Retail Media Strategist (Walmart Connect) - Freelance Contractor

About this role

Later is the world’s most intelligent influencer marketing company, built to give brands the confidence to create unforgettable campaigns. By combining real creator relationships, trusted intelligence, and expert guidance, Later removes fear and guesswork from one of marketing’s most visible investments.

Built on a native, AI-powered platform and more than a decade of proprietary data—including billions of social interactions, impressions, and $2.4B+ in verified influencer-driven purchases—Later helps teams understand what will work before they launch.

By combining trusted insight with expert guidance, Later removes guesswork from influencer marketing, enabling brands to choose the right creators, execute fully managed campaigns, and drive meaningful growth across awareness, engagement, and revenue. Trusted by leading enterprise brands including Nike, Wayfair, Unilever, and Southwest Airlines, Later bridges creativity and performance so campaigns don’t just look good—they deliver results. Learn more at later.com.

Location: Remote

Type: Contract, Ongoing

Duration: Per Project Basis (Approx 8 - 10 hours / week)

About this position:

We’re looking for a freelance Retail Media Strategist (Walmart Connect) to help us scale one of our most important emerging paid media channels. This role is equal parts operator and enabler—you’ll own execution end-to-end while building the foundation, playbooks, and internal capability needed to make Walmart Connect a repeatable, high-performing growth channel.

You’ll partner closely with the Head of Paid Media and broader performance marketing team to launch, optimize, and prove out pilot campaigns, while upskilling internal buyers on best practices across strategy, execution, and reporting.

What you'll be doing:

•
Strategy

• Define and execute the Walmart Connect channel strategy, including campaign structure, budget allocation, and testing roadmap

• Identify high-impact opportunities to scale performance based on early pilot results and performance data

• Develop channel-specific playbooks for campaign setup, optimization, and reporting

• Translate campaign insights into clear, actionable recommendations for internal stakeholders and (as needed) clients

Technical / Execution

• Own hands-on keyboard execution across Walmart Connect campaigns (setup, trafficking, optimization, pacing)

• Build and manage campaigns across Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and DSP (as applicable)

• Monitor performance daily and optimize against key KPIs (ROAS, CPA, CTR, conversion rate)

• Troubleshoot performance issues and identify root causes quickly using data

• Establish reporting frameworks and dashboards to track performance and surface insights

Team / Collaboration

• Partner with the Head of Paid Media and cross-functional teams (Client Services, Creative, Analytics) to ensure integrated campaign execution

• Act as the internal subject matter expert on Walmart Connect—supporting campaign planning and troubleshooting

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to ensure alignment between media strategy and broader campaign goals

• Participate in client-facing conversations when needed to represent strategy and performance

Research / Best Practices

• Stay on top of Walmart Connect updates, betas, and best practices, bringing forward new opportunities proactively

• Benchmark performance and identify optimization opportunities based on industry trends and competitor activity

• Continuously refine internal processes to improve efficiency, scalability, and performance outcomes

• Lead the development of training materials and enablement sessions for internal media buyers

What You Bring:

• 3+ years of experience in paid media, with direct hands-on experience in retail media networks (Walmart Connect strongly preferred)

• Proven track record of owning and optimizing campaigns hands-on (“in platform” execution is non-negotiable)

• Strong understanding of retail media KPIs, attribution models, and optimization levers

• Demonstrated ability to translate data into actionable insights and…