Senior Director, Connections & Media - Coca-Cola TM Category Lead

Hybrid working arrangement - 3 days/week in-office; 2 days remote 

The Coca-Cola Company is continuing to transform our media approach and capabilities with the changing media landscape. We are currently seeking a dynamic and experienced Senior Director I, Connections & Media to oversee end-to-end media planning, investment, and activation across paid, earned, owned, and shared channels, in close partnership with Brand, IMX, and FLM/Commercial teams for the Coca-Cola TM Soda Brands.    

The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of modern holistic media planning with an emphasis on digital marketing transformation, audience segmentation, and media execution.  This leader manages an internal media team of 6 and external agency partners to achieve excellence in execution and driving innovation.  Critically, the Sr. Director I embeds robust measurement and analytics in all plans to optimize performance and clearly demonstrate media’s impact on revenue growth, brand equity, and consumer engagement. 

Key focus areas include: Holistic Media Planning, Advanced Media Expertise to advise and influence investments to drive ROI, team leadership, agency leadership, 1/2/3 party data expertise and governance, measurement & analytics, brand safety and governance, and enablement via technology. 

What You'll Do for Us: 

 KEY WORKING PARAMETERS  

Focus, Scope, & Impact:  

• Holistic Media Strategy & Planning: Lead the development of holistic omni-channel media strategies that align with brand marketing objectives and commercial goals. Ensure each plan is audience-centric and platform-specific, building best-in-class connection plans across paid, earned, owned and shared channels. Balance upper-funnel brand-building tactics with lower-funnel commerce and conversion-driving tactics in a cohesive plan. Deliver holistic media strategy & investment cross-select category + prioritized brands within the North America Operating Unit (NAOU) - inclusive of national and local geographic extensions.    

• Media Investment & Activation Oversight: Oversee the end-to-end media buying and activation process across all channels, ensuring efficient investment and high-impact execution for the category. Lead the development of media budget allocation and channel mix recommendations, guided by data and past performance. Direct media investment strategy and negotiations – including emerging areas like retail media networks and shoppable media – working closely with media agencies and vendors to secure optimal deals and value-added opportunities. Manage day-to-day execution through agency partners, ensuring campaigns launch on time and deliver against KPIs. Continuously monitor in-flight media performance and adjust tactics or spend as needed to maximize ROI and yield. 

• Data-Driven Audience Planning & Insights: Leverage business and consumer data to inform smarter media planning and audience targeting. Work with Analytics and Data Science teams to interpret customer insights, purchase behavior, and segmentation studies, shaping audience strategies that pinpoint who we should engage, when, and on which platforms. Apply advanced analytics (such as look-alike modeling, propensity scoring, or using our first-party data and unified data platform) to refine targeting and personalize messaging across media channels. Ensure media plans are built on clear data-driven insights – for example, identifying high-value consumer cohorts for a brand and aligning media touchpoints to their path-to-purchase. Use these insights to brief agencies on targeting parameters and to challenge old assumptions (e.g., testing new channels or formats for harder-to-reach audiences). 

• Measurement & Analytics Integration: Embed measurement and analytics into every media initiative to track performance and inform optimization. Partner with the Marketing Analytics/Insights team to utilize tools like marketing mix modeling (MMM), multi-touch attribution, brand lift studies, and competitive spend analysis, in order to gauge program impact across revenue, brand equity, and shopper engagement. Set clear KPIs and success metrics for each campaign upfront (e.g., ROAS, incremental sales lift, brand health metrics) and ensure the appropriate tracking is in place. Post-campaign, lead rigorous analyses and post-mortems – assessing results versus targets, understanding drivers of success or shortfall, and extracting learnings. Incorporate learnings into future planning cycles, creating a continuous improvement loop. If a campaign under-delivers, pinpoint whether it was strategy, creative, or execution, and recommend data-backed adjustments moving forward. 

• Cross-Functional Alignment & Integration: Serve as the primary bridge between the media function and other teams (Brand Marketing, IMX, Creative Content, Commercial/Shopper Marketing, etc.) to ensure media strategies are fully integrated into broader marketing plans. Participate in brand and campaign planning meetings to represent media opportunities and constraints, helping shape briefs and creative ideas that will work across different channels. Translate business objectives and marketing priorities into actionable media briefs for the team and agencies – for example, if a brand’s goal is to drive trial among a new demographic, translate that into an audience-first media approach with specific channel tactics. Communicate complex media concepts and consumer behavior trends in simple, actionable terms for non-media stakeholders, so everyone understands the “why” behind the media plan. Maintain a tight feedback loop during campaign execution: update cross-functional partners on media performance and optimizations, and ensure any changes in business context (like a shift in budget or a new promotion) are quickly reflected in media activities. 

