Company Overview 

Grainger is a broad line, business-to-business distributor of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) supplies and other related products and services. More than 3.2 million businesses and institutions worldwide rely on Grainger for products such as safety gloves, ladders, motors and janitorial supplies, along with services like inventory management and technical support. These customers represent a broad collection of industries including commercial, government, healthcare and manufacturing. They place orders online, on mobile devices, through sales representatives, over the phone and at local branches. Approximately 5,000 suppliers provide Grainger with more than 1.6 million products stocked in Grainger’s distribution centers and branches worldwide.

Position Description 

Leads the Strategic direction and Media planning for Grainger to deliver the appropriate brand equity and behavior metrics.  Directs Manages all day to day interactions with internal and external agencies and stakeholders to ensure dates and budget are met.  Partners with Corporate Research Team and other internal/external resources to develop an on-going customer and competitive research insights that keeps Grainger at the forefront of marketplace understanding.  Proactively develops opportunities for Mass Media programs on a moving forward based on Marketing Goals and strategies.

• Partners with key stakeholders including Customer teams, and Agencies to build an ongoing relationship with customers.
• Strong advocate for the channel with leaders in Marketing, and Large/Medium Customer groups.
• Manages a budget of $10-20M which will increase with strong results.
• Manages the Media agencies, ensuring their activities bring added value to Grainger’s Branding and advertising program.
• Leverages the agency and sponsorship partner talents, tools, processes and insight to drive more effective and efficient communication and relevance to key customer segments.
• Manages all program executions with Agencies, Sponsors, Partners to ensure media plan is executed flawlessly.
• Optimize media channel including radio, TV, digital, out of home, etc.
• Works with Marketing Communication, Marketing Strategy, Brand, Creative and Customer team to ensure that their respective messaging efforts complement and align in the sponsorships and events. 

• Provides overall leadership of all participants on a given program. Acts as frontline contact with the program sponsor(s) on project related issues, responding to concerns with clear and concise feedback.
• Directs the determination of program scope, resource requirements, skill requirements, project milestones, budgets, and risks to improve Marketing effectiveness.
• Monitors and documents program status; anticipates problems and resolves them or escalates them to the appropriate level of management for resolution in order to ensure proper program completion within schedule and budget constraints.
• Participates in the business case process for new opportunities in media to ensure re they align to customer strategies & objectives

Position Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Advertising or Marketing. MBA preferred.
  
• 10+ years sponsorship and advertising experience – either on Client or Agency side; experience in both a plus.
• 10+ years of demonstrated collaboration, communication and influence across the organization.
• 10+ years’ experience in all forms of mass media including digital, radio, TV, Out of home, etc.
• Deep knowledge of channel results and metrics, particularly Mass Media.
• Proven ability working in a large, cross-functional organization.
• Expertise in all marketing communication vehicles, channels and impacts
• Strong negotiation skills with outside vendors and suppliers.
• Excellent communication skills, including presentations—must be able to articulate a point of view clearly and effectively.
• Proven strategy formulation and ability to translate into actions and outcomes
• Must be proficient in understanding customer buyer behaviors, tendencies, as well as all areas of Marketing channels and messaging.
• Advanced experience with Microsoft Desktop Software – Windows, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Excellent written, verbal, and electronic communication skills. The incumbent must have the ability to accurately obtain, interpret, and transcribe a variety of communications and instructions.

EEOC Statement

Grainger is an Equal Opportunity Workplace and an Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.