VP, Media Strategy

Location: NYC Bryant Park Hub

Role Summary/Purpose

Synchrony has built a world-class Performance Marketing Agency focused on driving results across Synchrony’s portfolio of retail and payment partners while delivering best-in-class customer experiences. Within this agency, the Paid Media Team drives growth through data-informed strategies that create meaningful interactions with current and prospective customers. We are seeking a VP, Media Strategy to lead enterprise media strategy across channels and serve as a senior thought partner and advocate for media excellence.

This role will oversee digital planning across the marketing ecosystem to ensure the right channel mix, audience approach, and measurement framework to deliver business goals.

We’re proud to offer you choice and flexibility. You have the option to be remote, and work from home, or come into one of our offices. You may be occasionally requested to commute to our nearest office for in person engagement activities such as team meetings, training and culture events.

Essential Responsibilities

• Lead and develop an experienced team of strategists, providing coaching, talent development, and clear direction to build a high-performing media strategy function.
• Establish and maintain a strong cross-functional operating rhythm with internal partners in analytics, audience, channel activation, and performance marketing to ensure alignment, execution discipline, and timely decision-making.
• Own budget stewardship and allocation, ensuring media strategy recommendations reflect business priorities, investment efficiency, and expected ROI.
• Lead development of media strategy in partnership with analytics, audience, and channel teams to ensure effective segmentation, forecasting, activation, optimization, and ROI measurement.
• Translate market research and audience insights into actionable media recommendations and campaign plans.
• Own media plans from strategy through activation, reporting, and optimization.
• Build trusted relationships with internal marketing teams, external clients, and agency partners to ensure effective orchestration and performance.
• Evaluate end-to-end customer journeys across channels and funnel stages to identify opportunities for improvement and growth.
• Drive governance to ensure clear roles, accountability, and consistent execution standards.
• Provide regular executive updates and present performance, opportunities, risks, and strategic recommendations with executive presence.
• Proactively identify, evaluate, and present new media opportunities, innovations, and POVs to stakeholders.
• Collaborate with activation leads to align on channel mix, tactical execution, service offerings, and enterprise-wide solutions.
• Influence and align senior stakeholders in a matrixed organization.
• Promote a test-and-learn mindset by encouraging experimentation, measurement, and iterative optimization across channels and campaigns.
• Champion media innovation and adoption of new capabilities, identifying emerging opportunities and translating them into practical strategies for the business.
• Lead change management and transformation efforts by helping the organization adapt to evolving media capabilities, tools, and operating models.
• Support marketing-related business development and special projects as assigned.

Qualifications/Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or, in lieu of degree, high school diploma/GED and 11+ years of relevant marketing experience
• 8+ years of experience developing multi-channel digital strategy across paid search, SEO, affiliate, paid social, DOOH, audio, display, and programmatic media
• 4+ years of people management experience, ideally across multiple regions
• Experience with emerging digital media channels and AI-enabled media opportunities
• Understanding of the offline media ecosystem is a plus
• Experience with campaign tracking, tagging, measurement, and analytics tools such as Google Analytics, Tableau, and LiveRamp
• Strong understanding of KPIs across funnel stages and how to apply them to media planning and optimization
• Curiosity and passion for media
• Ability and flexibility to travel for business as required

Desired Characteristics

Master’s degree preferred

Experience in financial services, retail, or healthcare

Experience working in a regulated environment

• 5+ years of agency or marketer-side media strategy experience
• Strong understanding of technical media requirements such as pixels, data integrations, and tagging
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to tailor messaging to diverse audiences
• Experience in direct response, lifecycle, and full-funnel campaign execution
• Grade/Level: 13
• The salary range for this position is 130,000.00 - 210,000.00 USD Annual and is eligible for an annual bonus based on individual and company performance.
• Actual compensation offered within the posted salary range will be based upon work experience, skill level or knowledge.
• Salaries are adjusted according to market in CA, NY Metro and Seattle.

Our Way of Working

We’re proud to offer you flexibility. At Synchrony, our way of working allows you to have the option to work from home near one of our Hubs or come into one of our offices. You will be required to commute to your nearest Hub (either virtual or physical) for in-person engagement activities such as regular business or team meetings, training and culture events.

*Field Sales and some Commercial team roles may have varied location requirements based upon partner obligations or preferences.

Eligibility Requirements

You must be 18 years or older

You must have a high school diploma or equivalent

You must be willing to take a drug test, submit to a background investigation and submit fingerprints as part of the onboarding process

You must be able to satisfy the requirements of Section 19 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act.

New hires (Level 4-7) must have 9 months of continuous service with the company before they are eligible to post on other roles. Once this new hire time in position requirement is met, the associate will have a minimum 6 months’ time in position before they can post for future non-exempt roles. Employees, level 8 or greater, must have at least 18 months’ time in position before they can post. All internal employees must consistently meet performance expectations and have approval from your manager to post (or the approval of your manager and HR if you don’t meet the time in position or performance expectations).

Legal authorization to work in the U.S. is required. We will not sponsor individuals for employment visas, now or in the future, for this job opening. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Our Commitment

When you join us, you’ll be part of an inclusive culture where your individual skills, experience, and voice are not only heard – but valued. Together, we’re building a future where we can all belong, connect, and turn ideals into action. More than 50% of our workforce is engaged in our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), where community and passion intersect to offer a safe space to learn and grow.

This starts when you choose to apply for a role at Synchrony. We ensure all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status. We’re proud to have an award-winning culture for all.

Reasonable Accommodation Notice

Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job or to perform your job. Examples of reasonable accommodation include making a change to the application process or work procedures, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment.

If you need special accommodations, please call our Career Support Line so that we can discuss your specific situation. We can be reached at 1-866-301-5627. Representatives are available from 8am – 5pm Monday to Friday, Central Standard Time

Job Family Group

Marketing

Additional Locations: Orlando Hub, Chicago Hub, Stamford Engagement Hub CT, Costa Mesa Hub, Atlanta Hub, Charlotte Engagement Hub NC, Cincinnati West Chester Hub