Level: Director, Retail & Commerce

Position Summary

Senior commerce and retail media leader bringing expertise upstream into end-to-end strategy,

planning and activation excellence. No direct reports; significant influence across client work,

teams and partners.

The Director, Retail & Commerce, will be the agency's commerce subject-matter expert for priority clients. This is an exceptionally client-facing role focused on shaping the commerce opportunity early in the process and integrating it into the broader end-to-end strategy and planning approach.

The role goes beyond activation and tactical plans. It will connect business, brand, shopper,

customer and commerce objectives; turn insight into clear strategic choices; and ensure retail media, ecommerce and other commerce levers are used in a coordinated, measurable way. The role will also raise the quality of commerce acumen through coaching, standards, tools and practical enablement, without formal line-management responsibility.

The successful candidate will work closely with a large CPG client and the agency's client teams, account leadership, strategists, planners, investment and activation specialists, data and analytics partners, creative, and external retail media and technology partners.

Responsibilities:

Client leadership

- Act as a trusted senior advisor to clients on connected commerce and retail media
- Lead clear, consultative conversations with senior stakeholders and translate complexity into actionable recommendations
- Own the commerce point of view in key engagements and build strong, credible client relationships

End-to-end strategy and planning

- Bring commerce into the strategy and planning process early, rather than treating it as downstream activation
- Shape integrated roadmaps across paid media, retail media, e-commerce, shopper and customer marketing, data, content and relevant non-media levers
- Connect commerce choices to audience strategy, channel roles,



investment,

measurement and business outcomes

Craft Excellence and Capability Building

Partner with Agency Capabilities to:

•Set and protect the quality standard for commerce briefs, frameworks, roadmaps,

partner recommendations and measurement approaches

- Upskill strategists, planners and activation partners through coaching, working sessions, and feedback
- Influence across disciplines and serve as an escalation point for complex commerce questions

Innovation, Partnerships and Measurement

- Bring relevant developments in retail media, platforms, data, AI and shopper behavior into client solutions
- Build productive relationships with retailers, retail media networks, technology providers and data partners
- Advance measurement and test-and-learn approaches that connect activity to sales,

growth, efficiency and customer value

Qualifications and Success Profile

- Significant experience in retail media, connected commerce, ecommerce, shopper marketing or commerce strategy within an agency, CPG, retailer, platform or related workplace.
- Deep understanding of how commerce connects to full-funnel media, brand strategy, customer and shopper marketing, ecommerce and conversion.
- Strong knowledge of retail media networks, commerce platforms, first-party data, audience strategy and measurement (Amazon is a must!)
- Proven ability to advise senior clients, simplify complexity and turn insight into transparent strategic choices.
- Comfortable influencing through expertise, collaboration and coaching rather than direct authority.
- Clear communicator, commercially minded, curious, pragmatic and highly accountable.

Success will look like: commerce is integrated into end-to-end strategy; client confidence and relationships deepen; commerce outputs show stronger strategic coherence and craft; teams are more capable and connected; and the agency has clearer, more repeatable ways of working and a stronger point of view on connected commerce.

📌 Director, Retail & Commerce (Toronto)
🏢 Kim Cosic Consulting
📍 Toronto