Director, Retail Excellence

Commerce Marketing Agency | CPG | Shopper & Omni‑Commerce Strategy

About the Role

We are seeking a Director, Retail Excellence to join our commerce marketing agency and lead retailer‑specific strategy and activation for consumer-packaged goods (CPG) brands. This role sits at the intersection of shopper marketing, retail media, and omni‑commerce planning, serving as a strategic partner to both clients and internal teams.

The Director will own retail strategy for 2–4 major client accounts within a specific industry vertical, translating brand objectives, shopper insights, and retailer priorities into actionable go‑to‑market plans. Working closely with client leadership and cross‑functional agency partners, this role ensures that retail thinking is embedded throughout the planning, briefing, and execution lifecycle—from strategy through measurement.

This is a senior, hands‑on leadership role within a fast‑paced commerce and retail marketing agency, supporting CPG brands across national retailers and retail media networks.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead Retail Strategy Development
  Own the creation of retailer‑specific strategies rooted in shopper behavior, retail insights, category trends, and client business objectives, ensuring plans are relevant, differentiated, and commercially impactful.
• Client Partnership & Integration
  Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to CPG clients, integrating retail and shopper strategy into broader brand plans, briefs, and omni‑commerce activation roadmaps.
• Retailer & Retail Media Expertise
  Act as a subject‑matter expert on priority retailers and retail media networks (RMNs), staying current on platform updates, seasonal priorities, innovation, and emerging trends—and translating those insights for internal and client teams.
• Cross‑Functional Leadership
  Partner closely with commerce intelligence, media, creative, sales, and analytics teams to ensure retail strategy is seamlessly connected to execution across national and retailer‑led programs.
• Go‑to‑Market Plan Ownership
  Translate insights into clear, actionable go‑to‑market strategies that connect long‑term vision to day‑to‑day execution across channels, retailers, and 3P media partners.
• Measurement & Optimization
  Define success metrics in collaboration with analytics teams and RMN partners; evaluate performance, identify opportunities for optimization, and guide strategic pivots to improve ROI.
• Team Leadership & Enablement
  Lead, coach, and develop junior Retail Excellence team members; provide strategic guidance, quality oversight, and ongoing mentorship while contributing to a broader center of excellence for retail and shopper expertise within the agency.

Scope & Impact

• Lead retail strategy across 2-3 CPG client accounts and 3-5 key retail partners
• Influence annual client media and commerce investment
• Manage and develop a team of supervisors and account executives within the Retail Excellence discipline

Required Knowledge & Skills

• Deep understanding of the U.S. retail landscape specifically within the Mass & Club channels, shopper behavior, and retailer priorities
• Strong working knowledge of retail media networks, shopper marketing programs, and omni‑commerce ecosystems
• Proven ability to translate data and insights into actionable, retailer‑specific strategies
• Experienced client leader with strong executive presence and the ability to influence senior stakeholders
• Exceptional collaboration skills across media, analytics, creative, commerce, and sales disciplines
• Demonstrated experience coaching and developing high‑performing teams in an agency environment

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, eCommerce, or a related field (Master’s degree a plus)
• 8–10 years of experience in commerce marketing, retail strategy, shopper marketing, or related disciplines
• Background working within a commerce, shopper, or integrated marketing agency supporting CPG brands preferred

Work Environment

• Remote role with occasional travel for client meetings, team leadership events, and industry conferences
• Predominantly computer‑based work requiring frequent collaboration with distributed teams across time zones

Why Join Us

You’ll join a fast‑growing commerce marketing agency at the forefront of shopper, retail media, and omni‑commerce innovation—partnering with leading CPG brands to solve complex retailer challenges and deliver measurable growth.

Job Will Remain Open Until Filled

The Company is one of North America’s leading sales and marketing agencies specializing in outsourced sales, merchandising, category management and marketing services to manufacturers, suppliers and producers of food products and consumer packaged goods. The Company services a variety of trade channels including grocery, mass merchandise, specialty, convenience, drug, dollar, club, hardware, consumer electronics and home centers. We bridge the gap between manufacturers and retailers, providing consumers access to the best products available in the marketplace today.

Position Summary

The Account Director functions as the main client relationship manager of Agency consumer promotion and shopper marketing program deliverables within multiple categories or retail channels. Primary role is to provide thought leadership as the face of the Agency to the senior-level sales/marketing team during the conceptual development, communication design, execution and analysis of programs. 

