Emerging Accounts Specialist, Staples Media Network

Overview

Staples is business to business. You’re what binds us together.

Our eCommerce team strives to showcase Staples’ value proposition and experience to customers through digital vehicles, including SEO, paid search, display affiliates, paid social media and more. We utilize online merchandising and campaigns executed by both humans and automated tools to convert new and returning website visitors into customers. Our team also ensures that our mobile and desktop websites and apps are easy to use, delivering the digital experience that our customers expect.

At the same time, our teams focus on building and executing a strong innovation pipeline for the future. We work end-to-end with our sales, merchandising, finance, logistics and technology teams to provide a world-class, holistic digital experience, growing profitable results in a fun and rewarding work environment.

The Emerging Accounts Specialist (EAS) serves as SMN’s account representative for longtail vendor and agency partners. You will own a portfolio of emerging accounts, prospect and qualify new opportunities at scale, and collaborate across media planning, account management, ad operations, and Merchandising to activate campaigns and drive incremental revenue. Success in this role requires strong client services, data-driven media planning, and the ability to balance vendor-funded programs with Staples-first business priorities to deliver an innovative, best-in-class customer experience

What you’ll be doing:

• Account portfolio management:
  Manage and grow a portfolio of longtail vendor and agency accounts; build trust, deliver value, and deepen multi-threaded relationships.
• Pipeline generation:
  Prospect, qualify, and nurture leads at scale; convert prospects to opportunities and move deals through defined SMN sales stages.
• Campaign activation:
  Partner with self-service tech/platform providers and Ad Ops to troubleshoot, activate, and monitor campaigns; ensure insertion order and trafficking readiness and on-time launches.
• Cross-functional coordination:
  Collaborate with Media Managers/Planners, Account Managers, eCommerce Product Management, Merchandising, and Marketing to align plans with assortment changes, promotions, and brand priorities.
• Performance analytics & optimization:
  Use site analytics, testing, and reporting to evaluate campaign health; recommend optimizations that improve ROAS, CTR, conversion, and customer experience.
• Financial rigor:
  Maintain a pulse on financial reporting for assigned accounts; forecast, track actuals, identify revenue/margin gaps, and escalate risks/opportunities to leadership.
• Program/process stewardship:
  Evangelize SMN’s self-service platforms and operating playbooks; document repeatable processes and contribute to continuous improvement.
• Communications:
  Develop clear, impactful updates (weekly pipeline summaries, monthly vendor/agency readouts, and quarterly business reviews) highlighting progress, insights, and next steps.
• Opportunity identification:
  Proactively surface incremental opportunities, pilots, and innovation themes that can scale SMN’s longtail business.

• Structured strategic thinking, strong analytical problem solving, and a passion for new ideas.
• Executive ready interpersonal and presentation skills; ability to persuasively connect insights to recommendations.
• Proactive, self-motivated work style with broad collaboration skills and a flexible, positive attitude.
• Calm under changing priorities; disciplined follow through and strong execution.

• BA/BS degree or equivalent combination of training and experience in Business, Marketing, Communications, Analytics, or related field or equivalent work experience.
• 3+ years of progressively complex experience in one or more: ecommerce, digital advertising/retail media, media planning, account management, sales development/SDR, client services, or ad operations
• 3+ years managing client relationships and delivering against revenue or pipeline targets in ecommerce, digital advertising, or media sales.
• Demonstrated lead prospecting & qualification at scale (e.g., consistent weekly…