Account Director, Cross Channel at WPP Media

London, England, United Kingdom -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

18 Aug, 26

Salary

0.0

Posted On

20 May, 26

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Paid Social, Paid Search, Programmatic, Cross-Channel Strategy, Client Relationship Management, Team Leadership, Biddable Media, Audience Segmentation, Digital Attribution, Budget Management, Stakeholder Management, Performance Marketing, B2B Marketing, B2C Marketing, Project Management, Analytical Capability

Industry

Advertising Services

Description

About WPP Media 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. 2439 - Account Director, Cross Channel Role Summary and Impact We are looking for an experienced digital and biddable Account Director whose primary specialism is Paid Social, and who brings strong complementary experience across Paid Search and/or Programmatic. Cross-channel experience is essential — this is not a single-channel role. The successful candidate will need to operate confidently across the full biddable mix, connecting channel activity into integrated strategies that serve varied client objectives. This person will take ownership of ongoing client engagement across the portfolio, manage a blended team of onshore direct reports and offshore delivery resource, and support the Business Director in implementing strategic and operational vision across their accounts. The nature of this role requires a candidate who can move fluently between very different client contexts — from brand-building and HNWI audience precision, to performance-oriented multi-stakeholder technology campaigns, to the full-funnel complexity of a regulated financial services environment — sometimes within the same week. An understanding of B2B and B2C digital marketing, and the ability to manage campaigns serving both professional and consumer audiences within strict governance frameworks, will be a genuine advantage. The candidate will also be expected to flex capacity to support other accounts and projects within the wider Channels & Solutions team on an occasional basis. Responsibilities Delivering Client Performance Take ultimate responsibility for the digital output of your team across the client portfolio, covering both client-facing deliverables and operational execution Act as the central senior contact for your assigned accounts, engaging at Director level and above with senior stakeholders across client and partner agency organisations Apply best-practice rigour to the execution of digital and biddable campaigns across all active channels — ensuring quality, audience accuracy, compliance with client governance requirements, and integration across touchpoints Maintain a forward-thinking and innovative approach to channel development, continuously surfacing new opportunities and emerging platform capabilities relevant to client objectives Attend all key internal and external client meetings; deliver outstanding levels of proactive client service across accounts Ensure digital activity is effectively integrated across channels — connecting paid social, paid search and programmatic into coherent, audience-led strategies that serve both brand and performance objectives across the full funnel Maintain awareness of the distinct requirements of each client vertical — including the audience governance frameworks, compliance considerations and measurement standards that apply to regulated industries such as financial services Team Leadership & Development Take responsibility for the development and career progression of your direct reports within the agency Coordinate effectively across onshore and offshore team members, establishing clear processes, communication rhythms and quality standards that enable consistent, efficient delivery Review the quality of team output regularly and take appropriate action to raise standards and address gaps Play an active role in recruitment and interviewing to build strong, diverse teams Ensure workloads are monitored and prioritised across the team to meet SLAs and client deadlines Driving Process & Efficiency Develop and maintain ways of working that maximise client output whilst minimising operational friction — across both direct and offshore resource Ensure briefing, planning and finance processes are strictly adhered to by the team Continuously review optimisation, budget management, task management and testing processes to identify opportunities for improved effectiveness or efficiency Take the lead on one or more integration projects across the department, supporting other cross-team initiatives as required Develop and maintain onboarding processes for new starters across onshore and offshore teams Developing Our Product Contribute to the development of Mindshare's digital and biddable product, helping to build roadmaps that differentiate and future-proof our offering Contribute to new business pitches, upsell and cross-sell activity — bringing relevant experience, templates and strategic thinking to support the wider team Develop reusable resources and frameworks that can be applied across new business and pitching activity Raising Our Profile Keep up to date with industry developments across the biddable and digital landscape — including platform innovation, measurement evolution, AI-driven media capability and regulatory change — in order to offer considered points of view Build a reputation as a trusted senior advisor for internal and external stakeholders Surface the best work within the team and promote it internally and externally via case study submissions and award entries Play an active role in cross-agency initiatives and relevant industry events where appropriate Develop opinion pieces related to digital and biddable media to share across the agency and build internal and external profile Ensuring Profitability Be commercially minded in the effective management of available resource; maintain awareness of all scopes of work across your client portfolio Work with the Business Director to ensure client resource allocations are adhered to, reported and flagged proactively Identify and pursue opportunities to increase digital investment within the existing client base by clearly evidencing channel value and business impact Surface out-of-scope services and identify incremental revenue opportunities across the portfolio A Note on Portfolio Flexibility This role is structured primarily around a defined portfolio of accounts across the luxury consumer, technology and financial services verticals. However, candidates should be comfortable with the expectation that, on an as needed basis, they may be asked to flex capacity to support other accounts or projects within the broader Channels & Solutions team. Skills and Experience The Ideal Candidate The ideal candidate will be a commercially minded, digitally fluent media professional whose career has been built on a strong Paid Social foundation, and who has developed meaningful experience across other biddable channels — particularly Paid Search and/or Programmatic. They will understand not just how to run Paid Social campaigns to a high standard, but how Paid Social connects with and amplifies activity across the wider digital ecosystem. They will have a demonstrable track record of managing complex, multi-workstream accounts across different client types and objectives, and of developing high-performing onshore and offshore teams. They will be forward-thinking and entrepreneurial in mindset, proactive in identifying growth opportunities for clients, and skilled at managing senior stakeholder relationships across varied and demanding client organisations. They will bring the organisational rigour and communication skills to keep multiple workstreams running in parallel without compromising quality or compliance. Experience in luxury, technology or financial services is welcome but not a prerequisite — what matters most is demonstrable