Head of Retail Media Solutions

Career Guide
Leads the strategy, product, and commercialization of a retailer’s media solutions, turning first‑party shopper data and media inventory into advertising offerings for brands. Owns revenue growth, product roadmap, measurement, and partnerships across sales, marketing, product, data, and tech.

Key Responsibilities

  • Define retail media strategy, roadmap, and revenue targets
  • Own P&L, pricing, and packaging for ad solutions
  • Develop and launch onsite, offsite, and CTV/partner media products
  • Establish measurement framework (incrementality, MMM/MTA) and reporting
  • Build partnerships with brands, agencies, and ad tech platforms
  • Enable sales with go‑to‑market materials and performance narratives
  • Ensure data governance, privacy compliance, and audience quality

Career Progression

Can Lead To
VP of Retail Media
GM, Retail Media Network
Chief Revenue Officer (Advertising)
Transition Opportunities
Product Director, Ad Platforms
Head of Ad Operations & Monetization
Head of eCommerce Partnerships
Head of Marketing Technology (MarTech)

Common Skill Gaps

Often Missing Skills
End‑to‑end retail media productization and packagingClean room and first‑party data activation know‑howCommercial pricing and revenue forecasting for mediaIncrementality testing design and interpretationProgrammatic supply and demand integrations
Development SuggestionsComplete IAB/Amazon Ads/Edge Academy programs and lead a small pilot that activates first‑party audiences with a holdout test to produce a measurable case study.

Salary & Demand

Median Salary Range
Entry Level$150,000–$190,000
Mid Level$190,000–$250,000
Senior Level$250,000–$350,000
Growth Trend
rapidly_growing — Retail media spend is surging as retailers monetize first‑party data

Companies Hiring

Major Employers
WalmartTargetKroger
Industry Sectors
Retail & eCommerceAdvertising & MarketingTechnology

Recommended Next Steps

1
Earn IAB DMSC and Amazon Ads certifications; complete The Trade Desk Edge Academy ‘Trading Essentials’.
2
Build a retail media product playbook (inventory map, pricing, targeting, measurement plan) and validate via a pilot with 1–2 brand partners.
3
Network with RMN leaders at Groceryshop/NRF and target Director‑level RMN or Ad Product roles as a bridge step.