• Agency & Partner Management: Oversee relationships with external media agencies and media platform partners to ensure executional excellence and accountability. Provide clear direction to agency teams (e.g., briefing them on strategy, target outcomes, and guidelines), and maintain regular check-ins to monitor progress and address issues. Hold agencies to high standards in media planning rigor, creativity in approach, and operational efficiency. Facilitate collaboration between the agency and internal creative/content teams so that media and creative work in tandem (e.g., ensuring ad formats and content are optimized for each platform).  

• Innovation in Media Activation: Drive a culture of innovation in how we plan and execute media. Constantly scout and evaluate emerging media platforms, technologies, and partnership opportunities that could give our brands a competitive edge (for example, new social media formats, advanced programmatic solutions, or interactive commerce integrations). Champion the testing and adoption of AI-powered tools for media targeting and optimization – e.g., AI algorithms for dynamic budget allocation or personalization at scale – to keep our media approach cutting-edge and efficient.  By pushing boundaries, ensure that Coca-Cola NAOU remains a leader in omni-channel media and doesn’t just follow industry best practices but helps define them. 

• Team Leadership & Development: Build and lead a high-performing media team (4-6 direct reports) that spans strategy, planning, and activation roles. Provide strong mentorship, clear direction, and constructive feedback to direct reports, fostering growth and expertise in areas like channel strategy, negotiation, and analytics. Set and communicate clear performance expectations, and empower the team to take ownership of their areas (for instance, giving channel leads autonomy to deeply manage their domain while ensuring they align with the overall strategy). Encourage a culture of collaboration, agility, and continuous learning on the team – for example, instituting regular knowledge-sharing sessions on new media trends or post-campaign learnings. Lead by example in embodying the company’s leadership behaviors and values, and recognize and celebrate team successes to maintain high engagement and morale. 

Qualifications & Requirements 

· Education: Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Business or a related field required.  

• Experience: 12+ years of progressive experience in media strategy, media planning/buying, brand marketing, or digital commerce. Proven track record of translating marketing objectives into effective media strategies and delivering measurable results at scale. Experience should include leadership roles managing omni-channel media campaigns (across traditional, digital, and emerging channels) and working on high-profile brand initiatives. Prior experience driving or contributing to a transformation in media approach (e.g., integrating new channels, building a data-driven planning process, or leading a major agency transition) is highly valuable. 

• Media & Channel Expertise: Deep expertise in omni-channel media planning and activation, including traditional advertising (TV, radio, OOH, print), digital and social media, and retail/commerce media. Familiarity with the nuances of each channel and how they work together in a modern marketing mix is essential. Strong knowledge of retail media networks and shoppable media is required – understands how to partner with retailers’ media platforms and how to link media to e-commerce or in-store outcomes. Skilled in audience strategy and media targeting techniques (e.g., programmatic buying, look-alike targeting, contextual targeting) to reach the right consumers. Up-to-date on current media landscape trends – from the latest social media features to changes in consumer media consumption – and able to quickly assess their relevance to our business. 

• Data & Analytics Savvy: Solid understanding of marketing analytics, measurement techniques, and the use of data to drive decisions. Comfortable working with analytics partners and tools to interpret marketing mix models, attribution reports, and research data. Able to translate data insights into actionable media optimizations (for example, reallocating budget based on ROI insights or tweaking frequency based on brand lift findings). Experience leveraging consumer data and MarTech/AdTech (DMPs, DSPs, CDPs) to inform media planning and personalization. Enthusiasm for technology and AI applications in media – while hands-on coding isn’t required, the ability to conceptualize how AI and automation can improve media efficiency or targeting is important. 

• Leadership & Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to lead teams and influence cross-functional stakeholders. Experience managing internal teams (including hiring, developing talent, and managing performance) as well as leading agency teams or external partners. Exceptional collaboration skills – able to work seamlessly with colleagues in brand management, creative, strategy, customer/commercial, and analytics. Proven success in driving cross-functional alignment: effectively gains buy-in for media strategies and navigates complex organizational dynamics to keep initiatives moving forward. An inspirational leader with a bias for action and a strategic mindset, who can both craft a vision and roll up their sleeves to ensure its execution. 

• Communication & Project Management: Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal. Capable of articulating media strategies and results in a clear, compelling manner to senior leadership and non-media audiences – simplifying technical concepts without losing meaning. Strong storyteller when it comes to showcasing how media efforts tie to business outcomes, instilling confidence and understanding in stakeholders. Outstanding project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple campaigns and deadlines concurrently. Comfortable in a fast-paced environment, with a hands-on, solution-oriented approach to addressing challenges and opportunities. 

• Innovative Mindset: Passion for staying ahead of the curve in media and marketing. A creative thinker who is always looking for new and better ways to engage consumers – from testing novel platforms to experimenting with content and engagement strategies. Willingness to take calculated risks, champion new ideas, and foster a test-and-learn mentality within the team. A strong sense of curiosity about evolving consumer behavior, media tech innovations, and industry best practices, combined with the judgement to discern which innovations will drive real business value for Coca-Cola NAOU.