Global Panel Acquisition & Media Strategy Lead - Kantar - Norwalk, United States of America

We’re looking for a senior leader to shape Kantar’s global respondent acquisition and media strategy. This role is pivotal in driving how we attract panel members across all panel brands and markets. You’ll lead a global team, manage multi-million-dollar investments, and modernize our acquisition technology to deliver measurable impact. You’ll work at the heart of Kantar’s transformation, influencing decisions at the highest level and building future-ready capabilities across regions. Role Purpose Global Panel Acquisition & Media Strategy Lead is accountable for enterprise-wide respondent acquisition strategy, investment governance, and performance outcomes across Kantar’s global online access panels. This role supports Kantar’s shift to a cross-panel, domain-based leadership model aligned to the 2026 strategy. What Success Looks Like - Global acquisition strategy is clearly defined, trusted, and consistently applied across all panel brands and regions. - End-to-end delivery and budget optimization are managed effectively, with expanded focus on the Middle East, India, and China. - Specialist requirements, such as socio-economic class (SEC) targeting, are successfully integrated into acquisition plans. - Global investments deliver measurable improvements in scale, quality, efficiency, and long-term value. - Acquisition performance is transparent, data-driven, and resilient to market and regulatory changes. - Technology and processes enable accurate attribution, compliance, and actionable insights. - A future-ready acquisition roadmap supporting Kantar’s 2026 strategy and positions the business for sustainable growth. Key Responsibilities Acquisition Strategy & Growth Leadership - Define and own the global acquisition vision and strategy across all Kantar panel brands, markets, and digital recruitment channels. - Translate commercial demand, sample supply needs, and long-term growth objectives into a coherent acquisition framework. - Lead the transition from single-panel execution to cross-panel, portfolio-level optimization, ensuring consistency, scale, and sustainability. - Ensure acquisition strategies build trust, deliver great respondent experience, and support long-term health. Global Media Investment & Budget Governance - Govern multi-million-dollar global acquisition budgets, including planning, forecasting, and capital allocation. - Establish and enforce enterprise-level performance metrics and optimization goals (e.g., CPA/CPI, conversion, quality thresholds, LTV). - Drive disciplined, data-led investment decisions across markets and brands. - Provide clear, executive-level reporting and recommendations to senior leadership and finance partners. Data, Analytics & Performance Optimization - Set the global standard for acquisition measurement, analytics, and performance management. - Oversee the development of acquisition dashboards, KPIs, and decision frameworks. - Partner with Data Science and Panel Performance & Metrics teams to ensure insights inform forecasting and supply planning. - Foster a culture of experimentation and learning focused on measurable outcomes. Ad Tech, Tracking & Platform Modernization - Lead modernization of ad-tech and tracking infrastructure for accurate attribution and compliance. - Oversee vendor selection, RFP processes, and technology evaluations. - Drive agency consolidation and optimization, including governance of global media partners. Senior Stakeholder & Partner Leadership - Act as the executive point of contact for global media agencies and strategic vendors. - Represent acquisition strategy in leadership forums and transformation initiatives. - Influence and align senior stakeholders across regions and functions. - Elevate acquisition quality, fraud prevention, and compliance as enterprise-level priorities. Organization & Capability Building - Build and develop a high-performing global acquisition organization. - Define operating models, decision rights, and governance rhythms that scale globally. - Develop future-ready capabilities across media strategy, analytics, and technology. Skills & Experience - 15+ years of senior leadership experience in acquisition, performance marketing, or media strategy. - Proven ownership of large, complex global media and acquisition portfolios. - Expertise in data-driven optimization and analytics. - Experience leading ad-tech transformation and vendor management at scale. - Ability to influence senior leaders globally and lead through transformation.