Performance Business Director

Company Description

Who We Are in the UK? Spark Foundry, the Acceleration Agency. We help brands to identify, learn and respond to opportunities faster than the competition. Every client has an area of their business they need to accelerate, from short-term goals to long-term transformation. We’ve proven our approach during the most difficult year on record. Now we’re using it to provide a launchpad for their future. Come be an accelerator with us.

How we accelerate:

• Planning: an approach that works in practice rather than theory, arming planners with the ability to create cutting edge campaigns.
• Intelligence: a suite of tools that give definitive answers to big questions, and uncovers actionable insights about real people.
• Trading: a model built on flexibility and trusted relationships, underpinned with bold guarantees.
• Relationships: a culture of asking challenging questions to better understand the brief – we are not a ‘yes’ agency.
• People: a strong history of recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds and accelerating their careers.

Our Commitment

We are diverse through our experience, people and the clients we look after - and we celebrate that diversity. Our people hold us accountable to our beliefs and via regular surveys and our grass roots D&I team, The Collective, and internal next generation board, Firestarters, we hold regular events and work continually towards generating ideas, initiatives and educating our people to ensure we are a diverse and inclusive agency. As part of our dedication to create an inclusive and diverse workforce, Spark Foundry is committed to equal access to opportunity for people without regard to race, age, sex, disability, neurodiversity, sexual orientation, gender identity or religion.

Overview

This is a 12 month fixed term contract for parental cover. We are hiring a Performance Planning Business Director to lead performance planning for a major finance client and help shape the future of a transformational operating model. This is a senior leadership opportunity where strategic thinking, innovation and digital expertise come together to deliver meaningful business growth. Working across planning, data and activation, you'll lead integrated performance solutions that drive measurable results and inspire teams to achieve their best work. You'll play a key role in building strong partnerships, identifying new opportunities and elevating the performance planning proposition.

What you'll be doing:

• Lead the development of integrated performance media strategies that deliver against client objectives.
• Create best-in-class channel plans in partnership with specialist activation and data teams.
• Champion a test-and-learn approach by embedding experimentation and optimisation into planning frameworks.
• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders and become a valued strategic advisor.
• Identify innovative opportunities across media, technology and measurement to unlock growth.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration to develop connected solutions that address complex business challenges.
• Support team development, mentoring colleagues and contributing to capability building across the wider business.

Skills we're looking for:

• Significant experience in digital planning with a strong focus on performance media.
• Deep understanding of performance channels, measurement frameworks and digital marketing effectiveness.
• Proven ability to create strategic recommendations that drive commercial outcomes.
• Strong stakeholder management and presentation skills, with confidence engaging senior audiences.
• Experience leading, coaching or developing teams within an agency or client environment.
• Commercial awareness and the ability to identify opportunities that create value for clients and the business.
• A collaborative, inquisitive and solutions‑focused mindset with a passion for innovation.

Additional Information

Spark Foundry 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, including:

• Pension
• Life Assurance
• Private Medical cover
• Reflection Days
• Shared Parental Leave

Please check out the Publicis Career Page which showcases our Inclusive Benefits and our EAG’s (Employee Action Groups). Publicis Groupe works primarily from the office or our clients' office four days per week. At Spark Foundry 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.