Retail Media Network Director

Career Guide
A Retail Media Network Director leads the advertising business that a retailer sells on its own digital properties, such as the website, app, in store screens, and email. The role blends revenue leadership, advertising product strategy, and partnership management with brand advertisers and agencies. Success is measured by ad revenue growth, advertiser retention, shopper experience, and trustworthy measurement.

Key Responsibilities

  • Set the retail media strategy and revenue plan across onsite, offsite, and in store channels
  • Own the advertising product roadmap, including ad formats, targeting options, and self service buying
  • Lead relationships with brand advertisers, agencies, and technology partners
  • Build and manage a sales organization, including account teams and sales operations
  • Define pricing, packaging, and inventory strategy to balance revenue and shopper experience
  • Oversee campaign planning, execution quality, and issue resolution
  • Establish measurement standards, reporting, and performance benchmarks for advertisers
  • Coordinate with merchandising, ecommerce, marketing, and store teams to align priorities
  • Ensure responsible data use, privacy compliance, and brand safety practices
  • Track market trends and competitor moves to refine positioning and go to market plans
  • Manage budgets, forecasting, and executive reporting
  • Hire, develop, and retain high performing cross functional teams

Top Skills for Success

Revenue Strategy
Sales Leadership
Executive Stakeholder Management
Partner Management
Advertising Product Management
Go To Market Planning
Pricing Strategy
Media Planning Fundamentals
Campaign Operations
Measurement Strategy
Incrementality Testing
First Party Data Strategy
Privacy Compliance
Brand Safety
Forecasting
Team Building

Career Progression

Can Lead To
Vice President Retail Media
Vice President Advertising
General Manager Retail Media
Head of Monetization
Chief Revenue Officer
Chief Commercial Officer
Transition Opportunities
Ecommerce Director
Digital Marketing Director
Marketplace Partnerships Director
Advertising Technology Partnerships Lead
Consulting Partner for Media and Commerce

Common Skill Gaps

Often Missing Skills
Incrementality TestingMeasurement StrategyAdvertising Product ManagementPricing StrategySales OperationsPrivacy ComplianceBrand SafetyFirst Party Data Strategy
Development SuggestionsBuild a strong measurement foundation by learning how retail media outcomes are proven, including test design and reporting standards. Pair that with product thinking by practicing how to define advertiser needs, convert them into clear offerings, and launch improvements with cross functional teams. Strengthen sales operations skills to scale reliably, including pipeline discipline, forecasting, and repeatable playbooks.

Salary & Demand

Median Salary Range
Entry LevelRare as an entry role. If hired as a first time director: 170,000 to 230,000 USD base, often plus bonus or equity
Mid Level200,000 to 280,000 USD base, often plus bonus or equity
Senior Level260,000 to 400,000 USD base, often plus bonus or equity
Growth Trend
Strong growth. Retailers and marketplaces continue investing in retail media, increasing demand for leaders who can scale revenue while improving measurement and advertiser trust.

Companies Hiring

Major Employers
Walmart ConnectAmazon AdsTarget RoundelKroger Precision MarketingAlbertsons Media CollectiveInstacart AdsDoorDash AdsUber AdvertisingBest Buy AdsThe Home Depot Retail MediaCVS Media ExchangeWalgreens Advertising GroupeBay AdsEtsy AdsWayfair Advertising
Industry Sectors
Big box retailGrocery retailPharmacy retailHome improvement retailConsumer electronics retailOnline marketplacesDelivery platformsConvenience retailApparel retailSpecialty retail

Recommended Next Steps

1
Benchmark the retail media offering against top competitors and identify three clear differentiation opportunities
2
Draft a one year roadmap for ad products, measurement, and in store expansion with estimated revenue impact
3
Create a standardized advertiser reporting template with consistent metrics and clear definitions
4
Establish a privacy and data use review process with legal and security partners
5
Build a sales playbook covering ideal advertiser profiles, packaging, pricing, and renewal motions
6
Design a pilot incrementality test plan for two priority categories and one flagship advertiser
7
Network with agency leaders and brand media teams to validate market needs and improve go to market messaging