Who We Are
VML is a global creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce to create connected brands that drive growth. Guided by a Human First philosophy, VML is known for its innovative work for brands and consistently ranks among the world’s leading creative companies, including the WARC Creative 100. VML’s global network spans 55+ markets with principal offices in Buenos Aires, Kansas City, London, New York, São Paulo, Shanghai and Singapore.
VML is part of WPP, the trusted growth partner for the world's leading brands. Powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform WPP Open, WPP unites cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, creativity, production, enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel.
For more information, please visit www.vml.com and follow along on LinkedIn #WeAreVML.
About the Role
The Director, Digital Shelf (Walmart Retail Analytics & Platform Solutions) is a senior, client-facing leader accountable for diagnosing the root causes of client performance on Walmart's digital shelf and turning those diagnoses into prioritized, actionable growth plans. Combining quantitative rigor with qualitative judgment, this leader determines where a client's catalog and items are winning or losing at shelf, and why, then clearly communicates the opportunities, gaps, and recommended actions needed to improve discoverability, conversion, availability, and sales across Walmart's omnichannel ecosystem.
This role is VML's senior authority on Walmart Scintilla (formerly Walmart Luminate), Supplier One, Retail Link, and Walmart Connect Insights Activation, and brings Director-level experience and know-how within the Walmart commerce space. The Director goes beyond reporting what happened to explain why it happened, integrating transaction-level shopper data, catalog and inventory health, content quality, Digital Shelf execution, and retail media performance to pinpoint root causes. They act as cross-functional leadership for Digital Shelf across both Internal and Client teams, ensuring every insight translates into an owned action and a measurable result.
This role owns Walmart merchant readiness for Client teams, shaping the insights and narrative behind joint business plans, line reviews, and business reviews, and sets the standard for how VML diagnoses, communicates, and acts on Digital Shelf performance. They build and scale playbooks, diagnostic frameworks, and platform expertise that make root cause analysis and insight-led action repeatable across VML's Digital Shelf and Commerce Connections practice.
What you'll do
Walmart Systems, Root Cause Analysis & Insight Leadership
- Lead Digital Shelf root cause analysis for Client catalogs and items, combining quantitative data (sales, traffic, conversion, in-stock, search rank, and content scores) with qualitative assessment (content and imagery quality, ratings and review themes, competitive positioning, and shopper experience) to determine why items are over- or under-performing at shelf.
- Serve as VML's senior analytical and platform expert across Walmart Scintilla (Channel Performance, Shopper Behavior, Customer Perception, and Scintilla In-Store), Supplier One, Retail Link (DSS), and Walmart Connect, setting the direction for how client teams use these platforms to diagnose performance and act on insights.
- Direct deep-dive analysis across omnichannel POS sales, store and eCommerce fulfillment velocity (Pickup/OPD, Delivery, Shipping), rest-of-basket trends, shopper switching and walk rates, trial and repeat, loyalty metrics, and price or promotional elasticity to isolate the drivers of share gain or loss and size the revenue opportunity behind each.
- Connect Supplier One operational metrics (item setup, content quality scores, in-stock rates, OTIF, inventory health, and buy-box performance) with Scintilla commercial data and Digital Shelf KPIs (organic search share of voice, discoverability, ratings and reviews, and conversion rate) to pinpoint whether performance gaps stem from content, availability, pricing, search, or media, crafting and prioritizing actionable recommendations that will result in the greatest business impact.
- Lead Scintilla Insights Activation for Walmart Connect, translating first-party shopper behavior and category insights into targeted retail media audiences, closed-loop attribution analysis, and full-funnel ROAS optimization that drives incremental sales.
- Leverage AI-enabled retail analytics tools, including Marty for Scintilla and WPP Open, to accelerate anomaly detection, out-of-stock risk identification, and demand forecasting, enabling earlier intervention before issues impact sales.
Client Leadership & Walmart Retailer Strategy
- Act as a trusted senior advisor to client stakeholders, clearly communicating catalog- and item-level opportunities, gaps, risks, and recommended actions in a way that drives decisions and secures buy-in.
- Lead the development of data models, scorecards, and insight-driven narratives for Walmart joint business planning (JBP), line reviews, quarterly business reviews (QBRs), and seasonal assortment planning, positioning clients to strengthen merchant relationships and win shelf space.
- Integrate first-party Walmart data with syndicated market data (Circana, NielsenIQ, Numerator) and Digital Shelf intelligence platforms (Profitero, Stackline, Pacvue, Crisp) to diagnose category performance, benchmark against competitors, and uncover prioritized growth opportunities.
- Translate complex retail datasets and platform changes into clear, prioritized action plans with defined owners, expected impact, and success measures tracked from execution to results.
Cross-Functional Leadership
- Lead and align cross-functional partners across Discoverability & Connections, Retail Media, Analytics, Strategy, Product, Technology, and Delivery teams so insights translate into coordinated execution.
- Bridge data and execution by converting Scintilla and Supplier One findings into actionable briefs for content optimization, catalog health improvements, supply chain adjustments, and paid media campaigns, providing measurable findings and impacts that can be linked to these efforts.
- Define requirements for and oversee automated client dashboards (Power BI, Tableau, Looker, or advanced Excel) and standardized cross-retailer reporting templates in partnership with the Analytics and BI teams, ensuring reporting surfaces actionable insights rather than data alone.
