Business Director - Planning & Strategy 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. Connected through WPP Open and powered by Open Intelligence, clients see exactly where, how, and why their media investment is working.

About the role:

The planning team are the guardians of creating industry leading, unrivalled work at WPP. We are central conduits to all specialists, striving to push boundaries and have a positive impact on consumers and brand. We are looking for a Business Director to spearhead the development of innovative and impactful media planning for our prestigious automotive client account for the UK. This role is central to translating our client's modern luxury vision into actionable media plans that drive desire and deliver exceptional results.

The Planning Lead will be responsible for transforming the strategic frameworks, uncovering deep consumer insights and leveraging the full capabilities of WPP Open to create hyper-personalised, immersive brand experiences that connect with high-value audiences at every touchpoint. This individual will be a strategic partner to the client and internal WPP teams, ensuring all media efforts are aligned with our client’s brand objectives and business goals. The planning lead will work closely with the strategy, planning and activation teams to ensure the transition of the strategic approach to planning and activations.

In this role, you will:

• Media Planning Craft: Lead the planning output on your specific client to create unrivalled work. Be able to articulate the strategic approach into media behaviours and train and support the wider team. Need strategic thinking on how we utilise tools and specialism outside of planning on response i.e. sources of growth, measurement, learning agenda, data, etc. Build presence outside of current teams and drive visibility of planning team within the wider agency. Bring a fresh perspective to planning approaches including the use of different tools, new insights and coach others to challenge the status quo.
• Effective communication: Overall responsibility for the development of all planning responses, ensuring we are developing unrivalled work in all executions. Manage senior client relationships, understanding what they need for their business and how to drive growth for them. Manage the planning team ensuring they have clear personal objectives, structure and regular reviews.
• Idea creation and storytelling: Build and develop relationships with media owners and look for opportunities to create unrivalled work. Have an advanced commercial understanding of our products and services. Understanding which are suitable for their clients and how to sell in solutions. Be a storytelling expert, driving added value with the team and quality boosting output.

Core skills:

• Practice Area Knowledge – Advanced: Demonstrates advanced understanding of the industry as well as future trends. Serves as an internal consultant/expert on at least some tools and technology. Effectively guides junior team members on advanced elements. Works with leadership team to develop new solutions and/or spot new applications.
• Problem Solving – Advanced: Performs complex analyses of a range of information and identifies issues before they become problems; helps others think about how to define or redefine complex problems. Supports business leaders to find solutions and evaluates others’ solutions to determine the best way forward. Understands how to resolve escalated issues and coaches others to problem solve. Manages escalations.
• Stakeholder Management – Advanced: Capitalizes on deep understanding of (current or potential) client and agency organizational structures, business processes, strategic objectives and challenges in order to anticipate and meet their needs. Demonstrates expert knowledge and monitors the client’s industry and competitive environment in order to create effective solutions. Advises key stakeholders by continuously helping them to successfully navigate through critical business changes. Uses strong deep expertise and contextual awareness to explore complex issues with stakeholders and provide trusted advice, deliverables and campaign KPIs.
• Effective Communication – Advanced: Leads the delivery of relevant and accurate information to drive maximum impact. Consistently delivers communications to influence and educate all levels of seniority, appropriately judging the demands of the situation. Creatively develops presentations and communications to help with the understanding/education of complex information. Guides others on the best practices and approaches for creating clear, concise and organized communication materials to convey plans in a user-friendly way.
• Campaign Management – Expert: Sets the standard for accuracy and thoroughness so that sufficiently detailed information is logged correctly. Balances short-term considerations with long-term goals and ensures that critical deliverables are met. Manages multiple overlapping timelines and competing demands, weighing the needs of different stakeholders across the business to determine priorities for parallel projects and sets priorities according to business needs.
• Compelling storytelling – Advanced: Lead and direct the creation of a story, taking into account client knowledge levels and needs. Applies deep expertise and sound judgement to persuade key decision makers on recommendations, considering all implications. Designs differentiated communications (content focus, style, presentation, etc.) for various internal and external audiences.
• Ideas Creation – Expert: Develops strategies to bring new technologies, innovations and products to life. Challenges the client and team in innovating and designing new solutions, methods and products to remain competitive and lead the industry.
• Comms Planning – Advanced: High technical knowledge of all media touchpoints as well as how they interplay and future trends. Serves as a consultant and quality controls plans, strategies and frameworks that leave the building. Strategic learnings and insights about business impact (not just media metrics). Development of directional media strategy/platform. Developing comms planning skills amongst the wider community. Looks for alternative solutions to problems and constantly challenges received norms in a spirit of positive provocation.

Life at WPP Media & Benefits

Our passion for shaping the next era of media is powered by our commitment to Be Extraordinary, investing in our employees to inspire transformational creativity. We also Lead Optimistically, firmly believing in and Championing Growth and Development for every individual. This commitment allows WPP Media employees to leverage the extensive global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, build vital professional connections, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising.

We Create an Open environment built on trust and respect, where everyone feels they belong and has opportunities to progress. This inclusive culture is fostered through a variety of employee resource groups and frequent in-office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. Our comprehensive benefits package reflects this commitment, including 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 characteristics. We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection in this open and supportive environment. 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.

Please note this is a UK based role and requires individuals to have the right to work in this location.