VP, Growth & Media

The Vice President of Growth and Media owns AutoNation’s paid demand strategy and enterprise media investment across the full customer journey. This executive leads performance marketing, market investment, and growth planning for New, Used, We Buy Your Car, and After-Sales, with direct accountability for delivering qualified opportunity volume and at an efficient cost per sale/purchase. The role connects national scale with regional, market, and store priorities and partners closely with business line leaders, Field Marketing, Brand, Customer Relationship Management, Digital Product, Analytics, Finance, Operations, original equipment manufacturers, and agency partners to drive measurable growth, market share, and investment efficiency.

1. Enterprise Growth and Media Strategy

• Set the enterprise growth and full-funnel media strategy to generate qualified demand, improve market share, support profitable sales, and strengthen customer retention.

• Lead annual, quarterly, and monthly media planning across national, regional, market, and store levels, balancing enterprise scale with local relevance and original equipment manufacturer requirements.

• Allocate investment across brand and performance channels using business objectives, market opportunity, inventory, customer demand, and marginal-return insights.

• Create clear decision frameworks for channel mix, audience strategy, geographic prioritization, pacing, optimization, and test-and-learn activity.

• Own the enterprise plan for paid demand and communicate expected opportunity volume, efficiency, and sales contribution by line of business.

2. Line of Business Growth Plans

• Lead growth and media plans for New, Used, We Buy Your Car, and After-Sales, translating revenue, share, inventory, margin, and customer objectives into actionable demand plans.

• Partner with each line of business to define target audiences, offers, messaging, media roles, customer journeys, and performance expectations.

• Identify enterprise and cross-line-of-business opportunities that increase customer lifetime value and position AutoNation as the preferred partner across the full automotive ownership journey.

• Bring competitive, customer, market, and performance insights forward to shape business decisions and near-term actions.

3. Performance Marketing and Demand Deliver y

• Lead performance marketing across paid search, paid social, video, display, programmatic, audio, and other demand channels, ensuring investment is aligned to the highest-value opportunities.

• Establish performance goals, measurement standards, reporting cadences, and clear accountability across channels and lines of business.

• Own marketing performance against committed opportunity volume and cost per sale, and initiate corrective action when performance is off plan.

• Evaluate opportunity quality, conversion, sales, market share, cost per opportunity, cost per sale, incremental lift, and return on investment to determine where action is required.

• Partner with Analytics and Finance to advance attribution, incrementality testing, forecasting, audience measurement, and investment governance.

• Lead regular performance reviews and translate insights into specific actions while managing major platform and budget changes with appropriate testing discipline.

4. Market Investment and Field Partnership

• Own the framework for allocating and recalibrating media investment across regions, markets, and stores based on demand, competitive position, inventory, performance, and growth opportunity.

• Partner with Field Marketing, regional and market leaders, and stores to connect enterprise strategy with local business conditions and sales priorities.

• Develop a scalable enterprise, regional, market, and store media model that improves efficiency while maintaining meaningful local support.

• Create transparent market- and store-level investment views, performance diagnostics, and recalibration processes that distinguish marketing opportunity from operational conversion needs.

• Ensure plans reflect inventory availability, competitive conditions, merchandising, close-rate performance, and local market opportunity.

5. Social Media and Third Party Media Leadership

• Own the enterprise social media strategy across paid, organic, platform, content distribution, community, and reputation considerations in partnership with Brand and Corporate Communications.

• Lead the strategy and governance for third-party marketplaces, lead providers, publishers, and media partnerships, including investment, quality standards, testing, and performance accountability.

• Develop first-party data, audience, personalization, and retargeting strategies that strengthen acquisition and retention across channels.

• Evaluate emerging platforms, partners, and capabilities and scale those that demonstrate measurable business value.

6. Agency Performance and Commercial Governance

• Lead agency-of-record and key partner relationships, setting strategic direction, operating expectations, scopes of work, performance standards, and executive governance.

• Hold agencies accountable for opportunity delivery, cost-per-sale improvement, media quality, optimization speed, innovation, and transparent reporting.

