We’ve been proudly serving Australian communities since 1914 and have grown to become a top 30-listed company on the ASX with a portfolio of iconic homegrown brands. At the heart of our continued success is over 115,000 team members working across the country, all contributing to bringing our customers smiles. You’ll not only get to see your work make a difference, you’ll be part of a team working together to help Australians eat and live better every day.

About The Team

Coles 360 is all about connections. It’s how we connect with customers at every turn of their lives. It’s how we use the power of Coles’ shopper data to maximise that connection. It’s how we partner at levels to drive more meaningful campaigns and measure the impact they create. Coles 360 combines the power of customer connections, media connections and partner connections to offer brands a one-stop media solution.

Coles 360 is redefining how brands connect with millions of Australians through data-led, customer-first retail media solutions. As we continue to scale our retail media capability, we are seeking a commercially astute and operationally rigorous Head of Ad Operations to lead the strategy, execution, and optimisation of our end-to-end campaign delivery model.

This is a pivotal senior leadership role, responsible for shaping how we translate advertiser ambition into high-impact, measurable outcomes across our omnichannel ecosystem. You will lead a team of 4 direct and ~20 indirect reports, embedding best-in-class planning, activation, and ad operations practices while fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.

About The Role

Reporting into the Coles 360 General Manager, this role will sit at the intersection of media execution and operational excellence. You will oversee the campaign activation, optimisation, and performance measurement, ensuring seamless delivery across onsite and offsite channels.

You will play a critical role in scaling Coles’ retail media proposition, strengthening our credibility with agency and supplier partners, and enabling our teams to deliver consistent, high-quality outcomes at pace.

What you will be doing

• Oversee end-to-end campaign execution, including inventory planning, channel allocation, trafficking, optimisation, and reporting
• Drive campaign performance and operational excellence, establishing scalable processes, governance, and workflows across a growing retail media network
• Partner with commercial and client teams to translate advertiser goals into effective omnichannel media plans
• Optimise inventory utilisation and yield, balancing demand, supply, and campaign priorities across onsite and offsite environments
• Embed robust measurement frameworks, ensuring campaigns are evaluated against key metrics such as impressions, engagement, and return on ad spend
• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team, fostering leadership capability, succession depth, and a strong performance culture
• Strengthen platform and technology capability, ensuring effective use of ad-serving and buying tools to maximise campaign performance and efficiency
• Build trusted relationships with within Coles, agencies, adtech, and supplier partners, positioning Coles 360 as a strategic media partner

About You

You are a seasoned media and ad operations leader with a track record of delivering complex, high-volume campaigns in a fast-paced environment. You bring both strategic oversight and hands-on technical depth, with the ability to lead teams while remaining close to execution.

• 10+ years’ experience in advertising campaign management within an agency, adtech, media network, or publisher environment
• Deep expertise across digital advertising formats (video, search, display) and placements (onsite, email, in-store, offsite)
• Strong working knowledge of buying models (programmatic/auction and direct) and media platforms such as DV360, Meta and other social ecosystems
• Proven experience with ad-serving technologies (e.g., GAM360, Criteo, CitrusAd, Topsort, AdButler or similar)
• Demonstrated capability in activating omnichannel campaigns, including budget allocation, inventory management, and cross-channel optimisation
• Strong understanding of campaign measurement and performance metrics, including impressions, clicks, and ROAS
• A leader who builds capability at scale, with experience managing layered team structures and driving engagement across direct and indirect reports
• Commercially minded, with the ability to balance client outcomes, revenue growth, and operational efficiency

Why Coles 360

At Coles Group, our purpose is to sustainably feed all Australians to help them live happier, healthier lives. Coles 360 plays a critical role in this by creating meaningful connections between customers and brands through relevant, data-driven experiences. You will join a leadership team committed to innovation, inclusion, and long-term value creation where your impact will extend beyond campaigns to shaping the future of retail media within one of Australia’s most trusted brands.

What’s in it for you?

• Flexible working options We know that work is only one part of your life, so we actively encourage a positive work-life balance and provide hybrid working options to help you achieve it.
• Office perks Take advantage of our gym facility and fitness classes, free parking, BBQ area, mini-Coles supermarket, fooderie hub where you can sample new products before they hit the shelves, school holiday program and so much more when you come in.
• Discounts Eligible team members receive 5% discount all year round on your Supermarket and Liquor online and in-store purchases. We also offer additional periods of double discount (10%) at various times throughout the year. As well as hotdeals exclusive to team members that translate into additional savings.
• Reward through recognition Give and receive recognition, linked to our Coles values, through our digital recognition platform ‘mythanks’. You can accumulate points to redeem in the online shop for exciting gifts and electronic gift cards from an extensive range of retailers.
• Opportunities for learning and development No matter where you start within our diverse business, you’ll have experiences, exposure, and education to satisfy you. Discover and explore a variety of career development programs and job-specific training.
• Paid parental leave We understand how important your life outside work is and offer permanent team members paid parental leave to support you in balancing work and family.
• Investment in your future Our annual team member share plan offer allows eligible team members to make regular pre-tax salary sacrifice deductions to purchase Coles Group shares.

About The Recruitment Process

We’re continuing to build a gender equitable team, and a culture that is just as diverse, inclusive and welcoming as the communities we serve. We are committed to creating a workplace that is safe and respectful for our team. We encourage applications from people of all ages, cultures (including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples), abilities, sexual orientation and gender identities.

We’re happy to adjust our recruitment process to support candidates with disability. For further information and additional contact details visit the ‘Our Recruitment Process’ section of our careers site or email [email protected]

Applications close on 14 May 2026

Job ID  186419

Employment Type  Full time