Channel Strategist

The Role: The Channel Strategist owns the client relationship and strategic direction for an assigned book of accounts. This role is accountable for revenue performance, channel growth, and the overall health of every client engagement. You are the trusted advisor your clients turn to — setting the plan, interpreting the data, and making the calls that move the business forward. You’ll be supported by a dedicated Project Manager, Channel Operations Specialist, and Catalog team. That structure exists so your time goes to strategy and clients — not execution and task management. The best Channel Strategists at Channel Key are always a step ahead: shaping the next phase before the client asks, and building relationships that last.

Core Responsibilities: Own the client relationship, strategic narrative, and performance outcomes across assigned accounts. Develop and maintain a channel strategy roadmap for each account — covering advertising direction, content priorities, assortment planning, promotional strategy, and channel expansion. Partner with Channel Key’s Planner/Forecaster to provide client context, validate assumptions, and ensure forecasts reflect real channel and promotional dynamics. Lead weekly and bi-weekly client meetings, QBRs, and strategy reviews. Present performance clearly and always come with a forward-looking point of view. Translate performance data and marketplace dynamics into actionable recommendations your clients can act on. Review and approve foundational changes before they go live: assortment decisions, content direction, bulk-buy recommendations, and forecast inputs. Capture commitments made on every client call and ensure they flow into the delivery plan. Partner with the Project Manager to keep execution on track and on time. Identify growth opportunities, competitive risks, and platform shifts relevant to each client’s category and channel mix. Collaborate with Commerce Media, Creative & Conversion, and other Channel Key disciplines to align strategy with execution across the account. Serve as the escalation point for high-impact issues — suppressed listings, pricing anomalies, Buy Box loss, channel conflicts — and own the client-facing resolution.

What Success Looks Like: Clients view you as a strategic partner, not a vendor. They bring you into conversations early. Your accounts have a clear, documented strategy that evolves as the business does. Planning and forecasting cycles run smoothly because you’ve given the Planner/Forecaster what they need — clean client context, promotional visibility, and timely input. Performance is tracked, understood, and improving — and clients know why. Nothing falls through the cracks. Commitments made on calls become actions in delivery. You’re consistently identifying the next opportunity before the client asks about it. Internal teams have the direction they need from you to execute without ambiguity.

Qualifications: 5+ years of experience in eCommerce channel strategy, marketplace management, or digital retail. Deep, hands-on experience managing accounts on Amazon — Seller Central and Vendor Central. You understand the platform’s levers: advertising, catalog, content, fulfillment (FBA/WFS), and profitability metrics including COGS, co-op, Net PPM, and MDA.Experience across additional eCommerce platforms is strongly preferred: Walmart (WFS/Walmart Connect), TikTok Shop, Target Plus, The Home Depot, or other retail media and marketplace channels. Proven track record as the primary client contact on complex, multi-stakeholder accounts. You’re comfortable owning the relationship and the conversation at the executive level. Comfortable working with forecasting and planning functions — you know how to provide the right inputs and use output to inform strategy, even when you’re not building the model yourself. Strong analytical and commercial acumen — you can connect platform metrics to business impact and communicate it clearly. Agency or multi-client portfolio experience strongly preferred. Proficiency with or willingness to quickly adopt Channel Key’s tool stack: Microsoft Teams, Claude AI, Lovable, Helium 10, SmartScout, Jira, Katana, and Channel Key’s proprietary Via platform. US-based with the ability to work standard US business hours.