• Partner with Procurement, Finance, and Legal to negotiate agreements and ensure investments, fees, incentives, data rights, and deliverables are transparent and competitive.

• Build productive partnerships with original equipment manufacturers and certified providers to maximize co-op eligibility, data access, and shared learning while protecting AutoNation’s enterprise strategy.

• Hold internal and external teams accountable for high-quality planning, execution, optimization, reporting, and innovation.

7. Team Leadership and Enterprise Influence

• Build, lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team with clear roles, priorities, performance expectations, and career development plans.

• Influence senior leaders across Marketing, Sales, Operations, Finance, Technology, and the Field through concise, data-led recommendations and clear tradeoffs.

• Create an operating culture of urgency, curiosity, collaboration, disciplined experimentation, and accountability for business outcomes.

Company Expectations:

• Demonstrate behaviors consistent with the Company’s Vision, Mission, and Values in all interactions with customers, co-workers, and suppliers.

• Adhere to all company policies, procedures, and safety standards.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, Economics, Analytics, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience. Master’s degree preferred.

• Twelve or more years of progressive marketing experience, including significant leadership of integrated media, performance marketing, or enterprise growth strategy for a complex, multi-location consumer business.

• Seven or more years of people leadership experience, with success building teams, developing talent, and leading through influence in a matrixed organization.

• Demonstrated ownership of large, multi-channel media investments spanning brand and performance channels, including paid search, paid and organic social, video, audio, display, programmatic, and third-party media.

• Proven ability to translate enterprise and line-of-business objectives into integrated plans that deliver measurable demand, revenue, market-share, efficiency, and customer outcomes.

• Strong command of marketing measurement, financial stewardship, incrementality, attribution, experimentation, forecasting, and executive performance reporting.

• Experience leading agencies, platforms, publishers, marketplaces, and complex commercial partnerships. Automotive, retail, franchise, dealer, or other distributed-location experience preferred.

• Exceptional executive communication, judgment, negotiation, change leadership, and cross-functional partnership skills.

• Must meet company requirements for employment.

• Valid in-state driver’s license and an acceptable, safe driving record maintained throughout employment.

Leadership Profile:

Enterprise strategist. Connects brand, demand generation, customer experience, and commercial priorities into a coherent growth agenda.

Performance-oriented operator. Uses data to identify the highest-value opportunities, act with appropriate speed, and hold teams accountable for results.

Influential partner. Builds trust across enterprise and field teams and creates alignment among stakeholders with different priorities.

Customer-centered leader. Keeps the customer journey and long-term relationship at the center of media, channel, and investment decisions.

Talent builder. Creates clarity, develops strong leaders, and builds an inclusive, high-accountability team culture.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of this job. Incumbents may be requested to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented.

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Exciting Benefits and Perks Await You:

Competitive compensation and 401k matching

Enjoy a healthy work-life balance with insurance plans (health, dental, vision) and maternity benefits.

Associate purchase and discount programs for new and pre-owned vehicles, services, parts, collision, accessories, and AutoGear

Access amazing deals and discounts through YouDecide, a website with offers from top providers and retailers

Join our DRVPNK mission to raise and donate millions of dollars to cancer research and treatment, partnering with cancer charities nationwide

AutoNation is one of the largest automotive retailers in the United States, offering innovative products, exceptional services, and comprehensive solutions, empowering our customers to make the best decisions for their needs. With a network of dealerships nationwide strengthened by a recognized brand, we offer a wide variety of new and used vehicles, customer financing, parts, and provide expert maintenance and repair services. Through DRV PNK, we have raised over $40 million for cancer-related causes, demonstrating our commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of our Associates, Customers, and the communities we serve.

AutoNation is committed to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment in our workplace and the services we provide. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds who are passionate about making a positive impact. Even if you do not meet every requirement, we encourage you to apply. Join our team and help us foster a culture of belonging while contributing to our revolutionary work in the automotive industry. We value innovation, teamwork, and a commitment to making a positive impact in the world.