Director, Retail Search

Company Description

Mars United℠ Commerce is a global commerce marketing practice that aligns people, technology, and intelligence to make the business of our clients better today than it was yesterday. Our worldwide capabilities coalesce into four key disciplines — Strategy & Analytics, Content & Experiences, Digital Commerce, and Retail Consultancy — that individually deliver unmatched results for clients and collectively give them an unparalleled network of seamlessly integrated functions across the entire commerce marketing ecosystem.

These disciplines are powered by our industry-leading technology platform, Marilyn®, which helps marketers understand the total business impact of their commerce marketing activation, enabling them to make better decisions, create connected experiences, and drive stronger, measurable results. Learn more at

As our CPG clients increasingly rely on us to help manage their paid search activities across Amazon, Walmart, Target, Instacart, Kroger and other key retailers, we are looking for a Director, Retail Search to work from a remote location to lead the company’s best-in-class retail search practice into its next phase of evolution and growth. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of building & executing winning search strategies for brands on retail media platforms;

is a tinkerer and out-of-the-box thinker who is always looking for innovative ways to help clients find an edge; and is a strong leader who can inspire a team to achieve results they didn’t previously think possiblep>
Candidates must reside within a commutable distance from the Mars United Commerce New York, Chicago, Detroit or Bentonville location.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Manage clients’ paid search investments across key retail media platforms (e.g. Amazon Advertising, Walmart Connect and Instacart) – including considerations for campaign setup/architecture, KPI & benchmark setting, item prioritization, budget allocation (always-on and seasonal), keyword research & selection, bidding guardrails, day-parting, pacing & optimization parameters and measurement & reporting
• Collaborate with cross-functional peers to translate high-level strategy into detailed, actionable brand- and retailer-specific search plans; and to determine the best way to integrate paid search within the broader omni-channel marketing mix
• Lead the current team of hands-to-keyboard retail search buyers; provide inspiration, guidance and mentorship to help them achieve optimal campaign results for our clients; and develop & nurture the existing talent and build out the team as needed to keep pace with the rapid change of pace in the industry
• Work with our Analytics & Data Science team to set thoughtful KPIs & benchmarks, deliver best-in-class reporting, and drive automation throughout the measurement & optimization process
• Maintain existing relationships with key retail media networks, search platforms (e.g. Citrus Ad and Criteo) and third-party software and data platforms
• Stay current on the latest news, developments and trends in the industry, and regularly share updates, education, key learnings, best practices and case studies with clients and internal stakeholders
• Initiate test & learns to try out new hypotheses, ideas, approaches and/or partner capabilities that could unlock significant performance improvements for our clients

SKILLSETS

REQUIRED:

• Extensive experience building & executing winning search strategies for brands on retail media platforms while working at an agency, retailer media network, aggregator, brand/manufacturer or other relevant company
• Deep expertise in the fundamentals of paid search strategy, planning, campaign management, measurement and optimization
• Strong familiarity and existing relationships with retail media networks and third-party search platforms like Amazon Advertising, Walmart Connect, Instacart, Citrus Ad and Criteo
• Firsthand hands-to-keyboard buying experience on native or third-party platforms is preferred – as your team will be seeking guidance, expertise and mentorship in this area – but not required
• Dynamic, empathetic leader with seasoned team management and…