Account Director, Paid Search in Manchester

About WPP Media

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. With talent, data and intelligence, and partnerships, WPP Open powers our marketing platform to help clients navigate change and grow. WPP Media is WPP's AI-driven media operating unit, combining media, data and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation at scale. Connected through WPP Open and Open Intelligence, clients see where, how, and why their media investment is working. For more information, visit wppmedia.com.

Role Summary and Impact

Join an award-winning team at the heart of UK government, where your work will shape lives. As part of WPP 650 you’ll be part of a collaborative environment that values curiosity, kindness, and growth. We use behaviour change principles to design smarter services, influence better decisions, and help millions of people across the country. Named WPP 650 after the 650 UK parliamentary constituencies, the name reminds us to reflect the country’s breadth, communities and audiences. No two days are the same; the challenges are complex and the learning is constant. You’ll tackle meaningful issues alongside colleagues who care deeply about what they do. It’s demanding—but rewarding. This is meaningful work with real-world impact.

As a Paid Search Account Director, you will provide strategic leadership within the Media Activation team, driving Paid Search excellence for key clients. This leadership role delivers category-defining capabilities and services across Paid Search, ensuring optimal campaign performance and data integrity. You will lead and develop Paid Search activation teams, cultivate client and supplier relationships, and define advanced Paid Search strategies aligned with business objectives to drive growth. Your expertise will provide rigorous and innovative recommendations across Paid Search, ensuring continuous optimization and adherence to best practices, and strategically weaving Paid Search into cross-channel campaign strategies.

Reporting Structure: Reports to Paid Search Business Director (Lead).

Key Responsibilities

• Line Management: Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching and development to direct Paid Search activation teams (including Account Managers and Account Executives), fostering excellence and growth. Support capacity planning and resource management, lead recruitment for your immediate team and assist with wider team recruitment.
• Strategic Paid Search Leadership: Develop and lead advanced Paid Search strategies for client portfolios, ensuring alignment with business objectives, KPIs and industry context. Provide strategic insight for client product areas within Paid Search, and proactively spot trends, product releases and opportunities to enhance activity. Oversee development and creation of Paid Search best practices, with accountability for adherence to controls and effective oversight of designated campaigns. Develop thought leadership pieces and case studies to galvanise the role of Paid Search within the wider media community.
• Client & Partner Relationship Management: Develop strong relationships with key clients and suppliers, leading team communications with these stakeholders and providing useful insight independently. Lead efforts to gather and disseminate client intelligence to understand and meet business needs, navigating changes and complex issues. Manage team members to deliver consistently across multiple Paid Search campaigns.
• Operational Excellence & Innovation: Oversee operational excellence, including financial accuracy, data integrity, and end-to-end campaign management processes across Paid Search. Act as an escalation point for activation issues, troubleshooting, and resolving conflicts between best practice and client requirements. Drive innovation by building annual learning agendas and comprehensive test plans for assigned portfolios, fostering continuous optimization. Contribute to agency-wide continuous improvement projects regarding processes and quality standards. Lead through vision, values, and model leadership behaviours while championing and facilitating change.
• Commercial Acumen: Demonstrate strong commercial acumen, leading on the delivery of services in line with client objectives, SLAs and terms of business. Develop ways of working that maximise client output whilst minimising operational input.

Skills and Experience

• Deep Paid Search Expertise: Extensive experience in digital media, specialization in Paid Search (Google Ads, Bing Ads). Proven track record of driving performance for clients.
• Platform Proficiency: Experience with planning and directly managing large-scale Paid Search campaigns; familiarity with Google stack and GMP/AdWords certifications is desirable.
• Strategic & Analytical Acumen: Strong understanding of optimization levers and testing approaches; excellent analytical skills and ability to interpret complex campaign data to derive actionable insights.
• Leadership & People Management: Proven Project Management, Leadership and People Management experience, including responsibility for career development and leading hybrid teams.
• Client & Stakeholder Management: Ability to build relationships with key clients and suppliers, leading team communications and driving workstreams independently.
• Communication & Influence: Excellent verbal and written communication skills; able to articulate complex strategies and insights clearly to diverse audiences.
• Integrated Perspective: Understanding of the overall media landscape and how Paid Search integrates into cross-channel campaign strategy.
• Mindset: Passion for Paid Search and interest in online advertising industry trends; proactive in evolving best practices.

At WPP Media, we believe in culture and our people. In this role it is 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 Mobilise the Enterprise.

Life at WPP Media & Benefits

We invest in our employees and provide opportunities to grow. Benefits include competitive medical, group retirement plans, vision, dental insurance, paid time off, partner discounts, and mental health days. WPP Media is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination. We foster a culture of respect where everyone belongs and has opportunities to progress. We have adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss with the hiring team during the interview process. Please note this is a UK-based role and requires the right to work in this location.