Director, Commerce Strategy

New York City, NY (Hybrid)

$75K/yr – $180K/yrDirector/Executive7+ years expFull time

Posted 6 days ago

Job Summary

Own the strategic direction for client portfolios, guiding senior clients with provocative, data-driven insights and actionable jobs to be done across retail and digital channels.

  • Lead synthesis of insights into compelling narratives
  • Mentor the strategy team and drive integration with creative and media

Job Description

Responsibilities

  • Set the strategic agenda for your client portfolio, identifying the long-term levers for brand growth and business transformation.
  • Act as the senior strategic advisor to clients, providing a provocative and consultative perspective that challenges their business models and identifies untapped commerce opportunities.
  • Translate complex insights into compelling strategic narratives and actionable "jobs to be done" for brands, retailers and key channels that inspire both clients and creative teams.
  • Set and uphold the standard for strategic rigor, ensuring that every brief, roadmap, and narrative produced by the team is of the highest quality and driven by a clear, defensible point of view.
  • Direct the synthesis of complex business challenges into elegant strategic frameworks that provide clarity for internal teams and senior client stakeholders.
  • Conduct thorough market research and competitive audits using database tools such as MRI Simmons, Mintel, Infegy, and YPulse to identify trends, potential threats and white-space opportunities.
  • Leverage sales and shopper panel data to uncover core business problems and size market opportunities.
  • Develop comprehensive retail and engagement strategies that translate brand objectives into actionable plans across in-store, online, social, and email platforms.
  • Identify and draft compelling case studies for industry awards (Effies, WARC, Cannes Lions) to showcase the agency’s work.
  • Partner with Media and Growth Strategy teams to review performance reports and translate analytical findings into insights that drive strategic recommendations.

Requirements

  • Education: Bachelor’s degree in advertising, Communications, Marketing, or a related field.
  • Leadership Experience: 2-3+ years of formal experience managing direct reports, with a proven track record of coaching team members through performance management and career pathing.
  • Strategy Experience: 7-10 years of experience in omnichannel retail strategy, engagement marketing, or a related field. Proven experience with channel and communications planning, including developing and executing integrated marketing campaigns across physical and digital/ecommerce channels and touchpoints. Demonstrated ability to apply structured strategic frameworks to solve business challenges and a track record of identifying data-driven growth opportunities.
  • Retail IQ: Demonstrated experience working on top U.S. retailers with a strong understanding of their business models and marketing strategies.
  • Technical Skills: Applied experience with database tools (MRI Simmons, Mintel) and sales/panel data platforms.
  • Communication: Exceptional storytelling skills; ability to command a room, handle difficult client questions, and translate complex strategy into clear business logic for senior audiences.

Preferred

  • Industry Background: Experience within an agency, CPG company, research company, or consulting firm is preferred.

Benefits

  • We offer a competitive benefits package.
  • Hybrid work arrangement, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.
VML logo

VML

3.5 Glassdoor

VML is a global powerhouse born from the unification of Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R — two of the world's most powerful and accomplished creative agencies with complementary capabilities and geographic strengths. We have an industry-unique opportunity to provide our client partners with a fully integrated offering across brand experience, customer experience and commerce practices — powered by deep data and technology experience. For more information, visit www.vml.com.

Founded in 2024
New York, New York, US
33K employees (8,368 in marketing)
67% recommend to a friend
79% CEO approval

Salaries

Posted range

$75K/yr – $180K/yr

Taken straight from the job posting.

See all VML salaries

Traffic Signals

Monthly Visitors
279.9K
Traffic Source Mix
Search
42.8%
Direct
42.1%
Referral
8.4%
Social
5.5%
Paid
0.9%

Headcount Trend

Current headcount: ~34.6K

Recent News

VML logo

Director, Commerce Strategy

VML · New York City, NY · Hybrid