Senior Search Associate 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.

WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients and communities. For more information, visit wpp.com.

WPP Media is WPP’s global media collective. In a world where media is everywhere and in everything, we bring the best platform, people, and partners together to create limitless opportunities for growth. For more information, visit wppmedia.com

EssenceMediacom 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.

As a Senior Search Associate Director, you will serve as the strategic lead for paid search across a portfolio of high profile clients.  You will own the direction and effectiveness of search activation while shaping how search integrates into broader media strategies.

Operating as a senior leader within the Search team, you will set the vision for your client group alongside the Director, influence cross departmental processes and decision making, and partner to define the roadmap for best practices, innovation, and team growth.

You will also play a key role within the WPP Media Search Community driving thought leadership, representing the agency with partners, and helping to define best in class standards together with the network.

Performance Management

• →Take full strategic ownership of paid search performance across large spending client portfolio, setting ambition and direction in partnership with senior client stakeholders.
• →Develop paid search best practices, ensuring adherence to controls and processes.
• →Act as the escalation point for paid search strategic problems, proactively identifying risks, opportunities, and growth pathways.
• →Champion innovation by testing and scaling new Google/Microsoft products and AI capabilities.

Client & Partner Management

• →Operate as the most senior day-to-day search lead, and strategic partner to client stakeholders.
• →Influence broader integrated planning conversations, ensuring search has a seat at the table in defining brand and performance outcomes.
• →Represent WPP Media with platform partners, contributing to joint business plans, beta programmes, and capability building initiatives.

People Management

• →Reports to the Search Director
• →Directly manage and develop a team, setting high standards for delivery, communication, and craft expertise.
• →Support on resource shaping, succession planning, and long-term team capability development.
• →Contribute to recruitment efforts for your team, acting as an ambassador for EssenceMediacom and WPP Media
• →Shape the culture of your team through clear leadership behaviours, coaching, and championing collaboration across offices and markets.

Operational Excellence

• →Drive operational and process excellence, ensuring your team is efficient, effective and fully utilising WPP Media’s suite of AI tools, tech, and automation capabilities.
• →Contribute to commercial planning and identify opportunities for service evolution, scope expansion, and new revenue opportunities with clients.
• →Ensure full governance and compliance across financial, operational, and activation workflows.

At WPP Media, we believe in the power of our culture and our people. It’s what elevates us to deliver exceptional experiences for both our clients and each other. In this role it will be critical to embrace WPP & WPP Media’s shared core values:

• Be Extraordinary by Leading Collectively to Inspire transformational Creativity.
• Create an Open environment by Balancing People and Client Experiences by Cultivating Trust.
• Lead Optimistically by Championing Growth and Development to Mobilize the Enterprise.

• Deep platform expertise with Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, and SA360, with a strong
• Significant experience leading complex search clients, either with multi-market, high profile or growth clients.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders
• Strong track record in developing and managing people
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional workstreams and collaborate effectively with Media, Planning, Data, Analytics, and Creative.
• Deep platform expertise with Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, and SA360, with a strong understanding of how AI, automation, and audience signals are evolving performance marketing.