Associate Director, Strategy & Activation… at Kepler Group · Toronto

Kepler executes engineered marketing, where every message and ad delivered helps create a more personalized and productive relationship between brands and their consumers. We do this by acting as clients’ agency of record, as their in-house team, or some hybrid of the two – and by harnessing data and technology across all paid digital media and data-driven CRM channels. Kepler prides itself on being a great place to work. In fact, we’re proud to share that AdAge recognized Kepler among the Best Place to Work in 2022, validating our investment in our team and our clients. We're transparent with our employees. You'll hear updates on company financials, how we're performing against bonus goals, and how we're responding to challenges we face. We're growing. For you, that means unparalleled growth opportunities and a role in shaping the direction of the company. We're fun. You'll work with and learn from the smartest people in the industry and have a blast doing it. THE TEAM Kepler’s Strategy & Activation team is made up of forward-thinking media traders with deep expertise across biddable retail media channels. Our team specializes in the Amazon advertising ecosystem (Sponsored Ads, DSP), as well as emerging retail media networks, including Walmart Connect and Target Roundel, with campaigns often activated through Criteo. Team members combine platform-level optimization skills with a keen understanding of macro marketing trends, data privacy, and the evolving retail media landscape. This team is not simply a trading desk - you are a strategic biddable media expert. You will be client-facing, partner-facing, and seen as an internal authority for brainstorming future-proof retail media and ad tech solutions that drive client value and help streamline internal workflows through smart automation and innovation. THE ROLE A Strategy & Activation Associate Director will manage and guide a team that leverages data-driven insights, innovative best practices, and creativity to design, launch, and optimize retail media campaigns across the Amazon Ads Ecosystem. In this role, you will inspire your team to deliver excellence, push platform innovation, and drive meaningful business outcomes for clients. What You Will Do: Act as the subject matter expert and escalation point for Amazon and retail media within the ecommerce team for senior client contacts Directly lead a team of 5-10 Managers and Analysts, and provide strategic guidance across Kepler’s functional teams Be a strategic expert across strategy and execution across Amazon Sponsored Ads and Amazon DSP - leading the internal team and client team through tactic selection, partner negotiation, campaign design, ad ops and measurement Collaborate with the Data Strategy team to support reporting, deep-dive analyses, and actionable insights Partner with the broader team to understand client goals, translate them into platform strategies, and communicate powerful insights Codify and share best practices, retail media POVs, and optimization frameworks across teams Desired Skills and Experience: 5-8+ years of experience in retail media, including hands-on execution in Amazon Sponsored Ads & DSP Preferred: Hands-on experience activating retail media through Criteo Experience leading cross-functional teams, both directly and indirectly Experience managing large product catalogs (ASIN or item-level management) Familiarity with Pacvue, Skai, or similar tools is a plus Strong analytical skills, and comfort with MS Excel, data analysis and internet technologies Proven ability to think creatively about challenging analytic problems Dynamic communication & presentation skills Ability to self-manage, juggle multiple priorities, and pay strong attention to details Ability to contribute to fast-paced, entrepreneurial, innovative, collaborative, team-based environment Transparency is fundamental to Kepler’s culture. Our compensation strategy is designed to attract, reward, and retain the talented employees that drive Kepler’s growth and success. We aim to offer competitive direct compensation and a rich indirect compensation program that demonstrates the value we place on our employees and their wellbeing. Total Compensation: Base Salary: $105,000 - $118,000 Target Annualized Discretionary Bonus: 5% ($5,250 - $5,900) Target Total Cash: $110,250 - $123,900 Benefits: Healthcare/Dental/Vision Unlimited PTO RRSP Contributions $75/mo Wellness Stipend $100/mo Mobile Phone Stipend $50/mo Internet Stipend $500/yr Annual Learning Stipend $2,000/yr Annual Tuition Stipend One-time $200 New Hire Home Office Equipment Stipend Parental Leave - 16 week primary caregiver / 6 week secondary caregiver leave Annual Work From Anywhere 4 weeks per year Kepler is a people first organization. If this roles piques your interest but you may not check every box, we still encourage you to apply! Studies show that imposter syndrome can prevent women and people of color from applying unless they meet every single qualification. We welcome all who are interested to apply, you just might be a great candidate for this role or others. Protect yourself from recruitment fraud. The only way to apply for a position at Kepler is by submitting a direct application via the Keplergrp.com website or working with a recruiter employed by Kepler with a @keplergrp.com email address. Learn how to stay safe by clicking here