Associate, Planning

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 [wppmedia.com]. 3146 - Associate Director, Clients Teams - UK Role Summary and Impact 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. JPMorgan Chase account provides exciting market challenges and brand opportunities in media. A Senior Associate Director with an interest in the finance category or a strong Account Director looking to take the next step with some would be an ideal candidate for this position. JPMorgan is a brilliant client to work with – challenging EssenceMediacom to deliver best-in-class media strategy, whilst also looking to explore the new and different. Our integrated team incorporates talent from the UK strategy team and the creative systems teams, offering an opportunity to understand the full agency offer. No two days will be the same, and this client will reward you with a breadth of experience. You will be supported by a  strong team who always strive to deliver best in class and forward-thinking media planning. Experience across brand planning is essential, and the successful candidate will need to form a close collaboration with the Strategy team to provide a whole-brained perspective to the account, strategies and work.   We are looking for a passionate and enthusiastic Senior Associate Director to work with us. This role will play an integral part on the account, leading the delivery of innovative campaigns across all media channels. The successful candidate will work across the entire campaign lifecycle – planning, activation and measurement – utilising and strengthening their strategic planning and account management skills.  Skills and Experience 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. * Shape and elevate campaign responses to be clear, creative and compelling   * Elevate insight to be compelling and memorable via storytelling. * Ensure that all the channel plans and tactics match the overall strategy. Oversee timely client booking approval. * Lead the overall testing roadmap and formulate hypotheses for experiments   * Work alongside the specialists to lead the overall data, tech and analytics strategy   * Lead client forecasting & annual planning.  Deliver customer journey optimisation opportunities across digital, performance and commerce. * Lead overall client satisfaction. Proactively take new thinking to clients. Manage difficult conversations and creative agency alignment. * Lead meetings end to end and field client Q&As * Identify opportunities for income via EM/GroupM products & services. Support investment with commerciality. * Lead by example. Champion a growth mindset, GroupM toolset and EM skillset.  Life at WPP Media & Benefits Our passion for shaping the next era of media includes investing in our employees to help them do their best work, and we’re just as committed to employee growth as we are to responsible media investment. WPP Media employees can tap into the global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, grow their networks, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising. We have a variety of employee resource groups and host frequent in-office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. Our benefits include 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 particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers. We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. 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 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 Please read our Privacy Notice [https://www.wppmedia.com/pages/privacy-policy#:~:text=WPP%20Media%20Privacy%20Notice%20for%20Recruitment] for more information on how we process the information you provide.

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 [wppmedia.com]. Role Summary and Impact  This role is within The Goat Agency, a leading brand within WPP Media, where you will be instrumental in helping global brands harness the power of social and creator-led content to deliver measurable impact. Recognised as a global leader in the space, we deliver award-winning campaigns in more than 70 countries. With over 650 social natives worldwide, we create ambitious influencer programmes from tactical activations to long-term partnerships, designed to drive awareness, engagement and conversions across the full marketing funnel.  SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE  We’re looking for an Associate Director to own and grow Goat’s programmatic proposition, primarily across the UK and US, with the opportunity to support global projects.This is a senior, hands‑on leadership role at the heart of our Influence Everywhere vision. You will: * Be accountable for the quality and performance of programmatic campaigns delivered by the team * Run and execute campaigns yourself when needed – not just oversee others * Act as the go‑to expert for programmatic strategy and technology * Help shape and broaden our offering, including influencer‑led programmatic solutions and integrated responses to brief * Lead and develop the programmatic team (e.g. Senior Programmatic Manager / Programmatic Manager), acting as the escalation point for complex work * Drive integration and utilisation of programmatic across the wider business KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Leadership & Integration * Own the vision, roadmap and day‑to‑day leadership of programmatic at Goat. * Take responsibility for the output of the team, ensuring high standards, strategic alignment and commercial impact. * Line manage and/or coach senior and junior programmatic team members as the team evolves. * Champion programmatic within Goat, building strong relationships with client services, strategy, influencer, paid social and creative teams to deliver truly integrated Influence Everywhere solutions. Strategy, Delivery & Innovation * Lead programmatic strategy for key clients and new business, including proposal and pitch work. * Personally plan, build and optimise campaigns where needed, from briefing through to reporting. * Integrate programmatic with influencer and social activity to extend reach, frequency and performance beyond organic and paid social. * Identify opportunities to evolve our programmatic product, including influencer‑driven programmatic, new formats, data partnerships and measurement approaches. Campaign Management & Platforms * Oversee (and where required, directly manage) end‑to‑end campaigns across formats and platforms, including: * Display and video (including YouTube) * CTV and online video * Amazon / retail media * Digital OOH and other emerging programmatic channels * Use DSPs such as The Trade Desk, DV360 (and others as relevant) for campaign setup, optimisation and reporting. * Optimise towards agreed KPIs, managing budgets, pacing, bidding and audience strategies. * Ensure brand safety, viewability and fraud prevention standards are consistently met. Insights, Reporting & Global Collaboration * Produce clear, actionable performance reports and post‑campaign analyses. * Present insights and recommendations to internal stakeholders and clients in a way that is commercially meaningful. * Use historic data and platform insights to inform planning, forecasting and future proposals. * Share best practice with other markets and support global or multi‑market clients where required. ROLE REQUIREMENTS * Strong experience planning, executing and optimising programmatic campaigns, ideally in an agency or digital media environment. * Hands‑on proficiency with key DSPs (e.g. The Trade Desk, DV360) and audience/data tools. * Experience leading or overseeing programmatic specialists (formal line management or clear senior escalation responsibility). * Solid understanding of programmatic fundamentals: targeting, bidding, inventory buying, optimisation and measurement. * Comfortable working across multiple formats and environments (e.g. display, video, YouTube, CTV, Amazon/retail media, digital OOH). * Strong analytical skills, with the ability to turn data into clear, practical recommendations. * Proven ability to manage budgets and deliver against performance and ROI targets. * Confident communicator, able to educate and influence internal teams and clients on programmatic best practice. * Willingness to work on cross‑market projects, with the bulk of work focused on the UK and US. 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) [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 Please read our Privacy Notice [https://www.wppmedia.com/pages/privacy-policy#:~:text=WPP%20Media%20Privacy%20Notice%20for%20Recruitment] for more information on how we process the information you provide.