Senior Manager, Commercial Compliance

About WPP Media

WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients and communities. WPP Media is WPP’s global media collective. In a world where media is everywhere and in everything, we bring the best platform, people, and partners together to create limitless opportunities for growth.

Role Summary and Impact

This is a fantastic opportunity where we are looking for a Commercial Compliance Snr Manager to become part of the WPP Media UK Commercial Compliance team, reporting to a Commercial Director. This is a key role, with an overriding objective to partner with the Commercial Director, and other Commercial and Compliance stakeholders to ensure that the agency is complying with all aspects of its contractual commitments whilst fostering a growth mindset. This includes working with the Commercial team to ensure that contractual provisions in terms of charging mechanisms and notifications to clients are managed accurately and in a timely manner, whilst always having an eye on the Commercial growth and profitability of WPP Media UK. The other key aspect of the role is to ensure that systems, controls, and processes are robust, standardised, and applied to eliminate any risk of revenue loss.

Responsibilities

• Working with the commercial team to apply the correct interpretation of WPP’s contractual commitments and reporting thereof, including liaison with affiliate entities.
• Link between the commercial team and finance in ensuring that commercial terms are correctly applied in terms of charging methodology across all income types.
• Supporting the commercial compliance director in ensuring that new commercial models are compliant and have the required level of governance.
• Provide ad hoc commercial analysis for the commercial compliance director.
• To coordinate client audits, liaising with third party audit firms, and ensuring that information required is supplied in the correct format and on a timely basis.
• To work with the UK, EMEA and Global commercial teams to maintain the compliance schedule and ensure that it is up to date and that changes are communicated to the relevant account teams immediately.
• To review the existing control processes and suggest improvements.
• Responsible for all client notifications and declarations.
• To support the commercial compliance director in analysing the transactional processes for all income types, as well as client contractual terms and ensure that all income opportunities are captured.
• To support the commercial compliance director in assessing the robustness of controls around income generating transactions and provide recommendations for enhancement.
• To provide training of the wider agency in commercial compliance related matters.
• Communicate to the agency/to appropriate personnel any new financial and commercial group policies and ensure these are being implemented.
• Able to supervise and mentor more junior staff, professionals, and/or analysts, fostering a collaborative and high-performing environment.
• Provide ongoing coaching, training, and development opportunities to enhance team skills and contribute to their professional growth.

Skills and Experience

• Qualified accountant/auditor or someone holding a legal qualification.
• Industry Commercial / Compliance / Financial experience.
• Knowledge of core agency concepts – agency benefits, disclosed buying models, undisclosed inventory, vendor contracts & remuneration models.
• Capacity for multi-tasking and meeting multiple simultaneous deadlines.
• High levels of gravitas with strong interpersonal skills, ability to communicate well, build trust and engender strong relationships.
• Commercially astute: Capable of unravelling commercial contracts and interpreting them for Commercial Compliance purposes.
• An innate ability to navigate the “grey” and negotiate commercial situations/contracts to the benefit of the agency.
• Demonstrates good commercial logic and reasoning.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail: Logical, concise and proficient at breaking down challenges into component parts and developing solutions-based responses.
• Forward thinking and a detailed planner.
• A natural attention to detail and ability to digest information from a wide variety of sources.
• Open-minded, adept at developing/assessing different options and solutions and adopting a helicopter view when needed.
• Extensive experience of Financial/audit best practice.
• Advanced knowledge and skills within commercial management, with an understanding of the impact of this work on other areas of the organisation (e.g., Finance, Legal, Client Leadership).
• Experience in managing client compliance audit negotiations.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise tasks and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to supervise and develop a team, providing clear instruction and constructive feedback.
• Proactive approach, a logical and analytical thought process, with good attention to detail and high level of accuracy in their output.
• Strong negotiation skills and the ability to problem solve.
• Ability to work under pressure and to tight timelines.
• Highly proficient with Excel (Advanced excel skills).

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 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. While we appreciate all applications received, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Please read our Privacy Notice for more information on how we process the information you provide.