Paid Social Business Director in London

As a Paid Social Business Director, you will lead the strategic and tactical execution across the account. You’ll manage senior client stakeholders, guiding them through a changing media and tech landscape while ensuring that paid social delivers clear, measurable impact. You’ll champion data-led thinking, process excellence, and a people‑first culture, while supporting the agency's broader growth and innovation agenda. The role requires experience in leading a large team of social specialists, fostering a culture of innovation and growth. You should be adept in translating the big vision into practical, actionable steps for your team, while also helping to translate tactical tests and pilots back into the overall vision. You will also be responsible for a key part of the business so will need commercial awareness, be able to identify revenue opportunities and be keen to drive the agency’s business forward commercially.

Responsibilities

• Data: Develop measurement frameworks that align paid social with client KPIs. Deliver privacy‑first, data‑driven solutions to clients that go beyond platform metrics. Ensure the team can interpret, action, and communicate insights across social platforms. Identify opportunities to improve data fidelity and cross‑channel tracking. Use client and team feedback to challenge data partners and ensure best‑in‑class outputs.
• Technology: Champion the use of tech, including Publicis tools, to drive efficiency and business growth. Translate client needs into opportunities for Publicis to create or adapt products and features. Encourage platform experimentation, early adoption, and innovation across the team. Evolve scopes of work to reflect shifts in the tech and privacy landscape.
• Media: Develop paid social strategy, ensuring this is actioned to a high standard across the team. Demonstrate the incremental value of paid social to performance through structured testing. Collaborate with agency teams to ensure social is integrated within broader media plans. Represent paid social confidently in new business opportunities and leadership forums. Hold platform partners to account on service, performance, and innovation.
• Operations: Implement processes that ensure quality team output, including campaign planning and QA. Own and reinforce Financial Quality Assurance processes within the team. Continuously review team ways of working, improve team efficiencies and team wellbeing. Collaborate with internal teams to remove blockers and support cross‑functional initiatives.
• Leadership: Act as a visible and supportive leader, set the tone for a high‑performing and inclusive culture. Recognise team wins and create an environment where people feel valued and motivated. Act as a role model for behaviour, quality and professionalism. Champion diversity, equity and inclusion, ensure equal opportunity and supportive structures. Coach mid‑level talent, support their growth through feedback and training.

Qualifications

• Experience in paid social leadership across strategy, team management, and client service.
• Deep knowledge of paid social, with a strong POV on strategy, innovation and creative.
• Comfortable navigating complex clients and large projects, with strong commercial acumen.
• A proactive leader who balances innovation with operational excellence.
• A strong collaborator who brings people together to solve problems and deliver great work.

Additional Information

Zenith UK 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. Zenith UK is 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.