- Proactively share Walmart insights, platform changes, and their operational implications across Commerce Connections so integrated teams can anticipate and respond to shifts.
Platform & Analytics Enablement
- Develop and maintain Walmart Scintilla and Supplier One best practices, standard operating procedures, root cause diagnostic frameworks, and checklists to standardize how VML identifies and resolves performance issues at shelf.
- Develop and lead internal training, platform guides, and enablement programs that raise organizational fluency in Walmart data, root cause analysis, and Digital Shelf operations.
- Establish, with Digital Shelf and Analytics leadership, repeatable reporting frameworks and scalable diagnostic approaches that improve speed-to-insight and consistency across client accounts.
- Shape capability development and service innovation by identifying new Walmart platform and data opportunities that expand VML's commerce offering.
Capability Development
- Drive the evolution of VML's Digital Shelf and Retail Analytics capabilities by tracking developments across Walmart Data Ventures and emerging commerce platforms and translating them into new offerings and approaches.
- Identify and implement improvements to analytical efficiency, reporting accuracy, and operational workflows across client engagements.
- Mentor and develop team members in Scintilla, Supplier One, retailer operations, root cause analysis, and insight storytelling.
- Model and foster a collaborative team culture grounded in Curiosity, Candor, and Connection.
Who you are
- Walmart Scintilla & Platform Expert: Brings deep, proven expertise across Walmart Scintilla, Supplier One, Retail Link, and Walmart Connect and is recognized by clients and internal teams as the go-to authority for maximizing platform and data value.
- Root Cause Diagnostician: Combines quantitative rigor with qualitative judgment to move beyond what happened to why, isolating the true drivers of item and catalog performance across content, availability, pricing, search, and media.
- Insight-to-Action Leader: Leverages insights to build clear, prioritized recommendations, communicates opportunities and gaps with confidence to senior client and Walmart stakeholders, and drives them through to measurable outcomes.
- Retail First: Approaches business challenges through the practical realities of Walmart merchants, buyers, store and digital operations, platform compliance, and omnichannel shopper behavior.
- Cross-Functional Leader: Aligns Digital Shelf, Retail Media, Strategy, Content, Operations, Technology, Analytics, and Client teams around shared priorities so insights translate into coordinated execution.
- Capability Builder: Creates and scales analytical playbooks, root cause diagnostic frameworks, and platform knowledge that strengthen Commerce Connections and improve client outcomes.
- Continuous Learner: Stays ahead of Walmart Scintilla releases, Supplier One enhancements, AI and automation tools (Marty for Scintilla, WPP Open), and emerging commerce technologies, and translates them into new ways of working.
What you bring
Experience
- 8+ years of experience in retail analytics, Digital Shelf management, Walmart platform operations, shopper insights, CPG category management, eCommerce analytics, or agency commerce roles, including Associate Director or Director-level experience leading client engagements and analytical work in the commerce space.
- Deep, hands-on expertise within Walmart Scintilla (formerly Walmart Luminate) across Channel Performance, Shopper Behavior, and Customer Perception, as well as Walmart Supplier One and Retail Link (DSS).
- Proven track record of conducting quantitative and qualitative root cause analysis across POS, inventory, shopper behavior, content, and Digital Shelf datasets, and turning findings into recommendations that drove measurable business results.
- Experience leading Walmart retailer engagements, including merchant reporting, Line Reviews, Joint Business Planning (JBP), and Digital Shelf performance optimization, with direct exposure to senior client and merchant stakeholders.
- Strong working knowledge of syndicated data sources (Circana, NielsenIQ, Numerator) and Digital Shelf analytics tools (Profitero, Stackline, Pacvue, Crisp, CommerceIQ).
- Proficiency in BI and data analysis tools (advanced Excel modeling, Power BI, Tableau, or Looker; SQL proficiency is a strong plus).
- Demonstrated ability to lead and influence cross-functional teams across Digital Shelf, Analytics, Retail Media, Strategy, Technology, and Client teams, and to mentor and develop team members.
- Exceptional communication skills, with experience presenting insights, opportunities, and gaps to senior client leadership in a clear, compelling, and action-oriented way.
Skills
- Quantitative and qualitative root cause analysis for catalog and item performance at shelf
- Insight leverage: translating findings into prioritized opportunities, gaps, and actions
- Walmart Scintilla (Luminate) analytics and Insights Activation
- Walmart Supplier One and Retail Link (DSS)
- Digital Shelf operations, discoverability, and item health
- Quantitative retail, POS, inventory, and shopper behavior analysis
- Walmart retailer operations and merchant storytelling (JBP and Line Reviews)
- BI reporting, dashboarding, and data analysis (Excel, Power BI, Tableau, SQL)
- Syndicated and Digital Shelf data integration (Circana, NIQ, Profitero, Stackline)
- Executive-level client communication, insight storytelling, and presentation skills
- Cross-functional leadership, team mentorship, and project execution
- AI productivity and analytics tools (Marty for Scintilla, WPP Open)
The base salary range for this position at the time of this posting is indicated below. Individual compensation varies based on job-related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications. We offer a competitive benefits package, click WPP Benefits for more details.
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$75,000 - $180,000 USD
We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.
WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.
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