Director, Retail Search

Publicis Groupe; Chicago, Northern (IL, KY); Hybrid; USD 121,000 - 174,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Family Care

Pet adoption support

Tuition Assistance

Flexible working arrangements

Work Your World program

Job summary

Publicis Commerce seeks a Director of Retail Search to lead paid search across major retailers and platforms from a remote location, with hybrid options for Chicago, Atlanta or New York areas. You will guide strategy, manage budgets, and mentor a growing team, delivering measurable ROI for CPG clients.

You will partner with Analytics to set KPIs, drive reporting, and explore automation opportunities, using Pacvue, Power BI and Tableau to inform decisions and optimize campaigns.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience building and leading paid search strategies for brands on retail media platforms.
• Strong fundamentals in paid search planning, management and optimization.
• Expertise with retail media networks such as Amazon Advertising, Walmart Connect, Instacart.

Responsibilities

• Lead paid search investments across key retail media platforms with strategy, KPI setting and budgeting.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to turn strategy into actionable retail search plans.
• Mentor and grow the retail search team to meet rapid changes in the industry.
• Work with Analytics & Data Science to set KPIs, reporting and automation.

Skills

Retail search strategy

Team leadership

Analytics & reporting

Pacvue

Power BI

Tableau

Criteo

Collaboration across functions

Tools

Pacvue

Analytic Index

Power BI

Tableau

Job description

Company description

About Publicis Commerce: Informed by data, our passionate team strives to deliver Hero Moments for our clients’ brands in the final mile of the retail customer journey. We pride ourselves on being able to provide winning client solutions delivered across 7 core capability areas: Data & Consumer Insights; Shopper Marketing & Integrated RTM; Field Marketing; Events & Activations; Promotional, Risk, Reward & Loyalty and Retail POS Strategy.

Overview

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 possible.

Candidates must reside within a commutable distance to our Chicago, Atlanta or New York location for a hybrid work schedule.

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. CitrusAd 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, CitrusAd 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 mentoring skills
• Ambitious self-starter who takes ownership of and great pride in his/her work
• Creative and strategic thinker who gets excited about taking on and solving complex challenges
• Curious and dissatisfied with the status quo, always thinking of ways to improve and grow
• Collaborative team player and great listener, but unafraid to challenge peers or clients when necessary in order to achieve the best results for the project
• Confident presenter and clear, persuasive communicator (verbal and written) of complicated information
• Doer (v. a talker) with a "roll up your sleeves and figure it out" mentality
• Adept at analyzing results, synthesizing data, drawing out insights & implications and developing insightful & actionable recommendations; experience using tools & platforms such as Pacvue, Analytic Index, Power BI and Tableau is preferred

Additional information

The Power of One starts with our people! To do powerful things, we offer powerful resources. Our best-in-class wellness and benefits offerings include:

• Paid Family Care for parents and caregivers for 12 weeks or more
• Monetary assistance and support for Adoption, Surrogacy and Fertility
• Monetary assistance and support for pet adoption
• Employee Assistance Programs and Health/Wellness/Comfort reimbursements to help you invest in your future and work/life balance
• Tuition Assistance
• Paid time off that includes Flexible Time off Vacation, Annual Sick Days, Volunteer Days, Holiday and Identity days, and more
• Matching Gifts programs
• Flexible working arrangements
• 'Work Your World' Program encouraging employees to work from anywhere Publicis Groupe has an office for up to 6 weeks a year (based upon eligibility)
• Business Resource Groups that support multiple affinities and alliances

The benefits offerings listed are available to eligible U.S. Based employees, are reviewed on an annual basis, and are governed by the terms of the applicable plan documents.

We also offer medical and voluntary benefits to our freelancers and temporary employees. Voluntary benefit options include supplemental medical insurance, transportation, and parking benefits, legal benefits, pet insurance, and auto and home insurance. You must be actively employed for 90 consecutive calendar days in order to be eligible for Publicis medical and voluntary benefits.

Publicis Commerce is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our employment decisions are made without regard to actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability, medical condition as defined by applicable state law, genetic information, marital status, military service and veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws and ordinances.

If you require accommodation or assistance with the application or onboarding process specifically, please contact [e-mail].

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Compensation Range: USD $121,315.00 - USD $174,300.00/Annually. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and the Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. Temporary roles may be eligible to participate in our freelancer/temporary employee medical plan through a third-party benefits administration system once certain criteria have been met. Temporary roles may also qualify for participation in our 401(k) plan after eligibility criteria have been met. For regular roles, the Company will offer medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401k, and paid time off. The Company anticipates the application deadline for this job posting will be 10/23/2026.