Global Director Ads Business Strategy and Development

GLOBAL DIRECTOR, ADS PRODUCT STRATEGY AND DEVELOPMENT

About us

AB InBev is the leading global brewer and one of the world’s top 5 consumer product companies. With over 500 beer brands, we’re number one or two in many of the world’s top beer markets, including North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

About AB InBev Growth Group

Created in 2022, the Growth Group unifies our business-to-business (B2B), direct-to-consumer (DTC), Sales & Distribution, and Marketing teams. By bringing together global tech and commercial functions, the Growth Group allows us to fully leverage data and drive digital transformation and organic growth for AB InBev around the world.

In addition to supporting well known global beer brands like Corona, Budweiser and Michelob Ultra, the Growth Group is home to a robust suite of digital products including our B2B digital commerce platform BEES, on-demand delivery services Ze Delivery and TaDa Delivery, and table top beer keg Perfect Draft.

The BEES Retail Media and CRM team is seeking a Director, Ads Product Strategy and Development to transform our growing retail media program into a scalable, high-performing platform.

The ideal candidate has deep expertise in auctions, yield management, and ad tech architecture. They bring experience building performant, native inventory supported by dynamic auction systems and can scale solutions across markets and partner types. This leader will also drive expansion beyond BEES’ marketplace (including offsite media and in-store opportunities) while operating effectively in a global, matrixed organization. The role sits within the Commercial team, working closely with dedicated Product and Technology partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Own auction design, dynamics, and pricing methodologies to ensure profitability and marketplace health.
• Build robust frameworks for testing and optimization across market, advertiser, and inventory levels.
• Partner with Data Science and Engineering teams to evolve auction algorithms and yield strategies.

Inventory Development and Optimization

• Lead the evolution of ad inventory, ensuring performance, scalability, and fit for diverse partner needs.
• Continuously refine ad placement and functionality to balance user experience with monetization efficiency.
• Establish data-driven measurement and forecasting frameworks for ongoing performance improvement.
• Define and launch new advertising products, including offsite and in-store media capabilities.
• Build scalable, privacy-compliant targeting, delivery, and measurement solutions.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to align product development with business growth objectives.

Infrastructure and Partner Strategy

• Develop a short- and long-term build-versus-buy roadmap for BEES ad tech infrastructure.
• Evaluate technology partners and determine which capabilities to own in-house versus outsource.
• Ensure infrastructure scalability, transparency, and integration across global markets.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Business, Economics, or a related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in ad tech, retail media, or large-scale digital platforms, with at least 6 years in product strategy or leadership roles focused on ad systems or monetization infrastructure.
• Proven success designing, implementing, and optimizing real-time bidding (RTB) systems, yield algorithms, or ad delivery pipelines.
• Experience collaborating with Engineering and Data Science teams to define technical roadmaps and experimentation frameworks.
• Background in large-scale distributed systems, data engineering, or platform integration preferred.
• Experience in B2B or marketplace environments strongly preferred.
• Track record of working cross-functionally across Product, Technology, and Commercial teams in global organizations.

Technical and Analytical Skills

• Deep understanding of ad serving, yield optimization, and programmatic ecosystems.
• Strong grasp of demand- and supply-side mechanics (DSPs, SSPs, exchanges, and ad networks).
• Proficiency in SQL and familiarity with scripting or analytical languages (Python, R, or similar).
• Experience with…