Vice President, Media Strategy

Mars United Commerce; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 149,000 - 239,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Family Care

Adoption Support

Pet Adoption Support

Wellness & Benefits

Tuition Assistance

Flexible Time Off

Matching Gifts

Work Your World

Employee Resource Groups

Job summary

Mars United Commerce seeks a Vice President, Commerce Media Strategy to lead and evolve our media planning practice across clients in a hybrid New York, Chicago or Detroit region. You will shape the vision for commerce media, integrate data assets, and collaborate with Ecommerce and Analytics leaders to drive growth and impact.

The role requires 15+ years in agency media, deep retail media expertise, and a proven track record of leading high‑performing teams.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of media experience in an agency setting.
• Leadership experience within commerce, shopper or retail media.
• Proven ability to lead strategy teams and influence senior clients.
• Strong AI adoption to automate workflow and enhance offerings.
• Deep understanding of third‑party commerce media and retail networks.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire the Commerce Media Strategy practice with clear priorities.
• Define vision and roadmap for evolving commerce media strategy and planning.
• Serve as senior capability lead for planning, partnering with cross‑functional teams.
• Apply identity, audience intelligence, and measurement across planning.
• Coordinate with Ecommerce, Retail Consultancy, Analytics, Data and Tech leaders.
• Develop annual planning and test‑and‑learn roadmaps aligned to business objectives.
• Integrate media planning with Connected Identity and other data assets.
• Anticipate AI-enabled planning, social/shoppable media, and new discovery trends.
• Be an authority in communications planning with creative and quantitative insight.
• Build client relationships and manage campaign development and budgets.
• Collaborate with partners to deliver integrated, cross‑platform shopper media strategies.
• Evaluate opportunities and negotiate with vendors for value and placements.

Skills

Executive leadership

Commerce media expertise

AI in media planning

Strategic thinking

Client relationship

Team development

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

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 https://www.marsunited.com/.

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 https://www.marsunited.com/.

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 https://www.marsunited.com/.

Overview

We’re seeking a Vice President, Commerce Media Strategy to lead the evolution of our commerce media strategy practice, team and product. Candidates must reside within a commutable distance from our New York, Chicago or Detroit (Troy) office for a hybrid work schedule. The VP will set the strategic vision for how we plan and activate commerce media, strengthen integration across our connected media approach and embed data, technology and AI more deeply into our media strategy and plans. This leader will shape the evolution of our approach to commerce media planning in response to rapidly changing consumer behavior, including the growth of AI, social commerce, retail media, shoppable media and new forms of digital discovery. This role owns the strategy and planning discipline for commerce media, while partnering closely with the Ecommerce capability, which leads PDP, Digital Shelf and Retail AEO strategy and solutions. The primary focus for this role will be on third‑party (3P) commerce media, bringing a strong working understanding of retail media networks (RMN) and how commerce media connects to the broader consumer journey, national media and commerce ecosystem. This role will support multiple clients and both CPG and Alc/Bev media experience are preferred.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead, develop and inspire the Commerce Media Strategy practice, establishing clear priorities, ways of working and expectations for strategic excellence across clients.
• Partner with leadership to define the vision and roadmap for the future of commerce media strategy, evolving our approach as shopper discovery, media platforms and commerce behaviors continue to change.
• Serve as the senior capability lead for commerce media planning and strategy, partnering with agency, Groupe and cross‑functional teams to integrate commerce media into broader connected media strategies.
• Define how Connected Identity, audience intelligence, technology and measurement are applied across commerce media planning, including audience definition, investment strategy, activation and performance evaluation.
• Partner closely with Ecommerce, Retail Consultancy, Media Investment, Analytics, Data and Technology leaders to ensure commerce media is connected to the broader commerce ecosystem, while maintaining clear ownership boundaries across capabilities.
• Lead the development of our commerce media planning approach across clients, including annual planning, investment strategy, audience definition and test‑and‑learn roadmaps that translate business objectives into actionable recommendations and growth opportunities, while still playing a hands‑on role for key clients building plans and strategies that map to our new vision.
• Integrate commerce media into the agency’s Connected Media pillars, advancing how Connected Identity and other data assets inform planning, strategy, audience development, activation and measurement.
• Anticipate changes in commerce media, including AI‑enabled planning, social commerce, shoppable media, retail media, digital incentives and emerging discovery behaviors, and translate those changes into new capabilities, planning approaches and client growth opportunities.
• Serve as an authority on communications planning with ability to think creatively and bring ideas forward in brainstorms, as well as work well with numbers to quantify impact and measurement of plans, investment strategies, and ensure flawless execution.
• Build relationships with clients; work seamlessly on a daily basis with clients throughout campaign development and implementation, resolving any issues with regards to changes in direction, campaign goals and budgets.
• Work effectively and efficiently with internal and external strategic media partners and internal teams to develop integrated, cross‑platform shopper media strategies and plans.
• Evaluate media opportunities on a variety of criteria and demonstrate sound judgement in the allocation of clients’ shopper media investments.
• Negotiate with vendor partners to obtain media availability and placement, advantageous rates and added value; evaluate appropriate media opportunities for achieving client objectives.

Skillsets Required

• Bachelor’s degree in advertising, marketing, related field or the equivalent combination of education and experience
• 15+ years of media experience working in an agency setting, including significant leadership within commerce, shopper or retail media
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing high‑performing strategy teams
• Executive presence and the ability to influence senior clients and cross‑functional partners
• Deep experience in third‑party commerce media, with a strong working understanding of retail media networks and their role within the broader connected media ecosystem
• Strong adopter of AI with ability to build skills and agents to automate workflow and make our product smarter, faster, and more efficient

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.

Mars United℠ 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 $149,340.00 - USD $239,148.00/Annually. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. This role may also be eligible for bonus or incentive compensation. 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. 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 10/31/2026.