AV Business Director (12 month FTC - Betfred) in Manchester

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.

Role Summary and Impact

Reporting into the Deputy Head Of AV, you will be the Senior AV representative for EMN, from our Team to all clients, Media Owners to senior internal stakeholders across our UK business. This involves delivering the best in market AV output through our team for our clients, senior commercial support of the business, overall team development and a proactive relationship with our senior media owner partners to solidify EM’s reputation across the UK as a market leader. As an AV Director you will be expected to see the Bigger Picture and overarching AV and Video strategies for all of our clients. You will work closely with your senior counterparts in the planning, strategy, digital, PRO and Creative Future departments to understand our client’s business needs, with a view to our team delivering knowledgeable, accurate and innovative AV approaches across the board that can really drive our client’s business forward.

In collaboration with our senior digital, social and creative future colleagues, review then improve our wider agency video investment capabilities today – benchmarking them and identifying where we can get better. You will lead on all AV senior media partner relationships, driving efficiencies in our approach across the market. Ensure all senior contact strategies are relevant throughout EMN and that we are always front of mind for all market opportunities. Play a leading role in our AV thinking in new business pitching and organic business development, leveraging media partner relationships to bolster our thinking and ideas. From a Bigger Picture perspective, you will support the marketing of the agency. This will include but not limited to, creating and leading internal/external media insight events (Thinkbox Tevevisionaries, AV week etc) the writing of market leading case studies and contribute to award entries where required.

Responsibilities of the role:

• People: Ensure the AV team deliver our new essencemediacom breakthrough thinking and culture principles in everything we do from learning everyday to building better together, always inclusive and celebrate every success. Lead our overall team management and development. Proactively shape, clearly communicate, and proactively implement new ways of working across all levels of our team (1 – 5.5), manage all learning and growth opportunities as well develop our culture with input from the wider AV team, making EMN the place to work. Demonstrate effective management of all of our AV team. Ensure the team is motivated, challenged, and given the opportunity to develop. Work closely and support the Head of AV to constantly review full Team ways of working and involve yourself in developing and improving process as well as team efficiency. Manage feedback from across the team as senior management and address as required. Embrace any new ways of working with tenacity and take the AV team on that learning journey. Continue and grow the already existing trust and confidence you have of senior internal UK stakeholders, senior clients, industry leads (such as Thinkbox) and senior Media Owners across the video media marketplace. Ensure your profile is always raised across the senior management team in EM UK.
• Product / Output: In support of the Deputy Head Of AV, help lead our overall AV offering to clients and market. Be responsible for the overall strategic planning output across the AV team. Ensure, in collaboration with our senior Planning colleagues that the AV briefing, planning, implementation and reporting outputs are as efficient, relevant and at all points fit for purpose. High level of presentation skills required, with the ability to present at short notice to a range of audiences both internally and externally. Ensure our AV team maintains zero errors across everything we do, with recommendations being supported with rationale and clear understanding. Think Digital First: Be digitally literate in the field of AV and ensure our team are putting data at the heart of plans. Push the boundaries. Ensure our team are confident in challenging briefs and deliver innovation/new thinking wherever possible across everything we do as AV. Show a genuine, proactive interest in industry research with a view to producing award-winning work across our team. Be adaptable, pro-active, demonstrate an ability to change approach or tweak work based on feedback and changing circumstances to meet the needs of our team, clients and colleagues. You will be ultimately responsible for the buying output of our team, ensure best practice approach to buying is followed by all of you reports. Ensure all trading requirements are monitored, managed, communicated, and met across all AV channels. Be the senior person for escalation issues across the Team, both internally and externally.
• Commercial: Commercial awareness - understand what is needed to make essencemediacom UK a successful business and work closely with the senior commercial and UK trading team to help deliver this across our AV Team. Ultimately responsible for our team’s output for audits and delivering PRF’s. Ensure all financial procedures are adhered to and your accounts are SOx compliant. Senior RMN and UK Commercial Remit. Demonstrate a clear understanding of central trading strategy, support however required UK key partners and help to deliver and report against trading objectives set by the UK, EMN Leadership and Commercial teams. Understand the commercial mechanics that effect our team, Lead our AV thinking in new business pitching and organic business development, leveraging media partner relationships to bolster our thinking and ideas.

Skills and Experience

You will have an extensive knowledge of the AV market, market mechanics (including audits) and all AV tools used, ensuring specialism excellence in the overall Teams output. The role requires long term proof of strong leadership, proactive strategic thinking, great communication skills with an ability to flex your style dependent on personality type, numeracy acumen, strong presentation skills, history of being a team player, individual and team development, resilience, and the ability to remain calm under pressure.

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.

While we appreciate all applications received, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.