Director, Retail Media Platform & Strategy

Job Description

Our eCommerce team delivers customer-centric site experiences to position Staples as a digital selling platform of choice. Our team ensures that our mobile, desktop, and app platforms deliver the digital experience that our customers expect. We do this through customer insights, analytics, and testing to build a strong innovation pipeline for the future and to bring products and solutions to market seamlessly. We utilize online merchandising and campaigns executed by both humans and automated tools to convert new and returning website visitors into customers. We work end-to-end with our sales, merchandising, finance, logistics, marketing, and technology teams to provide a world-class, holistic digital experience, growing profitable results in a fun and rewarding work environment. We are inclusive, customer-obsessed, and are looking for well-rounded professionals with strong eCommerce business acumen to join our team.

The Director, Staples Media Network will play a key role in executing and advancing Staples' Media network strategies by leading execution of the product roadmap and advancing our ad technology capabilities to drive partnership and sales growth. Staples has an established, successful retail media network, growing at an impressive rate year over year, with room for innovation to drive scale.


The Director, Staples Media Network will partner closely with the VP of Staples Media Network, along with Digital Customer Experience, Product and Merchandising teams to support achievement of the program's revenue goals and contribute to the ongoing evolution of the program. This includes partnering with external agencies, consultants, internal and external technology partners, and key internal stakeholders. This role will manage highly visible key initiatives within the Staples Media Network roadmap, project manage multiple teams, timelines and contribute to materials and periodically present functional updates to steering committee members.

You are someone with a growth mindset and one who truly thrives in an environment of transformation. You are an excellent communicator and leader that will incorporate customer insights into the value that Staples Media Network has to offer. You are naturally curious and stay current on the MarTech/AdTech ecosystem, digital marketing, and retail media landscape. This role serves as a key bridge between business, product, and engineering teams to evolve Staples' retail media capabilities.

What you'll be doing:

• Work with agency creative resources to ensure processes are established and can sustainably scale, while still adhering to Staples brand guidelines & requirements for all current and upcoming ad units based on product roadmap.
• Oversee measurement and reporting, including working with Vendor Analytics Manager to define key KPIs, design vendor reporting dashboards, and manage overall vendor analytics.
• Develop communication materials on product and performance updates for senior stakeholders and steering committee discussions.
• Identify and prioritize opportunities for innovation and growth.
• Model for the team what best-in-class media plans look like - plans that meet each vendor partners' unique goals and exceed their expectations.
• Collaborate with analytics leads to provide robust forecasting & measurement/reporting to vendors.
• Create communications for various stakeholders to share insights, action items, and pipeline in a timely fashion.
• Stay up to date on trends across retail media and the broader retail landscape.
• Support alignment and contribute to buy-in with cross-functional stakeholders and senior leadership.
• Serve as a key translator between Staples Media Network business needs and internal product/engineering teams to deliver scalable solutions.
• Evaluate and evolve the ad tech and measurement ecosystem to support continued growth and innovation.
• Provide POV on retail media trends, vendor landscape, and competitive positioning to guide investment decisions.

What you bring to the table:

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to translate business needs into product and ad technology solutions and drive execution aligned with media strategy and business goals.
• Leadership: Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives across media, product, and analytics teams, motivate employees, and manage performance.
• Communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with the ability to influence key stakeholders at all levels.
• Negotiation Skills: Strong negotiation capabilities for managing media contracts and partnerships.
• Analytical Skills: Ability to interpret complex media data and make data-driven decisions.

What's needed- Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in BA/BS in Business, Finance, Economics, Marketing, Data science, or another related field and/or master's degree in business/technical field or equivalent work experience.
• 10+ years of experience in digital media and/or retail media with a strong product, ad operations and account management background.
• Strong knowledge of digital media channels, technology, operations, and CRM/audience activation.
• 5+ years management experience, with a track record of leading cross-functional teams and managing significant media budgets.
• Strong understanding of retail media: programmatic, managed service, on/offsite, in store - and associated reporting and analytic models.
• A proven leader and self-starter who can independently lead both strategy and execution, gain internal consensus, and communicate effectively up and down.
• Strong leadership skills with proven experience in retail media and management.
• Experience working closely with media sales and account teams to support client and partner needs.
• Proven experience leading a product organization in the digital media/technology space, and/or proven experience leading a core business operations org in the digital media/technology space.
• Strong technical and operational foundation, with relevant experience in digital media advertising technologies & execution (including onsite advertising operations, DSPs, offline paid media, ad serving/data technology, etc.).
• Strong interpersonal and presentation skills as well as demonstrated experience in fact-based analysis, including the ability to persuasively present insights and recommendations to senior management and build relationships with senior business partners.
• Strong strategic, analytical, and critical thinking skills; strong bias towards data-based decision making with the ability to break down complex problems and formulate plans.

What's needed- Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree or MBA preferred.
• Experience working in a global media environment.
• Familiarity with emerging media technologies and trends.
• Master's degree or MBA with a focus on marketing, media, or business administration.
• Prior experience in building new media channels or expanding existing media networks.

We Offer:

• Inclusive culture with associate-led Business Resource Groups.
• 22 days of PTO and Holiday Schedule (7 observed paid holidays + 1 floating holiday).
• Online and Retail Discounts, Company Match 401(k), Physical and Mental Health Wellness programs, and more!

The salary range represents the expected compensation for this role at the time of posting. The specific base pay may be influenced by a variety of factors to include the candidate's experience, skill set, education, geography, business considerations, and internal equity. In addition to base pay, this role may be eligible for bonuses, or other forms of variable compensation.

About Us

Staples is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law.