Associate Director, Commerce Programmatic

About WPP Media
WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. With exceptional talent, trusted data and intelligence, and world‑class partnerships – all united by our pioneering agentic marketing platform, WPP Open – we help clients navigate change, capture opportunity, and deliver transformational growth. WPP Media is WPP’s AI‑driven media operating unit, bringing together media, data, and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation at scale. Connected through WPP Open and powered by Open Intelligence, clients see exactly where, how, and why their media investment is working.

About EssenceMediacom: A Leading WPP Media Brand
EssenceMediacom is a new breed of media agency grounded in analytics & insights and powered by data & technology. We believe in the power of media and creative to drive breakthroughs for the world's best brands. We help clients understand the modern marketing paradox and discover the breakthroughs brands need to win with their consumers. Built on data & technology, we are designed for the new communications economy, built for people & algorithms, built around diverse schools of thought, built to test & learn at scale, and crucially, built to evolve.

Role Summary & Impact
The Associate Director, Programmatic Commerce will utilize their retail expertise to drive excellence in tactical activation and day‑to‑day management of programmatic‑based activations. You will lead audience and creative strategy development, competitive research, day‑to‑day campaign setup, management, and reporting of programmatic media buys across several retailer media networks and DSPs, including but not limited to Amazon, CitrusAd, Criteo, The Trade Desk, Walmart, and others. The role requires an understanding of each platform’s programmatic offerings – from self‑serve to managed service buys – and a commitment to maximizing retail media investment for client accounts.

Skills and Experience

Manage a team of direct reports and their career development.

Oversee programmatic media activations across several retailer media networks and DSPs.

Execute campaign setup, bid recommendations, and budgeting to ensure overall client goal attainment, including the use of retail bid‑management technologies such as Pacvue, Skai, and Epsilo.

Maintain excellent relationships with key account stakeholders to maximize promotional opportunities and assist them in navigating the Commerce activation landscape.

Ensure ongoing campaign compliance with GroupM established guidelines and best practices.

Lead the incorporation of cross‑channel testing and optimisation strategies.

Prepare campaign performance reports on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis.

Synthesize key data points, identify trends, and recommend activities to maximise business results and deliver an optimal customer experience.

Address technical issues with media campaign serving.

Stay up to date on changing marketplace dynamics surrounding ad products, technology and measurement across programmatic partners.

Manage reconciliation, invoicing/billing, trafficking, and mapping data to the internal media campaign management platform.

Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Analytics, Marketing, Communications, Advertising; or equivalent professional work experience.

5+ years of experience in biddable performance media execution or paid ecommerce, with a strong preference for retail media programmatic execution.

Experience managing a team of direct reports.

Experience across the Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Deep understanding of retail commercial elements such as profit margin, inventory levels, forecasting, and demand planning to inform media decisions.

Deep understanding of how different media channels work together and how retail media fits within the wider ecosystem.

Strong drive to understand the retail landscape and latest trends in commerce media.

Experience with retail bid‑management platforms such as Pacvue or Skai.

Experience in campaign management and optimisation across multiple retail platforms (Amazon, Instacart, Walmart, Target, Kroger, Criteo, Google, Meta, etc.).

Ability to collaborate and work effectively with internal teams and external partners.

A self‑starter attitude that thrives in a fast‑paced environment.

Excellent project‑management skills; able to coordinate projects across multiple teams and functions.

Life at WPP Media & Benefits
Our passion for shaping the next era of media includes investing in our employees to help them do their best work, and we are committed to employee growth as well as responsible media investment. WPP Media employees can tap into the global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, grow their networks, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising. We have a variety of employee resource groups, frequent in‑office events, and a hybrid approach with teams in the office around four days a week. Our benefits include competitive medical, group retirement plans, vision, dental insurance, significant paid time off, preferential partner discounts, and employee mental health awareness days.

WPP Media is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers. WPP Media is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans. If you need an accommodation, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

US Pay Range: $75,000—$180,000 USD

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