Overview GENERAL PURPOSE The Director, Marketplaces is responsible for overseeing the strategy, planning, execution, and performance of retail media programs across eCommerce ecosystems. This leader will serve as the agency’s expert in marketplace advertising—guiding client strategies, managing vendor relationships, optimizing performance, participating in new business opportunities and building a high-performing team of specialists. This role requires a hybrid of performance marketing, retail media, and client leadership skills. The successful Director is both analytical and strategic, with deep experience in digital marketplaces and a proven ability to scale retail media programs across multiple clients. The Director is responsible for the training and development of other team members, including cross-functionally, and will provide strategic direction to team members in all aspects of media planning, performance and budget forecasting, campaign management, performance analysis, and partner outreach.

Location : 4 days in office, Chicago office

Key Responsibilities

Lead the development and execution of paid media strategies across retail media platforms including Amazon Ads, Walmart Connect, Instacart, Kroger Precision Marketing, Target Roundel, and others.

Serve as the agency’s primary expert in digital marketplaces, educating clients and internal teams on marketplace dynamics, trends, ad formats, targeting capabilities, and attribution models.

Own senior-level relationships with marketplace media partners and negotiate strategic deals that benefit client performance and agency efficiency.

Collaborate with media planning and investment teams to integrate marketplace strategies into broader media plans and omnichannel customer journeys.

Oversee performance analysis, optimizations, reporting, and insights development to drive continuous improvement and client ROI.

Manage a team (remote and across all Rise locations, onshore and offshore) of marketplace strategists and buyers; mentor and support team development, quality control, and workload prioritization; accountable for all aspects of team oversight, including employee onboarding, employee training, employee performance (accountability and behavior), employee retention

Develop and refine SOPs, workflows, and best practices for marketplace media execution, reporting, and data integration.

Stay ahead of industry developments and platform updates; assess and pilot new tools, betas, and data partnerships that enhance performance.

Lead retail media pitches and client onboarding efforts, establishing clear strategies, KPIs, and expectations for new business.

Partner with analytics, eCommerce, and brand teams to deliver cohesive and measurable commerce media programs.

Job Requirements Appropriate education and / or experience may be substituted on an equivalent basis

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, eCommerce, or related field required; MBA or advanced certification in retail media platforms is a plus.

Ability to speak, read and write the English language

Certification:

AMS Certification preferred

Experience

10+ years of experience in performance media, with at least 5 years focused on retail/eCommerce marketplaces such as Amazon Ads, Walmart Connect, Instacart, or equivalent.

10+ years of AMS specific experience; additional experience with Amazon DSP or other retailers (PromoteIQ, Criteo, Wayfair, etc) a plus

Deep knowledge of retail media platforms, self-service ad tools (e.g., Amazon DSP, Walmart Luminate), product detail page (PDP) optimization, and retail media metrics (ROAS, TACoS, etc.).

Familiarity with Skai, Pacvue, Vendor & Seller Central and other relevant marketplaces technologies

Advanced level understanding of marketplace tactics including sponsored products, sponsored brands, sponsored display, and DSP ad formats

Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, pacing, attribution models, and performance goals across multiple clients or categories.

Strong analytical mindset with experience using tools such as Skai, Pacvue, Vendor & Seller Central, CommerceIQ, or similar.

Effective communicator and presenter, capable of leading client strategy sessions, vendor negotiations, and executive briefings.

Proven leadership ability in managing and developing high-performing teams.

Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, evolving media landscape

Experience with Microsoft Office suite; significant experience with Excel and SQL a plus

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Confident presenting to internal and external stakeholders, including C-Suite executives

Ability to work cross functionally with Account, Analytics, Technology, and Finance teams to accomplish client objectives

Experience building media plans and determining budget allocation on a yearly and monthly basis using different forecasting methodologies

Experience building pitch decks and pitching potential new business or upsell opportunities

Ability to prioritize multiple tasks and projects simultaneously, and provide guidance to junior team members on prioritization

Strong written and verbal communication skills; mastery of the art of asking the right questions with the ability to translate the answers from what is heard into what is meant

Demonstrated understanding of the eCommerce ecosystem; how marketing channels connect, and how to make sense of the data provided by sources in order to make strategic recommendations

Experience with new business development and upsells

Proven ability to foster strong, collaborative relationships

Travel: Employees can be expected to be paid an annualized salary range of $120,000-$150,000, based on variations in knowledge, skills, experience and market conditions.

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