Strategic Partnerships Sr. Manager; Agency Management

The pay range is $95,000.00 - $

Pay is based on several factors which vary based on position. These include labor markets and in some instances may include education, work experience and certifications. In addition to your pay, Target cares about and invests in you as a team member, so that you can take care of yourself and your family. Target offers eligible team members and their dependents comprehensive health benefits and programs, which may include medical, vision, dental, life insurance and more, to help you and your family take care of your whole selves.

Other benefits for eligible team members include 401(k), employee discount, short term disability, long term disability, paid sick leave, paid national holidays, and paid vacation.

Find competitive benefits from financial and education to well-being and beyond at

Working at Target means helping all families discover the joy of everyday life. We bring that vision to life through our values and culture. Learn more about Target here.

The Strategic Partnerships Sr. Manager
serves as the
financial lead for the team and the functional owner of agency financial strategy, governance, and best practices. This role acts as the team’s on/off retainer captain & forecast captain
, setting clear direction, standards, and guardrails for how agency retainers, scopes of work, fees, and forecasts are structured, managed, and optimized across the marketing organization.

This role carries enterprise‑‑level accountability without direct people leadership. Success is defined by functional leadership, financial rigor, high‑quality decision‑making, and the ability to influence peers and internal/external partners, expertise, credibility, and ownership of outcomes. This role partners closely with Marketing, Finance, Legal, Procurement, and external agency leaders to ensure financial discipline, compliance, transparency, and strong partner performance across Brand and Category Marketing, Social, Experiential, Store Experience Marketing, and Packaging / Brand Development.

Core responsibilities of this job are described within this job description. Job duties may change at any time due to business needs.

• Serve as the financial authority for agency partnerships, ensuring financial best practices are consistently applied and adhered to across the team.
• Own and manage a multi‑million‑dollar annual agency fee and retainer budget, including forecasting, pacing, variance management, and financial risk mitigation throughout the year.
• Act as the forecast captain for the team, working closely with Finance to ensure forecasts are accurate, aligned to the correct financial inputs, and consistently maintained across all buyers and bodies of work.
• Act as the retainer captain, setting standards for retainer structures, usage, tracking, and optimization; provide clear direction to peers and other buyers on how retainers should be managed and evolved.
• Partner with Finance and Legal to ensure financial models, scopes of work, and contracts are compliant, scalable, and aligned to enterprise expectations.

• Lead strategies for the scoping, pricing, and negotiation of agency fees and retainers, applying deep understanding of agency capabilities, staffing models, and fee structures.
• Write, review, and negotiate scopes of work and contractual agreements in close partnership with Legal.
• Proactively suggest and influence contract terms that protect Target’s interests, mitigate risk, and support long‑term partnership health.
• Ensure the team is Ariba‑compliant, serving as the captain for strategically sound SOW practices, including how scopes are written, what they include, where they are housed, and how they are maintained.
• Hold agency partners accountable to financial and scope commitments; proactively address scope creep, resourcing misalignment, and performance issues.

• Work directly with buyers and cross‑functional partners to guide financial decision‑making, review scopes and budgets, and reinforce consistent best practices.
• Coach and enable…