Solutions Development, Director in London

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.

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.

As one of our Directors in the Solutions Development team you will be focused specifically on leading the design and development for enhanced digital performance within WPP Media Solutions in ways that have client appeal and are revenue returning. With either extensive performance marketing or in-platform performance experience in social and programmatic, you will canvas the broad responsibility of leading strategically on designing the destination and mapping the requirements, with tactical development planning to ensure we build, test, and launch with robust processes.

Strategically, you will act as a forward-looking leader and innovation agent, shaping the future of performance within WPP Media Solutions and directly influencing our own path to delivering Guaranteed Outcomes to clients. Tactically, you will both lead cross-functional working groups to build, test and launch while also collaborating with marketing science, directly feeding into the rest of the portfolio – defining, evolving and championing lower funnel performance delivery for clients in line with our gold standard measurement and effectiveness framework.

The role promises to offer you a platform for individual growth, matrix management of cross-functional teams across Data & Tech, Solutions Integrations, Marketing Science, Planning, and Activation with a platform for true client and business impact.

Overall Purpose: To lead, shape, and directly influence our lower funnel performance offer to clients – grounded in social and/or programmatic, with influence into the wider portfolio.

Responsibility set:

• Performance planning & Solution design: Define and lead the development of best-in-market performance capabilities for Social (P1) and ideally Programmatic Display (P2), ensuring solutions are synced to client needs and cross-channel use cases.
• Strategic & Thought leader: Be the go-to expert for innovation and developments in Performance delivery for clients with a lens on Social and Programmatic Display, understanding competitive landscapes, and collaboratively shaping solution differentiation. Lead channel innovation leveraging our Desirability, Feasibility, Viability framework.
• Cross-Functional leadership: Lead cross-functional working groups, bringing together diverse teams (media, tech, marketing science, planning, activation) to deliver prioritized developments and planned benefits. This involves being a project manager for complex initiatives.
• Senior stakeholder engagement: Engage confidently with senior leaders and stakeholders to drive ideas, influence strategy, and articulate the value of proposed solutions.
• Channel ecosystem understanding: Network with agency practitioners and EMEA colleagues to ensure a finely tuned understanding of how channels are planned, activated, and measured, driving solution consistency and identifying opportunities for share and reapply.
• Commercial & compliance oversight: Ensure the compliant design and development of owned channel solutions, continuously reviewing pricing, margin setting, and market fit. Maintain a deep understanding of the supply chain and cost model.
• Roadmap & delivery: Develop and deliver a channel roadmap, manage solution materials, and troubleshoot business challenges to ensure an enhanced and integrated portfolio of solutions.

Skills and Experience:

• 10+ years with performance marketing experience in Media, with proof points in Performance, Social and/or Programmatic trading.
• Evidenced experience and understanding of Digital Media, both from a media and technical perspective with strong relationships with adtech/martech partners to enable solution development.
• Performance Marketing craft knowledge and industry POV is important.
• An entrepreneurial attitude with a portfolio of experiences to showcase ability to recognise and develop new client solutions ahead of market maturity.
• Accredited or can speak to project management experience to effectively manage cross-functional teams and associated developments.
• Confidence and ability to manage and deliver multiple projects to multiple deadlines simultaneously.

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
• dental insurance
• significant paid time off
• preferential partner discounts
• 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.