POSITION SUMMARY
The Director, Retail Search & SEM leads search strategy and delivery for CPG clients across Amazon and other retail media networks, alongside Google Search. The role requires extensive hands-on Amazon Sponsored Ads expertise and strong SEM experience, connecting retail and traditional search to full-funnel business objectives.
The Director leads a team of 5 working across multiple business units, setting strategic direction and consistent standards while partnering with client, account, commerce, analytics, and media teams.
The role contributes to end-to-end planning through upper funnel audience alignment, measurement, investment prioritization, and campaign scheduling.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead integrated retail search and Google Search strategies, translating brand, category, shopper, and commercial goals into channel roles, budgets, audiences, and activation plans.
- Set Amazon Sponsored Ads strategy and guide campaign planning, activation, and optimization; assess additional retail networks such as Walmart Connect and Instacart based on client needs.
- Guide Google Search keyword, query, bidding, budget, and measurement approaches, ensuring alignment with retail search and broader media activity.
- Coordinate always-on, seasonal, tentpole, and launch activity, including flighting, pacing, scheduling, and investment shifts.
- Align search with upper-funnel audiences and consumer journeys; partner across strategy, analytics, and media teams on prioritization and measurement. Turn results into clear recommendations, with appropriate context for platform-reported performance.
- Lead, coach, and develop a team across multiple business units; manage priorities and resourcing, build capability, and foster collaboration across disciplines.
- Establish scalable workflows, campaign standards, and quality assurance for planning, launch, optimization, and reporting. Identify opportunities to improve outcomes and operational efficiency.
- Contribute to client guidance, pitches, onboarding, platform education, test-and-learn initiatives, and capability development. Maintain strong client and platform-partner relationships.
DESIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE
- Extensive hands-on experience planning, activating, and optimizing Amazon Sponsored Ads campaigns - a must-have.
- Experience with retail media platforms beyond Amazon, including Walmart Connect or Instacart Ads, is an asset.
- Experience with Pacvue or another retail media/search SaaS platform is an asset.
- Strong Google Search experience across strategy, keywords and queries, bidding, budgets, measurement, and optimization.
- Experience leading and developing teams across multiple business units or in a complex, matrixed organization.
- CPG experience and understanding of category, portfolio, retailer, and shopper dynamics preferred.
- Ability to integrate retail search and SEM with broader media, including audience alignment, measurement, prioritization, and scheduling.
- Strong analytical, strategic, organizational, client communication, and presentation skills.
