Account Director, Programmatic

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. With exceptional talent, trusted data and intelligence, and world-class partnerships – all united by our pioneering agentic marketing platform, WPP Open – we help clients navigate change, capture opportunity, and deliver transformational growth. 

WPP Media is WPP's AI-driven media operating unit, bringing together media, data, and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation at scale. Connected through WPP Open and powered by Open Intelligence, clients see exactly where, how, and why their media investment is working.

For more information, visit wppmedia.com.

EssenceMediacom, part of WPP, is a new breed of media agency. Grounded in analytics & insights and powered by data & technology, we believe in the power of media and creative to drive breakthroughs for the world’s best brands. We help clients understand the modern marketing paradox and discover the breakthroughs brands need to win with their consumers. We are designed for the new communications economy — built on data & technology, built for people & algorithms, built around diverse schools of thought, built to test & learn at scale, and, crucially, built to evolve.

The Programmatic Account Director will have extensive, proven, and detailed knowledge and experience in Programmatic and DSP implementations. Striving to deliver excellence in campaign activation and is responsible for providing day to day leadership of their campaigns 

You will ensure on-going and timely optimisation is delivered whilst constantly looking for opportunities to improve campaign performance. You will also be responsible for collating spend forecasts, creating and monitoring campaigns to deliver on planned targets. Your focus will be on in-depth analysis, trend spotting, accurate execution, and leading and developing a team.

• Build effective media plans to organize campaign actions and goals
• Oversee and ensure best-in-class campaign activation across relevant accounts, ensuring campaigns are operating at the highest standard and delivering highest quality output for our clients.
• Take a proactive role, supervising campaign activation and optimisation rigor, while also supporting GOC, executives, and managers, across your clients.
• Create templates and proven methodologies for optimisation approach for key trading tactics and optimisation logs

• Build strong, effective relationships with clients
• Demonstrate an understanding of the media and technology developments that influence our client’s business.
• Drive revenue growth through spotting new optimisation opportunities, services or products and delivering excellent results.
• Develop strong relationships with media owners and other service providers to select the most appropriate suppliers for campaigns.
• Understand the products and solutions that could be relevant for clients that have been developed within the group.

• The ability to motivate and train individuals, being a key stakeholder in the development of junior staff.
• To support and nurture junior and GOC employees, ensuring their training and development needs are constantly evaluated and fulfilled.
• Clearly outline tasks and objectives with the Programmatic Associate Director, with specific deliverables and timelines for progression.
• Highlight great teamwork, and client initiatives. Demonstrate examples of Programmatic best practice to the wider team and contribute to department and wider agency PR and communications.

• The appropriate use of tools to drive accountability in programmatic buying, operational efficiencies, and actionable business insights, with the scoping of agreed client outputs.
• Ensure financial accuracy, integrating the planning and buying process, and reconciliation of spends, including client terms and programmatic fees, via buying templates and processes.
• Maintain standards and process throughout the end-to-end campaign lifecycle
• Proactively seek opportunities to develop and enhance your understanding and knowledge of the programmatic landscape, latest tech platforms, vendors, and suppliers

• Passionate about programmatic activation and driving continued excellence.
• Proven experience in programmatic multi-channel campaign activation and management.
• Confidence in core DSPs, DV360. TTD and Amazon
• Confidence in ad serving technologies with experience in troubleshooting tags
• Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships both internally and externally.
• Ability to translate technical and complex points to non-technical audiences and coach others to do the same.
• Ability to develop and execute comprehensive testing roadmaps in the Programmatic space – audience, media, creative
• Ability to lead and manage a hybrid team located in different markets
• Ability to communicate effectively with people from all diverse backgrounds, cultures, countries.