Account Director, Digital (Programmatic) in London

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.

About EssenceMediacom: A Leading WPP Media Brand

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.

Role Summary and Impact

We are looking for a digital specialist, with knowledge that expands across display and programmatic, to continue their career as an Account Director. This role will assume day-to-day responsibility of strategic digital planning and activation for Cancer Research UK and Chase Bank (JP Morgan). The candidate for this role should demonstrate strong inter-personal skills, nurturing key relationships with clients, suppliers, as well as stakeholders within the WPP network. They will also be a trusted voice for all things display and programmatic and therefore, the ideal candidate is someone with extensive knowledge of digital advertising across key platforms, as well as having an analytical and challenging mindset.

A closer look

Cancer Research UK is a valued and important account with a vast degree of opportunity across their numerous products and campaigns. The award-winning account has significant ambitions across a number of key and fast-growing areas such as data and performance. The ideal candidate would hold excellent knowledge of the UK digital media landscape and be well-versed in planning and activating across digital channels, utilising their skills to problem solve and analyse performance and opportunity. You will have strong communication and project management skills and can engage with stakeholders effectively. You will also work closely with other media specialists to oversee delivery of an integrated plan, often taking the lead in using digital/social to link other media channels and understanding how other media plans fit in the system.

Key Responsibilities:

• Client & Partner Management
• Acting as a key digital point-of-contact for specific clients, ensuring their continuing confidence in the quality of the team and agency’s digital output.
• Responsible for delivering on the overarching display and programmatic strategy across the account(s) and ensuring this ties in with the wider digital and comms strategy.
• Demonstrating a deep understanding of the media and technology developments that influence your client’s business. Able to identify opportunities to test and innovate in the display & programmatic space, presenting these opportunities to stakeholders and securing client backing.
• Managing internal and external stakeholders to ensure multiple projects can be delivered simultaneously and to the required standard.
• Building and maintaining relationships with the key media partners and tech platforms.
• Campaign Management
• Overseeing the production of comprehensive digital media plans (+ supporting material) that align with client’s objectives and KPIs. Able to clearly articulate the rationale for proposed campaign tactics (channels, budget, audience, formats etc.) and present these back, both to internal and external stakeholders.
• Responsible for the end-to-end setup (from brief to end of campaign report) of digital campaigns across all relevant platforms/partners, working with 3rd party vendors and in-house programmatic teams to ensure accurate setup of campaigns.
• Responsible for maintaining the standard of regular quality assurance (QA) checks undertaken by those working on the account to ensure campaigns are set up to defined best practice standards (and helping to evolve these best-practices as necessary).
• Working with the team to ensure the standard and accuracy of weekly/monthly campaign performance reports. Leading client calls on a regular basis and supporting the wider team to present results as necessary.
• Ensuring all performance commentary delivers valuable insight and recommendations to clients. Working with the team to identify trends and recommend actions to capitalise/mitigate these trends as necessary.
• Ensuring the standard of end-of-campaign reporting and quarterly/annual reviews. Leading standalone research projects as required by the client.
• Operational Excellence
• Identify opportunities to test and innovate in the digital space. Presenting these opportunities to stakeholders and securing client backing. Developing these into initiatives that can be used to further evolve the standard & efficiency of digital buying across the wider team.
• Developing tailored testing/learning agendas for clients that drive clear and actionable insight.
• Working closely with planning team + other channel specialists to ensure our digital activity complements and enhances the wider marketing mix.
• Collaborating on thought-leadership pieces and POVs for the agency.
• Responsible for the accurate and effective management of agency finance processes. Ensuring the immediate team fulfil the mandatory finance process in a timely and accurate manner to ensure prompt payment/invoicing and minimise finance queries.

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.

Experience working in a busy agency or client-side display and programmatic team is key to this role. We are looking for a candidate who is able to display the following attributes:

• Strategic Campaign Management: You have a strong background in planning, managing, and optimising display and programmatic campaigns.
• Reporting & Insights: You are skilled at compiling detailed, insightful end-of-campaign reports and presentations, and have experience collaborating with teams to deliver regular client updates, such as QBRs and annual reviews.
• Client & Stakeholder Relationships: You have a track record of building strong relationships with clients and external partners. You are confident presenting to clients and leading calls, ensuring clear and effective communication at all times.
• Collaboration & Attitude: You thrive in a collaborative team setting, bringing a positive, proactive, and solutions-focused approach to your work.

In return the successful candidate can expect to work as a member of a fun and engaging team that is part of a company that truly champions learning, development and will invest in your career over the long term.

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.