Manager, Commerce Search

We are seeking a Manager, Retail Media Search with deep retail search expertise and significant hands-on Walmart experience. This is a hands-on activation and optimization role. Working closely with the Director, Commerce Search, you will own the day-to-day strategy and execution of complex retail search programs, with a particular emphasis on Walmart retail search, including campaign architecture, keyword and product targeting, bid and budget optimization, pacing, reporting, troubleshooting, and ongoing performance improvement. The role is part of WPP Unite within WPP Media. The position follows a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. The base salary range is $60,000 - $140,000 USD for the US.

Responsibilities

Lead the day-to-day strategy, hands-on activation, management, and optimization of retail search campaigns, with a strong focus on Walmart Connect; Personally build, launch, manage, and optimize Walmart retail search campaigns from campaign setup through ongoing optimization and reporting; Develop keyword, search term, product targeting, bidding, budget allocation, and campaign-structure strategies; Manage campaigns across Walmart Connect and Amazon Ads, with additional retailer experience valued; Own campaign setup, QA, pacing, budget management, bid changes, keyword optimization, product targeting, troubleshooting, and ongoing performance management; Analyze search-query and keyword performance to identify opportunities for expansion, negative targeting, bid adjustments, and improved efficiency; Identify opportunities to increase product discoverability, search visibility, conversion, sales growth, and return on advertising investment; Manage retail search across large product assortments while balancing brand, category, SKU, and business priorities; Translate client objectives into executable retail search strategies and optimization plans; Diagnose campaign performance issues and independently recommend and execute corrective actions; Develop structured testing roadmaps across bids, keywords, product targeting, campaign structures, and optimization approaches; Provide clear reporting and performance narratives that explain what happened, why, and what action should be taken next; Use retail media management and optimization technology such as Pacvue, Skai, or comparable platforms; Partner with the Director, Commerce Search to build retail search best practices, operating frameworks, and scalable activation methodologies; Collaborate across commerce, investment, analytics, planning, and client teams; Present search performance, insights, challenges, and optimization recommendations to clients and internal stakeholders; Mentor junior team members while remaining actively involved in campaign execution and optimization; Promote analytical rigor, strong QA practices, and consistent retail search execution across accounts

Requirements

4+ years of retail media/search experience with significant hands-on responsibility for campaign activation and optimization; Deep, direct experience managing Walmart retail search campaigns within Walmart Connect; Demonstrated ability to personally build, launch, optimize, troubleshoot, and scale Walmart campaigns, rather than only supervising campaign teams; Strong experience with retail search campaign architecture, keyword and search-term strategy, product targeting, bidding, budget allocation, pacing, and optimization; Experience using retailer and SKU/product-level performance data to make campaign optimization decisions; Strong understanding of retail search performance metrics, including ROAS, ACOS, TACOS, CPC, CTR, conversion rate, and sales performance; Hands-on experience with Amazon Ads is strongly preferred, particularly for candidates who have managed retail search across both Walmart and Amazon; Experience working with retail media technology such as Pacvue, Skai, or comparable campaign management platforms; Ability to independently diagnose campaign performance issues and translate findings into specific optimization actions; Strong analytical skills and the ability to turn complex performance data into clear client recommendations; Experience managing multiple campaigns, brands, product portfolios, or client accounts in a fast-paced environment; Strong communication, organization, problem-solving, and stakeholder-management skills; Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Analytics, Advertising, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience

Nice to have

Experience managing Walmart retail search at meaningful scale, including complex campaigns and/or large product assortments; Strong hands-on experience across both Walmart Connect and Amazon Ads; Experience with additional retail media networks such as Instacart, Target, Kroger, or comparable platforms; Experience managing Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, or equivalent retailer search formats at scale; Strong understanding of the relationship between paid retail search, organic visibility, retail readiness, product detail pages, inventory, pricing, promotions, and total sales performance; Experience analyzing retail media beyond last-click ROAS, including incrementality, profitability, and broader commerce outcomes; Experience mentoring junior activation talent while continuing to personally manage campaign strategy and optimization; Familiarity with broader commerce media, offsite retail media, and cross-channel measurement

Benefits

Competitive medical insurance; Group retirement plans; Vision and dental insurance; Significant paid time off; Preferential partner discounts; Employee mental health awareness days; Access to extensive global WPP Media and WPP networks for professional development