Director, Implementation Planning 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 the Role: Are you looking to join a high-performance, experienced team and lead the digital strategy for one of the most iconic travel brands in Europe? This is your opportunity to take a pivotal role on our Eurostar team, accelerating the client's digital and data transformation strategy across the UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and potentially Germany. This role is for a leader with deep, cross-channel digital performance expertise (Search, Social, Programmatic) and a passion for the evolution of the Eurostar brand. You will be responsible for bridging high-level strategy and in-market activation, driving tangible business results through innovative, data-driven planning.

In this role, you will:

• Strategic & Commercial Leadership: Lead the evolution of the Implementational Planning offering for Eurostar, identifying growth opportunities and driving their media transformation. You will have control of the overall digital channel investment, ensuring all commercial considerations are met while developing and owning the commercial plan.
• Cross-Channel Performance: Develop and run detailed, integrated digital roadmaps for Search, Social, and Programmatic, ensuring that performance plans are perfectly in sync with brand-building activity in each market.
• Data, Tech & Forecasting: Lead the audit of Eurostar’s digital maturity through our Digital Maturity Framework, delivering a clear roadmap of actions that will drive growth. Utilise our performance planner to create robust forecasts and use our custom dashboards to meticulously track performance against targets. Confidently brief AdTech teams to ensure the right capabilities, tracking, and technology are in place to achieve our goals.
• Test & Learn Culture: Design and manage a rigorous, agile test-and-learn agenda. You will be responsible for logging all tests and outcomes in our Curatest Dashboard to build an institutional memory of what works.
• Audience-Centric Planning: Master the nuances of multi-market targeting, particularly understanding how to define and engage audiences that can feasibly travel to a Eurostar station.
• Collaboration & Innovation: Work 'upstream' with Strategy & Comms Planners to translate provocations into credible digital approaches, and 'downstream' with Activation teams to ensure flawless execution and get the best out of their specialist expertise. Remain relentlessly curious, actively seeking out and assessing new tech partners who can help us innovate and drive Eurostar’s business forward. Build and maintain strong, trusted-advisor relationships with senior clients and key internal and external partners.

Skills and Experience:

• Proven Experience: You have significant leadership experience in digital planning and buying across diverse media channels, with a deep, hands-on understanding of Search, Social, and Programmatic. You are comfortable working with multiple markets – the role is currently across UK, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
• Strategic & Analytical Mindset: You are highly numerate with strong analytical skills, able to interrogate various data sources (e.g., Google Analytics, ad servers, social analytics) to derive actionable insights. You can turn high-level strategy into detailed, innovative, and actionable digital plans.
• Technical & Commercial Acumen: You possess a thorough understanding of the AdTech landscape, with experience in briefing technical teams. You have proven commercial acumen, with experience managing budgets, forecasting spend, driving organic growth, and understanding P&L management in a multi-channel media context.
• Leadership & Collaboration: You are an excellent communicator, able to confidently present complex integrated media strategies to senior stakeholders. You are a passionate and curious leader, able to challenge the status quo, solve problems proactively, and inspire both your team and the client.
• Passion & Drive: You are genuinely passionate about the Eurostar brand, its mission, and the exciting evolution of the travel industry. You are driven to find better ways to grow our client's business and are excited by the opportunity to lead their digital journey.

Life at WPP Media & Benefits: 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 that while our philosophy is the same across WPP, benefits may vary by office/country. Please note this is a UK based role and requires individuals to have the right to work in this location.