Market Strategy & Activation Director

We are seeking an experienced Market Strategy & Activation Director to lead the strategy, performance, and execution of a multi-market retail engagement program within a highly regulated industry (tobacco/nicotine).

• Own the overarching field strategy and activation approach across all participating markets, translating client objectives into clear priorities, expectations, and actionable plans for Market Managers
• Establish consistent standards for market execution while allowing teams to respond intelligently to local market dynamics, retailer needs, consumer behavior, and emerging opportunities
• Maintain a holistic view of program performance, identifying trends, risks, opportunities, and operational needs across markets
• Partner with agency and client leadership to evolve program strategy based on field performance, business priorities, and marketplace learnings
• Lead, coach, and develop a team of Market Managers, establishing clear expectations and accountability for performance within each market
• Create a strong operating rhythm across the field organization through regular communications, performance reviews, market check-ins, and sharing of best practices
• Empower Market Managers to effectively lead their local teams, solve problems, and make sound decisions while providing senior-level support and escalation when needed
• Identify performance gaps and development opportunities and provide direct, actionable coaching to strengthen individual and team effectiveness
• Foster a connected field culture in which teams learn from one another rather than operating as isolated markets
• Own overall program performance across markets, ensuring teams consistently deliver against activation schedules, retailer commitments, consumer engagement goals, reporting requirements, and other established KPIs
• Establish processes and standards that create consistency, accountability, and operational discipline across the program
• Monitor market performance and proactively intervene when execution, staffing, inventory, retailer relationships, or other operational factors put results at risk
• Partner with Market Managers and internal teams to resolve systemic challenges and eliminate recurring barriers to strong execution
• Ensure program assets, inventory, staffing, and resources are effectively planned and deployed across markets
• Champion a culture of rigorous compliance across the field organization, ensuring Market Managers and their teams understand and consistently adhere to all regulatory, brand, retailer, and program requirements
• Establish clear expectations and processes for monitoring compliance and reporting accuracy across markets
• Partner with Market Managers to quickly address discrepancies, compliance concerns, or executional risks
• Serve as a senior escalation point for sensitive or complex field issues, partnering with agency and client leadership as appropriate
• Turn field activity into actionable intelligence by identifying patterns across markets, consumer interactions, retailer feedback, competitive activity, and sales or performance data
• Look beyond individual market results to identify what is working, what is not, and where the program can improve
• Create mechanisms for sharing successful approaches and best practices across Market Managers and field teams
• Translate field insights into clear recommendations for agency and client stakeholders that strengthen future strategy and execution
• Continuously challenge the program to become smarter, more efficient, and more effective over time
• Serve as a senior field marketing partner to agency and client stakeholders, providing a clear view of market performance, emerging needs, risks, and opportunities
• Collaborate closely with account, strategy, operations, staffing, and other internal teams to ensure the field organization has what it needs to succeed
• Bring a solutions-oriented perspective to program challenges, balancing client expectations, field realities, operational considerations, and regulatory requirements
• Represent the voice of the field in broader program conversations while ensuring client and agency priorities are clearly understood and activated by market teams

• 8–10+ years of experience in field marketing, experiential marketing, retail engagement, brand activation, shopper marketing, or related disciplines
• Significant experience leading multi-market or distributed field teams