Implementation & Activation Group Director

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 Implementation & Activation team is responsible for delivering best-in-class implementation planning and activation for clients. Our Implementation & Activation team members are fully embedded within our EssenceMediacom client teams, accountable to the clients they work on. The scope covers the Implementation Planning and Activation of all media channels and touchpoints, with a focus on delivering connected, audience-first client outputs. We navigate the ever-changing media landscape efficiently and effectively, fueling growth for the brands we work with through transparency, accountability, and leveraging exceptional media relationships.

The Implementation & Activation Group Director is a critical leadership role, responsible for ensuring we set our clients up for success now and in the future. You will lead a large team specializing in Implementation Planning & Activation, providing thought leadership and driving key senior client and publisher engagement. Your core responsibility is to produce best-in-class solutions that fuel growth for our people, our clients, and our organization. As a leader, you will cultivate an environment where people have clarity on their performance and career paths, empowering and encouraging them to reach their full potential.

• →Act as a critical senior consultant for clients, leading Media Negotiations, Implementation Planning, and Activation, while proactively addressing client satisfaction.
• →Provide innovative strategic insights, demonstrating expertise in clients' business, industry, and competitive landscape.
• →Drive innovation and creativity, leveraging market insights to ensure consistent delivery against client KPIs and contractual commitments across all media channels.
• →Possess exceptional knowledge of the media landscape, confidently articulating core media principles and how each touchpoint fuels client growth, and capable of training and developing team members.
• →Collaborate closely with internal product teams, including GroupM proprietary offerings, to articulate benefits and convert growth opportunities.
• →Oversee and ensure best-in-class delivery standards across the client remit, driving continuous process improvement through strategic leadership.
• →Support craft leaders in identifying and implementing tools, technology, data, and automation solutions, ensuring maximum adoption of best practices.
• →Lead, motivate, and empower a large team to achieve individual, team, and organizational goals, including conducting regular performance management and development discussions.
• →Foster agency-wide knowledge sharing, continuous learning, and champion company values to build strong connections and a solution-oriented team environment.
• →Build and maintain strong relationships with relevant media, data, and technology partners to drive client agendas and future growth.
• →Contribute to building the agency’s reputation by identifying and showcasing examples of breakthrough work, contributing to awards, industry thought leadership, and new business development when required.

• Extensive experience leading a large, diverse team, with significant media investment and client service expertise.
• Strong, up-to-date media landscape knowledge (able to confidently articulate macro consumer trends and the challenges and opportunities they bring).
• Inspiring communicator, with exceptional presentation skills.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the patience to examine detail and create effective solutions.
• Collaborative and astute, able to build trust and respect within a network.
• First-class negotiation skills.
• Results-driven.
• You feel empowered to bring your authentic self to work, and contribute to great teamwork, knowing your individual ideas and thoughts will be welcome.