experience managing diverse client portfolios, navigating different audience types, and delivering measurable outcomes across the biddable mix. Essential Criteria Channel Expertise A strong, demonstrable primary specialism in Paid Social — including hands-on experience managing campaigns across Meta (Facebook/Instagram), LinkedIn and TikTok, across both brand awareness and performance/conversion objectives Proven ability to develop and implement audience strategies within Paid Social, including B2C consumer segmentation, B2B professional targeting (particularly via LinkedIn) and the nuances of serving both simultaneously within a regulated or compliance-sensitive environment Strong complementary experience in at least one additional biddable discipline — Paid Search (Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, SA360) or Programmatic (DV360, The Trade Desk, Amazon DSP or equivalent) — at a level sufficient to advise on strategy, review delivery quality and integrate activity coherently across channels Cross-channel experience is a firm requirement: candidates who have operated exclusively within a single channel will not have the breadth this role demands Understanding of how biddable channels work together across the full marketing funnel — from awareness and consideration through to purchase intent and conversion — and the ability to plan and communicate integrated strategies accordingly Familiarity with audience governance considerations relevant to regulated industries, and awareness of the distinctions between always-on and burst/campaign-led investment models Client & Stakeholder Management Demonstrated experience managing and developing senior client relationships, including the ability to present confidently and independently at Director level and above Proven ability to manage multiple client workstreams simultaneously, adapting approach, tone and output to different client cultures, objectives and governance requirements Experience navigating complex, multi-stakeholder environments — including integrated agency team structures, cross-agency collaboration and client-side internal stakeholder networks Comfort operating in regulated or compliance-sensitive client environments, where audience rules, content approval processes and media buying governance are part of everyday delivery Team & Delivery Management Experience managing, developing and mentoring team members, including Account Managers and Account Executives Experience coordinating across onshore and offshore delivery teams, with an understanding of how to structure workflows, QA processes and communication rhythms to ensure consistent, efficient output Strong project management and organisational skills, with a logical approach to prioritisation across competing deadlines and workstreams Strategy & Planning Ability to support the Business Director in developing cross-channel digital strategies including annual planning, audience development, measurement frameworks and test-and-learn roadmaps Understanding of how digital media investment connects to broader business performance, and the ability to articulate this clearly to both marketing and commercial client stakeholders Proactive in bringing ideas and innovation to client strategy — whether in channel activation, audience approach, technology, automation or process improvement Ability to develop and communicate integrated cross-channel strategies that connect paid social, paid search and programmatic into coherent, audience-led plans across both brand-building and performance objectives Measurement & Analytics Strong analytical capability, able to interrogate campaign data across channels and translate findings into clear, actionable insights and client-ready recommendations Working knowledge of digital attribution approaches, brand lift measurement and cross-channel reporting — including familiarity with platforms such as GA4, Adobe Analytics, media partner research tools and bespoke campaign dashboards Ability to define and implement meaningful measurement frameworks appropriate to campaign objectives — encompassing media output metrics, attitudinal brand health measures and business outcome KPIs Understanding of the differences between short-term activity-level measurement and longer-term brand and business impact, and how to communicate both to client stakeholders Commercial Acumen Commercially driven, with awareness of scopes of work, resource allocation and revenue implications across a multi-client portfolio Proactive in identifying and surfacing upsell, cross-sell and incremental investment opportunities within and across accounts Communication Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex digital strategy clearly to both specialist and non-specialist audiences Calm and effective under pressure, with strong interpersonal skills across varied client and internal team environments Desirable Criteria Significant hands-on experience across both Paid Search and Programmatic in addition to Paid Social, demonstrating genuine breadth across the full biddable mix Experience working across both brand-awareness and performance/conversion-led digital campaigns within the same portfolio Familiarity with financial services, asset management or other regulated advertising environments — including an understanding of professional vs. retail/individual audience segmentation and the compliance considerations these involve Familiarity with luxury, premium or high-consideration consumer categories Familiarity with technology or B2B marketing environments — particularly campaigns designed to build preference for platform or ingredient brands Multi-market EMEA campaign experience, including markets such as UK, Germany, France, Italy and the Gulf Knowledge of offshore operating models and best-practice workflow management Language skills (advantageous given multi-market scope) Life at WPP Media & Benefits Our passion for shaping the next era of media is powered by our commitment to Be Extraordinary, investing in our employees to inspire transformational creativity. We also Lead Optimistically, firmly believing in and Championing Growth and Development for every individual. This commitment allows WPP Media employees to leverage the extensive global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, build vital professional connections, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising. We Create an Open environment built on trust and respect, where everyone feels they belong and has opportunities to progress. This inclusive culture is fostered through a variety of employee resource groups and frequent in-office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. Our comprehensive benefits package reflects this commitment, including competitive medical, group retirement plans, vision, and dental insurance, significant paid time off, preferential partner discounts, and employee mental health awareness days. WPP Media is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection in this open and supportive environment. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process. Please note that while our philosophy is the same across WPP, benefits may vary by office/country. Please note this is a UK based role and requires individuals to have the right to work in this location Please read our Privacy Notice (https://www.wppmedia.com/pages/privacy-policy) for more information on how we process the information you provide. While we appreciate all applications received, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. #LI-Promoted Job Code 2439 Please read our Privacy Notice for more information on how we process the information you provide.

Responsibilities

Lead the digital output and cross-channel biddable strategies for a portfolio of clients, focusing on Paid Social, Search, and Programmatic. Manage a blended onshore and offshore team while serving as the senior point of contact for high-level client stakeholders.