Director, Marketplace Advertising

The Director of Marketplace Advertising owns Ashley's enterprise-wide retail media strategy and execution across all marketplace platforms, with direct accountability for media efficiency, growth acceleration, customer acquisition, and profit-scaled advertising performance.

This role serves as the central architect of retail media excellence, leading a team of marketplace media managers and analysts who execute campaigns across Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot, Wayfair, and emerging platforms. The Director operates as the performance marketing counterpart to platform Marketplace Managers, ensuring advertising investment is fully aligned to platform strategy, assortment priorities, promotional calendars, and profitability targets. This role is highly data-driven, highly cross-functional, and deeply commercial.

Scope of Responsibility

Channel Coverage: All national marketplacesMedia Ownership: Sponsored Search, Display, DSP, Off-platform RetargetingBudget Ownership: Full retail media investment portfolioTeam Leadership: Marketplace Advertisers, Media Analysts, Agency PartnersPerformance KPIs: ROAS, TACOS, NTB, Conversion Lift, Media-to-Sales Contribution

Primary Responsibilities

Enterprise Retail Media Strategy & Performance Ownership

Own and scale the marketplace advertising strategy across all platforms.

Translate enterprise growth goals into:

Platform-specific media strategiesBudget allocationsReturn thresholdsDrive consistent improvement in:ROASTACOSNew-to-Brand acquisitionIncremental lift vs. organic sales

Campaign Architecture, Optimization & Scale

Oversee:

Keyword strategiesAudience developmentDSP & display executionFull-funnel campaign architectureEnsure daily optimization across:Bid strategyBudget pacingSearch term harvestingPlacement performanceImplement standardized testing frameworks:Creative A/B testingAudience testingBudget elasticity modeling

Media & Promotion Integration

Partner with:

VP of Ecommerce – MarketplacesPlatform Marketplace ManagersMarketing teams from other sales divisionsEnsure all major events (Prime, Cyber, Holiday, Platform Tentpoles) are fully supported by:Forecasted media investmentConversion-ready contentInventory availabilityPrevent overspend, under-scale, and margin erosion during peak events.

Team Leadership & Capability Building

Build, lead, and develop a high-performance marketplace advertising team.

Establish:

Clear role segmentation (search, DSP, analytics)Training & certification pathsCareer progression frameworksLead team through:

Performance accountabilityWeekly optimization rhythmsQuarterly strategic planning

Data, Analytics & Attribution Leadership

Partner with BI and Analytics teams to:

Build executive-level media dashboardsStandardize incrementality reportingDevelop LTV-informed media modelsEstablish consistent measurement across:

Platform-reported metricsInternal sales systemsFinancial contribution models

Financial Governance & Budget Accountability

Own:

Media budgetingForecastingReforecastingROI guardrailsPartner with Finance on:

Media accrualsBudget reallocationEvent-based investment strategiesEnsure profit-scaled growth, not just revenue-scaled growth.

Platform, Agency & Vendor Leadership

Serve as the primary retail media authority with:

Marketplace ad teamsDSP providersExternal agenciesLead:

Quarterly business reviewsBeta participationNew ad product testingEnsure platform compliance and brand safety.

Automation, Tools & Future-Readiness

Own roadmap for:

Bid automationFeed-based advertisingCreative automationAI-driven forecastingEvaluate and implement:

Third-party ad techAttribution toolsRetail media optimization platforms

Qualifications

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, Analytics, Business, or related field requiredMBA or advanced analytics coursework preferred

Experience

8-12 years of digital or retail media experience5+ years leading marketplace advertising teams

Direct ownership of:

Multi-million-dollar marketplace media budgetsROAS- and TACOS-driven performance environmentsDeep hands-on experience with:

Amazon AdsWalmart ConnectWayfair AdvertisingHome DepotDSP platformsExperience in:

Full-funnel media strategyIncrementality testingCreative performance optimizationRetail + brand media convergence

Core Skills & Expertise

Retail Media Strategy & ExecutionMarketplace DSPPerformance AttributionBudget Forecasting & OptimizationAlgorithmic Bidding StrategyCreative Performance TestingAudience & Funnel ArchitectureExecutive-Level Performance StorytellingPeople Leadership & Team Scaling

Leadership & Behavioral Traits

Operates with extreme clarity and accountabilityBalances speed with financial disciplineHighly analytical but commercially decisiveComfortable leading high-expectation performance teamsThrives in fast-paced, algorithm-governed ecosystems