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About the Role

The Executive Director, Commerce is a senior leadership role responsible for shaping and scaling commerce strategy, capability development, and client delivery. This leader drives strategic vision for client engagement and growth, builds the processes, tools, insights, and platforms required for consistent excellence, and partners across strategy, data, creative, media, and technology to deliver integrated commerce solutions. The role requires a commercially minded and future-focused leader who can innovate new commerce solutions, advise senior clients on current and emerging commerce models, and empower teams to deliver differentiated, consumer-centric, performance-driving work. This role is obsessed with driving meaningful relationships and delivering revenue growth.

Responsibilities

Lead shopper, retail, and commerce capability transformation and delivery for global and regional clients.
Oversee integrated commerce solutions spanning retail media, eCommerce, marketplace, digital shelf, performance marketing, and emerging agentic commerce models.
Drive organic growth globally and regionally by providing forward thinking client solutions & capabilities.
Partner cross-functionally to connect commerce strategy with measurable business outcomes.
Define and lead the commerce vision and growth strategy across digital, social, marketplace, retail media, and emerging commerce channels.
Identify market opportunities and translate them into scalable offerings, operating models, and go-to-market strategies.
Develop the frameworks, tools, insights, and platforms needed to deliver consistent excellence across client engagements.
Represent the commerce practice within the broader leadership ecosystem and strengthen key internal and external partnerships.
Own business performance for the commerce practice, including revenue growth, margin health, commercials, and operational effectiveness.
Drive growth through new business acquisition, client expansion, and development of differentiated commerce products and services.
Support forecasting, investment prioritization, and capability expansion planning in partnership with senior leadership.
Serve as a senior commerce advisor to client stakeholders, including CMOs, heads of commerce, digital leaders, and other executive decision-makers.
Guide clients through commerce transformation, including omnichannel growth strategy, retail media investment, marketplace activation, agentic commerce and capability development.
Provide thought leadership that strengthens client confidence, deepens partnerships, and positions the organization as a best-in-class commerce partner.
Lead and inspire high-performing teams across commerce disciplines.
Build bench strength, develop future leaders, and create an inclusive environment where teams are empowered to succeed through their own perspectives and voices.
Drive a culture of innovation, accountability, collaboration, and operational excellence.
Ensure delivery structures, talent models, and ways of working can scale with client and business needs.
Innovate future marketing models across multi-capabilities where commerce is the through line.
Advance methodologies, measurement frameworks, and capability narratives that strengthen market differentiation.
Contribute to external thought leadership and internal capability building on the future of commerce, including evolving platform ecosystems and AI-enabled models.

Requirements

Typically brings 15+ years of experience in commerce, retail media, eCommerce, performance marketing, consulting, or related agency/client leadership environments.
Demonstrated success leading large-scale commerce businesses, complex client portfolios, and cross-functional teams.
Strong commercial acumen with experience balancing strategic growth, delivery excellence, and operational rigor.
Deep understanding of omnichannel commerce, marketplaces, retail media ecosystems, digital shelf strategy, and evolving commerce technology.
Expert-level proficiency with priority retailers (e.g, Amazon).
Strategic and growth-oriented leader with the ability to scale capabilities and organizations in dynamic market environments.
Executive presence and credibility with senior clients, partners, and internal stakeholders.
Skilled in navigating matrixed organizations and building alignment across functions and disciplines.
Inclusive people leader with a strong commitment to developing talent, elevating diverse perspectives, and fostering high-performing teams.

Skills

Commerce strategy and transformation
Retail media and marketplace activation
Digital shelf, content, and conversion strategy
Commerce data, measurement, and performance frameworks
Omnichannel growth planning and operating models
Emerging commerce innovation, including AI-enabled and agentic commerce applications

Location

Kansas City
New York
Detroit
London
São Paulo
Shanghai
Singapore
Sydney

Work Type

Hybrid

Experience Level

15+ years of experience

About the Company

VML, part of WPP, is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth.
VML is celebrated for its innovative and human first, award-winning work for blue chip client partners including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendy's.
The agency is recognized by the Forrester Wave™ Reports, as a Leader among Marketing Creative and Content Service Providers, Commerce Services, Global Digital Experience Services, Global Marketing Services and, most recently, Marketing Measurement & Optimization.
VML’s specialist health network, VML Health, is one of the world’s largest and most awarded health agencies.
VML’s global network is powered by 26,000 talented people across 55+ markets.
WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands.
We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth.
For more information, visit WPP.com.
VML is a WPP agency (NYSE: WPP).
For more information, please visit www.vml.com, and follow along on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

Equal Opportunity

WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics.
We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.