Associate Director, Data Strategy - Media Agency

A standout opportunity to lead data strategy for one of the UK’s best-known health, beauty and wellness retailers.

This is a genuinely data-rich account where the client embraces innovation, invests in testing and wants data to sit at the heart of its marketing. You will turn complex audience and performance data into practical strategies, lead high-impact technology projects and help shape how AI, data partnerships and privacy-first planning are applied across the business.

Candidates should have Experience in a data-led media, advertising technology or digital activation role, with strong knowledge of audience-based buying, segmentation and audience data management.

Company and benefits

• Join the growing data, technology and analytics division of a major global media network.
• Work with a leading UK retailer that values innovation, collaboration and ambitious thinking.
• Join a team that has doubled in size over the past year as its client remit continues to expand.
• Access advanced data platforms, analytical tools and a global community of data scientists and specialists.
• Lead strategic projects beyond day-to-day campaign delivery.
• Build experience across audience strategy, AI, data partnerships, experimentation and governance.
• Benefit from extensive training, development and clear progression opportunities.
• Work within a collaborative agency and client partnership where successful work is recognised and celebrated.

Role and responsibilities

• Transform customer and media data into actionable strategies that improve marketing performance.
• Develop audience-led planning and bidding recommendations across addressable paid media channels.
• Identify new audience signals, datasets and data products that can support the client’s commercial goals.
• Lead testing programmes and work with activation teams to develop robust measurement methodologies.
• Own strategic data partnership projects, ensuring external data is integrated and used effectively.
• Help define valuable applications for agentic AI across the wider data and analytics team.
• Work closely with media, MarTech, CRM, analytics and activation specialists.
• Translate between technical and non-technical stakeholders, keeping projects aligned with client objectives.
• Produce client-facing case studies and share successful innovation across the wider business.
• Manage the approval and governance process for new data partners within a privacy-sensitive environment.

Skills and experience required

• Experience in a data-led media, advertising technology or digital activation role.
• Strong knowledge of audience-based buying, segmentation and audience data management.
• Experience using data to develop actionable campaign, targeting or bidding recommendations.
• Confidence managing senior clients and multiple stakeholders within a matrixed environment.
• Strong analytical ability, including interpreting raw data and turning it into clear recommendations.
• An understanding of data products, marketing technology and emerging AI applications.
• Knowledge of experimentation and test-and-learn methodologies.
• A solid understanding of privacy-first media, data governance and responsible data use.
• Excellent communication, presentation and relationship-building skills.
• Retail, health, beauty or other data-rich consumer-sector experience would be advantageous.