Job Description:
Director, Activation Strategy
Location: New York, NY | Chicago, IL | Detroit, MI
Hybrid
Dentsu is seeking a Director, Activation Strategy to lead the development of media activation strategies that enable our proprietary identity, data, and technology solutions to drive measurable business outcomes across today's evolving digital ecosystem.
This role partners closely with media investment, activation, analytics, and technology teams to shape how campaigns are planned, executed, optimized, and measured across channels. You'll leverage your activation expertise while influencing broader strategic decisions that improve performance and maximize client media investments.
What You'll Do
- Develop activation strategies aligned to client business goals by leveraging advanced audience techniques (including 1P, 3P, LAL, propensity modeling, etc.), targeting based on contextual signals, campaign optimization, and measurement feedback.
- Partner with media investment and activation teams across Programmatic, Social, Retail Media, CTV, Search, and emerging channels.
- Create testing, measurement, and optimization frameworks to improve campaign performance.
- Translate insights into actionable recommendations that drive business results.
- Evaluate new platform capabilities, technologies, and activation approaches.
- Serve as a strategic advisor to internal stakeholders and client teams.
What We're Looking For
- 8+ years of experience in media activation, media investment, performance marketing, or digital media strategy.
- Deep expertise in one or more activation channels, including Programmatic, Social, Search, Retail Media, or CTV.
- Experience with leading ad platforms and activation technologies.
- Strong understanding of measurement, attribution, testing, and optimization.
- Experience leveraging audience, CRM, and first-party data to inform activation strategies.
- Ability to connect media performance to business outcomes.
- Strong stakeholder management, communication, and leadership skills.
Why This Role?
This is an opportunity for a strong activation leader to move beyond campaign execution and play a key role in shaping activation strategy, media performance, and growth for leading global brands.
At dentsu, we believe great work happens when we’re connected. Our way of working combines flexibility with in-person collaboration to spark ideas and strengthen our teams. Employees who live within a commutable distance of one of our hub offices, currently located in Chicago, metro Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York City, are required and expected to work from the office three days per week (two days per week for employees based in Los Angeles). Dentsu may designate other Hub offices at any time. Those who live outside a commutable range may be designated as remote, depending on the role and business needs. Regardless of your work location, we expect our employees to be flexible to meet the needs of our Company and clients, which may include attendance in an office.
The annual salary range for this position is $136,850 - $170,000. Placement within the salary range is based on a variety of factors, including relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and other factors permitted by law.
Benefits available with this position include:
• Medical, vision, and dental insurance,
• Life insurance,
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance,
• 401k,
• Flexible paid time off,
• At least 15 paid holidays per year,
• Paid sick and safe leave, and
• Paid parental leave.
Dentsu also complies with applicable state and local laws regarding employee leave benefits, including, but not limited to providing time off pursuant to the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, in accordance with its plans and policies. For further details regarding Dentsu benefits, please visit www.dentsubenefitsplus.com.
To begin the application process, please click on the “Apply” button at the top of this job posting. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, and qualified candidates will be contacted for next steps.
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Location:
New YorkBrand:
AmplifiTime Type:
Full timeContract Type:
PermanentDentsu is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees. We do this without regard to race, color, national origin, sex , sexual orientation, gender identity, age, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital status, political affiliation, religious practices and observances, citizenship status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.
Dentsu is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to, among others, individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans. If you need an accommodation because of a disability to search and apply for a career opportunity with us, please send an e-mail to [email protected] by clicking on the link to let us know the nature of your accommodation request and your contact information. We are here to support you.
Skills Required
- Deep expertise in audience targeting, segmentation, and activation
- Strong understanding of identity resolution and audience data ecosystems
- Hands-on experience with paid media platforms (Google, Meta, TikTok), programmatic DSPs, retail media, and CTV
- Knowledge of first-party data, third-party audiences, CRM data, and identity-based targeting
- Experience measuring audience performance and translating insights into recommendations
- Ability to connect audience strategy with measurable business outcomes
- Experience leading testing, measurement, and optimization efforts for audience strategies
- Collaborative, consultative approach to partnering with cross-functional stakeholders
- Located within commuting distance of New York City and able to work onsite as required (hybrid role)
- Backgrounds in Audience Strategy, Data & Identity Solutions, Programmatic Media, Retail Media Networks, AdTech/MarTech, or Advanced Analytics & Activation (preferred)
dentsu Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about dentsu and has not been reviewed or approved by dentsu.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave at full pay and caregiver supports (including backup care) are emphasized as standout elements. Feedback suggests family-oriented benefits are a strong part of the package.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Flexible or unlimited PTO, extensive paid holidays, and a year-end office closure are established components. Feedback suggests time-off policies are generous and add meaningful flexibility.
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Retirement Support — A large, established 401(k) plan with employer matching is clearly documented. Feedback suggests retirement benefits feel competitive and straightforward.
dentsu Insights
What We Do
We are dentsu. We team together to help brands predict and plan for disruptive future opportunities and create new paths to growth in the sustainable economy. We know people better than anyone else and we use those insights to connect brand, content, commerce and experience, underpinned by modern creativity. We are the network designed for what’s next
