations for executive audiences.
Proven ability to lead, develop, and inspire high-performing teams.
Strong relationship management and stakeholder influence skills.
Demonstrated success collaborating across strategy, planning, analytics, activation, and technology disciplines.

Nice To Haves

8+ years of experience in audience strategy, data and analytics, media strategy, marketing strategy, or related disciplines within agency, consulting, or client-side environments.
Experience supporting large CPG, retail, or other consumer-focused brands.
Advanced expertise in audience development, segmentation, consumer behavior, and measurement.
Familiarity with Omni or comparable audience, data, and analytics platforms.
Experience leveraging first-party, syndicated, retail media, and platform data to drive marketing strategy and activation.
Strong understanding of the evolving media, data, identity, and measurement ecosystem.
Experience developing executive-level thought leadership, strategic POVs, and client-facing recommendations.

Responsibilities

Lead audience strategies and addressable frameworks aligned with client business objectives, brand priorities, and growth opportunities.
Drive innovation in audience segmentation, consumer insights, targeting, and activation using data, technology, and emerging industry trends.
Translate complex data and audience insights into recommendations for business and marketing decisions.
Develop and evolve audience frameworks, playbooks, and best practices for audience-first planning and activation.
Contribute to new audience, data, and marketing solutions that advance agency capabilities.
Lead the integration and application of first-party, syndicated, retail media, and platform data within Omni.
Drive data-enabled audience development, personalization, omnichannel activation, measurement, and optimization.
Guide identity and data connectivity strategies using identity resolution and privacy-safe data collaboration solutions.
Identify opportunities to use AI and automation to improve audience discovery, segmentation, and performance.
Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team, fostering collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning.
Coach team members and strengthen their strategic, analytical, and client leadership capabilities.
Establish best practices and quality standards for audience and data deliverables.
Advise senior client stakeholders on audience, data, and marketing strategies that support growth.
Partner with strategy, planning, activation, analytics, and technology teams to embed audience insights throughout the marketing process.
Deliver presentations, strategic recommendations, and thought leadership to clients and internal stakeholders.
Lead discussions on data strategy, privacy, measurement, platform innovation, and changing consumer behavior.
Define success metrics and KPIs with analytics teams, evaluate performance, optimize strategies, and communicate business impact.
Support new business initiatives and shape thought leadership across the organization.