Retail Media Manager, Central Life Sciences

Description

Central Garden & Pet is hiring a Retail Media Manager to own retail media across our CLS eCommerce businesses. Our brands lead categories we have spent decades building, and this role keeps those positions strong while helping to take digital share. The right candidate will understand which keywords, intent phrases, terms, categories, and items are worth defending, where a share position is winnable, and how to execute appropriately and efficiently in the retail media landscape. The work spans four connected areas: the brand storefront experience across our retailers, the working relationship with each retailer’s media organization, the sponsored and programmatic campaigns that drive discovery and conversion, and agency partners.

You will report to the Sr. Director of eCommerce, CLS. Expect roughly a 40/60 split between strategy and hands-on execution. You will both build the annual plan and strategy, and be in the ad consoles, in the retailer portals, and on the weekly agency call. This position will based in our Phoenix, AZ corporate office. We operate in a hybrid work environment with four (4) in-office days per week to support greater collaboration, learning, and team connection.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Own sponsored advertising and programmatic display across Amazon, Chewy, Walmart, and other platforms from campaign architecture through daily optimization, including DSP and the measurement tooling behind it. Build campaign structures that reflect how each platform actually works, including subscription and repeat-purchase behavior.
• Build the media plan for every new item launch, coordinated with brand, sales, and supply chain, to confirm retail readiness.
• Identify the keywords, intent phrases, categories, and hero items where we hold a leadership position, and efficiently execute them. Manage keyword and audience strategy against organic rank and share of voice.
• Find where a share position is winnable, size the investment required, and make the case for it.
• Own the brand storefront across each retailer. Build the digital merchandising calendar, brief the digital ad creative, and measure storefront traffic, engagement, and conversion.
• Own the working relationship with each retailer’s media organization. Stay current on capabilities, beta programs, and platform releases, and bring those back as concrete recommendations.
• Evaluate and negotiate retailer media programs, event packages, and seasonal sponsorships against a consistent standard, and bring a clear recommendation on what to buy, what to skip, and why. Represent retail media in customer joint business planning and quarterly business reviews.
• Own onsite and offsite retail media across our omnichannel partners, including Walmart and Tractor Supply. In these accounts a click can end in a store, so build and measure against total account performance and loyalty audiences rather than dot-com sales alone.
• Own the business relationship with retail media agency partners: scope, ways of working, and performance accountability. Set performance briefs, review pacing, QA campaign builds, and drive the weekly in-flight optimization decisions.
• Own the annual retail media budget: allocation across retailers, tactics, and funnel stages, monthly pacing, billing, and accrual reconciliation with Finance.
• Run a structured test-and-learn agenda, including incrementality testing, and retire tactics that do not earn their place.
• Report performance against market share, ROAS, TACOS, new-to-brand percentage, conversion rate, share of voice, and other relevant metrics, and build the monthly and quarterly narrative for CLS and eCommerce leadership.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• Market share is defended in the categories where we lead and growing in the categories we have targeted, with media’s contribution to each isolated and evidenced.
• Retail media investment delivers against ROAS, TACOS, and contribution margin targets, with the trade-offs behind each allocation clearly reasoned.
• New item launches go live with media, storefront, content, and inventory ready at the same time, not sequentially.
• Agency partners operate against clear briefs and measurable targets, and performance is visible weekly rather than quarterly.
• Spend pacing is predictable and accruals reconcile cleanly with Finance.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• 4 years of retail media, eCommerce marketing, or digital advertising experience, with at least 3 years hands-on in retailer ad platforms.
• Direct, hands-on ownership of Amazon Advertising (Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Display) and at least one additional retail media network at scale.
• Experience owning a retail media budget, including allocation, pacing, and reconciliation.
• Demonstrated ability to connect media investment to category and market share outcomes and to campaign efficiency metrics.
• Demonstrated experience managing agency or vendor partners against defined performance targets.
• Fluency in retail media measurement: ROAS, TACOS, new-to-brand, conversion rate, and the limits of last-click attribution.
• Strong analytical ability and the communication skills to turn campaign data into an actionable recommendation.

Preferred

• Hands-on Amazon DSP experience and familiarity with Amazon Marketing Cloud.
• Experience across a mix of pure play and omnichannel retail media networks.
• Brand storefront ownership on any major retailer.
• Experience with share measurement and syndicated category data.
• Campaign management or digital shelf tooling such as Pacvue, Skai, Stackline, Profitero, or Salsify (exact toolset not required).
• Experience advertising regulated products, including EPA and FDA-registered categories.
• Equine, animal health, pet, or professional pest and vector control category experience.
• CPG, consumer durables, or retail background.
• Bachelor’s degree in a business or marketing discipline.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Comfortable, corporate office environment; frequent use of phone and PC; required business travel approximately 10-15%, primarily overnight, for retailer media meetings, customer planning sessions, and category events.

BENEFITS PACKAGE & EMPLOYEE PROGRAMS 

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Free Life and Disability Insurance
• Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
• 401k with 3% company match and annual employer discretionary contribution
• Paid vacation, holidays and sick time
• Employee Assistance Program
• Access to thousands of free online courses
• Discounts on cell phones, movie tickets, gym memberships, and more!
• Education Assistance (both college degrees and professional certifications)
• Referral Program with cash bonus
• Access to on-demand pay
• Paid parental leave

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT) (NASDAQ: CENTA) is a leading consumer goods company in the pet and garden industries. Guided by the belief that home is central to life, the Company's purpose is to proudly nurture happy and healthy homes. For over 45 years, its innovative and trusted solutions have helped lawns grow greener, gardens bloom bigger, pets live healthier, and communities grow stronger. Central is home to a diversified portfolio of market-leading brands including Amdro®, Aqueon®, Best Bully Sticks®, Cadet®, C&S®, Farnam®, Ferry-Morse®, Kaytee®, Nylabone®, Pennington®, Sevin® and Zoёcon®. With fiscal 2025 net sales of $3.1 billion, Central has strong manufacturing and logistics capabilities supported by a passionate, entrepreneurial growth culture. The Company is headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, and employs over 6,000 people, primarily across North America. Visit www.central.com to learn more.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law.

#LI-CM1