Programmatic Account Director in London

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, 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 five years in a row, Media Week's Agency of the Year 2025 and one of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2025.

Overview

This is a senior, client‑facing leadership role for an experienced programmatic professional who knows how to turn complexity into clarity. As a trusted strategic partner to clients and internal teams, you’ll own programmatic strategy across a portfolio of accounts while leading a team of specialists to deliver consistently high‑quality work. Sitting within Performics and working closely with Investment and wider Publicis Media teams, you’ll play a critical role in driving growth, protecting revenue and elevating our programmatic offering. This role reports into the Head of Programmatic and works closely with a Business Director to align client ambition with commercial outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Owning client strategy for programmatic, acting as a senior advisor to clients and internal stakeholders
• Translating complex technical solutions into clear, memorable narratives that resonate with non‑technical audiences
• Leading and coordinating a team of channel specialists to plan and deliver campaigns across multiple programmatic platforms
• Partnering with your Business Director to manage revenue forecasting, commercial performance and long‑term growth
• Championing best practice across planning, activation, optimisation, reporting and financial governance
• Driving adoption of Publicis Media’s in‑house solutions, including APEX, Epsilon, Guaranteed Outcomes and Precision inventory
• Representing the programmatic discipline confidently in inter‑agency collaboration, pitches and senior forums

Qualifications

Skills we’re looking for:

• Proven experience operating at Account Director level, or ready to step up with strong ownership of client strategy
• Deep hands‑on platform experience across The Trade Desk, DV360, Amazon and CM360
• Strong understanding of the programmatic ecosystem, including DSPs, SSPs, adservers and the wider UK media landscape
• Confidence advising large‑budget advertisers and influencing senior stakeholders with credibility
• A track record of leading teams, supporting development and setting clear standards for quality and progression
• Commercial acumen, with experience identifying growth opportunities beyond standard media buying
• Clear, engaging communication skills with the ability to simplify complexity and bring others with you

Starcom offers a wide range of benefits to support our employees. Full details are shared when you join, but highlights include core benefits such as Pension, Life Assurance, and Private Medical cover, alongside enhanced policies like Reflection Days and Shared Parental Leave. You’ll also have access to a range of additional initiatives.

Publicis Groupe works primarily from the office or our clients' office four days per week. At Starcom, we are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, and do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion or belief, disability, age, citizenship, relationship status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic.

We are committed to providing a fair, accessible, and inclusive recruitment process. If you have any access needs - for example, related to disability, neurodivergence, or a health condition - please let us know. We’ll work with you to ensure the process works for you. Sharing this information will never impact your application.

Guided by our values, we listen with empathy, uplift each other, take responsibility, and embrace change - building a culture where everyone feels seen, respected, and genuinely included.