Director, Retail Search & SEM

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.