A successful Account Director will focus on financial health of the client, organic business development, effective and efficient program management of the Agency team and results that are in concert with client and retailer initiatives. Proficiency in conceptual selling and consulting will be defined by effective written and oral communication skills with clients, customers, and agency partners.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities

Personal Accountability

• Demonstrate product category or retail channel ownership with Marketing and Sales client base to show Agency thought leadership as a consultant
• Cultivate strong relationships with client trade, sales and marketing teams, including 3^rd party agencies as required, to harmonize cross-functional client communications from inception to analysis of client programs
• Oversee proposals and program presentations for effective and efficient resources to meet the client goals and agency revenue targets
• Identify new business opportunities within existing clients as well as with extended client base
• Synchronize and standardize best practices for client program execution, budgets, tracking, and post-promotional reporting in accordance with company systems and processes
• Effective recruiting, hiring, training, and development of direct reports
• Other related duties as assigned

Cross-Functional Accountability

• Serve as financial relationship owner for cross-agency team departments and/or clients to deliver timely client decisions and approvals
• Activate assignments and encourage partnership with Planning team members to develop category, channel, customer and competitive brand marketplace insights, identify most value consumer targets, communication strategy, innovation opportunities, promotion program objectives, strategies and tactical recommendations for programs, leveraging key consumer/ shopper insights that drive behavior change
• Engage, mentor and inspire Agency cross-functional team by teaching the fundamentals, empowering proactive thinking, communicating team goals and considering succession planning/hiring needs
• Identify cross-company Marketing Services revenue-driving opportunities
• Other related duties as assigned
• Safety: must have the ability to perform the job safely by demonstrating full awareness of his/her surroundings.  Will utilize proper safety techniques and equipment use when necessary. Will be proactive in alerting Management of any unsafe act or condition to prevent injuries.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Direct Reports

Hires, retains, trains, coaches, guides, directs, and develops direct reports using company-wide processes, tools and resources

Indirect Reports

May delegate work of others and provide guidance, direction and mentoring to indirect reports

Travel and/or Driving Requirements

Travel is an essential duty and function of this job. Driving is not an essential duty or function of this job.

Minimum Qualifications 
 

Education Level: (Required) Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience

                         (Preferred) MBA Degree or equivalent experience

Field of Study/Area of Experience:  Marketing and/or Public Relations

-3-5 years of experience in team supervisory

-6-8 years of experience in the role of leader/manager in agency or brand management, including experience in shopper marketing

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities

• Ability to make oral presentations
• Team building Skills
• Flexible and adaptable, able to change and alter according to changes in projects or business environment
• Excellent customer service orientation
• Track record of building and maintaining customer/client relationships
• Strong computer skills including proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, and web-browsers
• Ability to complete multiple duties with accuracy shifting from one to another with frequent interruptions and competing deadlines
• Strong prioritization skills
• Ability to exercise sound judgment

Environmental & Physical Requirements

Office / Non-Sedentary Requirements

Incumbent must be able to perform the essential functions of the job. Work may be performed in an office or warehouse environment. Typically requires the ability to spend 66%+ hours each work day doing the following activities: stand for extended periods of time, walk, bend, stoop, or climb.  May have possible exposure to dust, and may require the ability to lift and/or push up to 50 pounds 33% - 66% of the time.

Additional Information Regarding The Company Job Duties and Job Descriptions

Job duties include additional responsibilities as assigned by one’s supervisor or other manager related to the position/department. This job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position. The Company reserves the right at any time with or without notice to alter or change job responsibilities, reassign or transfer job position or assign additional job responsibilities, subject to applicable law.  The Company shall provide reasonable accommodations of known disabilities to enable a qualified applicant or employee to apply for employment, perform the essential functions of the job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment as required by the law.

Any estimate, schedule, or guideline provided to associates in this job description or elsewhere in connection with their jobs is only intended to help describe job duties and for planning purposes.  Regardless of any such estimate, schedule, or guideline, associates must always record all time worked for our company (which includes but is not limited to on-site work time in an assigned store, office, or other work location; required waiting time; administrative time; and work-related travel time).

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of associates so classified.

The Company is committed to providing equal opportunity in all employment practices without regard to age, race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, physical or mental disability, or any other category protected by law. As part of this commitment, the Company shall provide reasonable accommodations of known disabilities to enable an applicant or employee to apply for employment, perform the essential functions of the job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment as required by the law.