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Media Strategy Director

dentsu

Amsterdam
Full-time, Temporary
5-10 years experience
On-site

Key Skills

Media Strategy
Digital Media
Stakeholder Management
Agency Management
Media Planning
Data Analytics
Performance Optimization
Strategic Partnerships
Governance
Capability Building
Project Leadership
Communication
Cross-functional Collaboration
Media Transformation
Marketing Strategy

Job Description

Job Description:

The Global Media Director will play a critical role in accelerating media transformation and driving media excellence across global and local markets. This role will lead strategic partnerships with key media platforms and agency partners, shape global media best practices, and enable operational excellence through governance, capability building, and performance-led planning.


The successful candidate will combine strategic thinking, strong stakeholder influence, and deep media expertise to help embed a future-fit media operating model that delivers growth, effectiveness, and innovation across the business.


*This is a 6 month contract role with the possibility to lead to permanent for the right candidate


Key Responsibilities:


Global Media Transformation & Operating Model


  • Support the delivery of the evolving global media operating model and transformation agenda, including ATL2.0 and AP27 planning priorities.
  • Drive alignment between global, regional, and local market media ways of working.
  • Lead cross-functional collaboration to ensure media strategy supports broader brand and commerce objectives.

Strategic Media Partnerships


  • Lead and strengthen Joint Business Partnerships (JBPs) with key global media partners including Meta, Google, and Teads, in partnership with agency teams.
  • Identify opportunities to unlock innovation, added value, learning, and competitive advantage through strategic partnerships.
  • Oversee investment forecasting, tracking, and performance optimisation through research, testing, and data-led planning.

Media Excellence & Capability Building


  • Develop and embed global media best practice frameworks, governance standards, playbooks, and training materials.
  • Lead the global media learning agenda to strengthen capability across markets.
  • Partner with local OpCo teams to drive implementation and adoption of media fundamentals and best practices.
  • Act as a key point of contact and advisor for Media Council OpCos.

Global Media Community Leadership


  • Build strong relationships with local and regional media stakeholders to understand market nuances and priorities.
  • Curate and lead global media community forums, inspiration sessions, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
  • Foster collaboration and connectivity across the global media network.

Agency Management & Governance


  • Partner with the global media agency network to drive consistency, quality, and effectiveness.
  • Work closely with Global Procurement on agency governance, including audits, PRIP processes, and Statements of Work (SOWs).
  • Embed best practice operating models and ways of working across agency partners.

Team Leadership


  • Provide coaching, development, and leadership support to direct reports and wider media community members.
  • Contribute to building a high-performing, collaborative, and future-focused media culture.

Experience & Qualifications


  • Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Advertising, Communications, Business, or related field.
  • 8+ years’ experience in media, marketing, or communications roles, either client-side or agency-side.
  • Strong experience within FMCG, consumer goods, lifestyle, or global brand-led organisations preferred.
  • Experience operating within international or matrixed organisations.

Skills & Expertise


Media & Digital Expertise


  • Strong understanding of media planning across global, regional, and/or local markets.
  • Deep knowledge of digital media ecosystems and leading global platforms including Meta and Google.
  • Experience using data, analytics, and measurement frameworks to drive media effectiveness and optimisation.
  • Understanding of media governance, agency management, and operational best practices.

Stakeholder & Leadership Capability


  • Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills across multiple levels and functions.
  • Ability to navigate complexity and drive alignment across diverse global markets.
  • Excellent communication and presentation skills.
  • Strong project leadership and execution capabilities.

Personal Attributes


  • Strategic thinker with a proactive, self-starting mindset.
  • Agile, adaptable, and comfortable operating in fast-changing environments.
  • Collaborative and relationship-oriented, with the ability to influence without authority.
  • Passionate about media innovation, capability building, and continuous improvement.

Location:

Amsterdam

Brand:

Time Type:

Full time

Contract Type:

Fixed Term Contract (Fixed Term)

Core Responsibilities

The Global Media Director will lead media transformation and strategic partnerships to drive global media excellence and operational efficiency. This role involves managing agency relationships, overseeing investment performance, and fostering collaboration across global and local markets.

Requirements

Candidates must have at least 8 years of experience in media, marketing, or communications within global or matrixed organizations. A bachelor's degree in a relevant field is required, along with deep expertise in digital media ecosystems and stakeholder management.

About dentsu

Industry: Business Consulting and Services

Company size: 10,001+ employees

Merkle, a dentsu company, powers the experience economy. For more than 35 years, the company has put people at the heart of its approach to digital business transformation. As the only integrated experience consultancy in the world with a heritage in data science and business performance, Merkle delivers holistic, end-to-end experiences that drive growth, engagement, and loyalty. Merkle’s expertise has earned recognition as a “Leader” by top industry analyst firms, in categories such as digital transformation and commerce, experience design, engineering and technology integration, digital marketing, data science, CRM and loyalty, and customer data management. With more than 16,000 employees, Merkle operates in 30+ countries throughout the Americas, EMEA, and APAC.

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