Director, Strategy

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.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join WPP Media as a Strategy Director, shaping ambitious, insight-led media strategies that unlock growth for our clients. You will be a senior strategic partner, challenging the status quo, defining the role of communications and media in solving business problems, and turning com...

Media strategy and planning: Define the business challenge and the role communications and media can play in solving it. Lead annual planning and major brief responses, pushing the work to be distinctive, creative and award-worthy.
Insight and discovery: Identify actionable audience, market and cultural insights that guide strategy, implementation, creativity and activation. Find the tension, jeopardy or opportunity in every brief and define clear sources of growth.
Implementation, creativity and activation: Translate strategy into an integrated media approach covering channels, audiences, phasing, messaging and budgets. Advance earned, shared, owned and paid thinking, introducing new partners and approaches where they add value.
Learning and measurement: Build a culture of continuous learning and experimentation. Oversee client measurement frameworks and establish clear planning and buying principles for the client or category.
Data, technology and analytics: Ensure clients have a clear strategy for applying data, technology and analytics. Champion WPP Open and AI tools, and oversee the client’s Data Growth Plan and maturity.
Digital, performance and commerce: Advance high-performing digital strategies that help clients grow, while increasing maturity across digital, performance and commerce.
Communication and presentation: Shape compelling narratives for key presentations and special projects. Maintain the highest standards of strategic output and actively contribute points of view and provocations internally and externally.
Commerciality and new business: Identify incremental revenue and profitability opportunities, take relevant products and propositions to clients, and play a leading role in new business pitches.
People and culture: Challenge and inspire client leadership and planning teams. Coach and nurture junior and high-potential planners, strengthening strategic and planning craft across the agency.
Client and agency relationships: Become a trusted partner to senior clients and build strong, integrated relationships with creative, social, measurement and other specialist agency partners.

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 and 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 and cultivating trust.
Lead Optimistically by championing growth and development to mobilise the enterprise.
Significant experience developing integrated media and communications strategies within an agency, consultancy or client environment.
A strong understanding of marketing, advertising and the wider media ecosystem, including commercial, creative, audience, budget and measurement considerations.
A track record of converting insight into clear strategic direction and effective activation across paid, owned, earned and shared channels.
Confidence working with data, analytics, technology and AI-enabled planning tools to improve decisions and client outcomes.
Strong knowledge of digital, performance and commerce, with the ability to connect these disciplines to broader brand and growth objectives.
Exceptional written, verbal and presentation skills, with the ability to simplify complexity and influence senior stakeholders.
Commercial acumen and experience identifying growth opportunities, developing proposals and contributing to or leading pitches.
Strong people leadership, coaching and collaboration skills, with a commitment to developing diverse, high-performing teams.
Excellent judgement, attention to detail and the ability to prioritise and remain calm across multiple high-profile projects.
Honesty, integrity, curiosity and a constructive desire to find a better way.
Positive client feedback on strategy, planning, insight, measurement, experimentation and customer understanding.
Strategic work recognised through relevant UK media, effectiveness and channel awards.
Regular adoption of WPP Open and appropriate AI tools, alongside measurable progress in clients’ data maturity.
Growth in digital scope and profitability, supported by strong client satisfaction scores.
At least two proactive commercial proposals and meaningful contribution to at least one new business pitch annually.
Strong feedback from clients, colleagues and partners, together with positive team engagement and year-end development outcomes.