Global Account Director

Company Description: With a history that dates back over 80 years, Starcom is a global communications planning and media leader. We are an agency still grounded in our founding principle that people are at the centre of all we do. Each day, we apply this belief to harness the transformative power of data and technology to inspire and move people and business forward. With more than 7,000 employees in over 100 offices around the world, we are the flagship Publicis Media agency that uses our ‘Power of One’ business model, with teams that span multiple disciplines across clients such as Aldi, P&G, P&O Ferries, Primark, Samsung, Stellantis, and Visa.

We place a huge focus on our People and have driven flagship D&I and L&D programmes within Publicis Media; our goal is to help every individual reach their fullest potential and we encourage everyone to make “Brave Plays” in how they approach their work and their own career development. As a result, we have an exceptionally energised and committed talent base, all of us proud of our welcoming and supportive culture, as evidenced by our recognition as one of Campaign’s Best Places to Work for three years in a row (2021, 2022 and 2023) and most excitingly, Media Week's Agency of the Year 2023!

Overview: The Planning team at Starcom build relationships with clients, partners, and internal and external colleagues within our Groupe to deliver powerful work that will grow our clients’ businesses. Our goal is to become our clients’ most indispensable partners by building roadmaps with them that will identify quickest paths to growth. We work most closely with our Strategy, DDT, Investment and Performance teams to ensure smooth management of the business overall. We put great emphasis in landing our powerful Human Experience proposition through the use of intelligence-led systems and data. In one sentence: it is our collective job to deliver brilliant work, seamless operational management, and ensure that the work we deliver for our clients and our agency is profitable, enabling long term partnerships.

The Marketing Services team collaborates with the client, a flagship financial services account, to leverage their marketing and communications assets, alongside the capabilities of Publicis Groupe, to develop co-marketing programs and campaigns with issuers like large banks and fintechs. This collaboration aims to deliver measurable and mutually beneficial business outcomes for the agency, the client and partners.

Responsibilities: The Media Director holds key responsibilities that align with our agency's Growth Pillars and internal expectations. Reporting directly to the Managing Partner, the Media Director will oversee the delivery of integrated campaigns across multiple channels, ensuring alignment with creative counterparts in the UK and supporting European markets with their digital strategies. This role connects closely with our digital hub in London and plays a vital part in client briefings and regional digital campaign strategy and planning. The role demands strong communication skills and the ability to perform well under pressure, with an emphasis on teamwork, as we highly value supporting one another. Additionally, the Media Director will be responsible for nurturing and developing a Media Manager and an Account Executive. We seek a dynamic and passionate individual with a strong can-do attitude, confident in building relationships and agile enough to adapt quickly, keeping pace with the client's dynamic environment.

Qualifications: To excel in this role, you should have strong planning expertise and a deep understanding of media, including how different channels work together. Experience in project management and working with digitally focused brands is essential, along with familiarity with platforms like Paid Search, YouTube, Meta, and TikTok.

• Agency Experience with Global/Regional Clients: Proven ability to work directly with international or regional clients in an agency setting, effectively managing multiple tasks and priorities as needed.
• Strong Project Leadership: Exceptional organizational and leadership skills to ensure accuracy, efficiency, and collaboration within the team.
• Autonomous Performance: A self-starter mindset with the ability to work independently and deliver best-in-class digital performance strategies and practices.
• Creative Problem Solving and Proactive Attitude: A forward-thinking, can-do approach to producing outstanding results, particularly for high-profile clients.
• Collaborative Team Player: Experience contributing to an integrated agency environment, working seamlessly across media and cross-functional teams. Be an inspiring leader for the team you work with.

Don’t be put off applying if you don’t meet all the criteria – if you meet over half, then this could be the right role for you; just don’t forget to be clear on how you meet these criteria in your application. Equally, we don’t specifically look for people with university degrees; experience and aptitude are much more important to us.

Additional Information: Starcom has fantastic benefits on offer to all of our employees. In addition to the classics, Pension, Life Assurance, Private Medical and Income Protection Plans, we also offer:

• WORK YOUR WORLD: opportunity to work anywhere in the world, where there is a Publicis office, for up to 6 weeks a year.
• REFLECTION DAYS: Two additional days of paid leave to step away from your usual day-to-day work and create time to focus on your well-being and self-care.
• HELP@HAND BENEFITS: 24/7 helpline to support you on a personal and professional level. Access to remote GPs, mental health support and CBT. Wellbeing content and lifestyle coaching.
• FAMILY FRIENDLY POLICIES: We provide 26 weeks of full pay for the following family milestones: Maternity, Adoption, Surrogacy and Shared Parental Leave.
• FLEXIBLE WORKING, BANK HOLIDAY SWAP & BIRTHDAY DAY OFF: You are entitled to an additional day off for your birthday, from your first day of employment.
• GREAT LOCAL DISCOUNTS: This includes membership discounts with Soho Friends, local restaurants and retailers in Westfield White City and Television Centre.

Full details of our benefits will be shared when you join us! Publicis Groupe operates a hybrid working pattern with full time employees being office-based three days during the working week. We are supportive of all candidates and are committed to providing a fair assessment process. If you have any circumstances (such as neurodiversity, physical or mental impairments or a medical condition) that may affect your assessment, please inform your Talent Acquisition Partner. We will discuss possible adjustments to ensure fairness. Rest assured, disclosing this information will not impact your treatment in our process.

Please make sure you check out the Publicis Career Page which showcases our Inclusive Benefits and our EAG’s (Employee Action Groups).