Strategy Director

EssenceMediacom Limited; Dubai; Hybrid; AED 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A global media collective based in Dubai is looking for a Growth Strategy Director to lead multi-market pitches and create compelling strategies for client engagement. The ideal candidate should have extensive experience in client-facing roles and a proven track record in strategic leadership and presentations. This role offers competitive benefits including medical and retirement plans, as well as a hybrid working environment to enhance collaboration.

Benefits

Competitive medical plans

Group retirement plans

Vision and dental insurance

Paid time off

Mental health awareness days

Qualifications

• A senior team leader with experience in a client-facing or growth role.
• Excellent understanding of the tools and processes that create agency brand distinctiveness.
• Deep experience in translating marketing briefs into business requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead multi-market pitches and local pitches as needed.
• Develop compelling strategies for pitch presentations.
• Collaborate with insights teams for relevant category insights.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Excellent communication skills

Team player

Presentation skills

Client-facing experience

Job description

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. For more information, visit wpp.com.

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. For more information, visit wppmedia.com.

Role Summary & Impact

We have an exciting opportunity to join our newly evolved WPP Media Growth team. This role is based in Dubai and will work closely with the growth team, content team, and marketing team to deliver exceptional new business responses. As the Growth Strategy Director, you will be part of one of several squad teams, spearheading the delivery of compelling strategies to win and retain key multi‑market clients for the group and brands.

You will be a seasoned strategist, with significant client‑facing and ideally multi‑market leadership experience across UAE and KSA, with a successful track‑record of leading on all strategic efforts of a pitch process.

Key responsibilities

• Strategic leadership on multi‑market pitches and global prospecting, plus supporting on game‑changing local pitches where required.
• Owning the overall narrative arc across all written and presented materials.
• Delivering compelling strategies in pitch and prospecting meetings.
• Partner with the agency brand strategic leadership to operationalise each of the three brands planning processes to create a compelling and connected strategy that differentiates the participating brands.
• Brought together content into a single narrative, working with key stakeholders in the different disciplines from across the group.
• Briefing, coaching and co‑developing (where required) market teams across multi‑market pitches to ensure consistent, high calibre outputs and delivery.
• Working closely with insights team to gather rich insights relevant to the category, company, consumer etc.
• Supporting the Head of Growth across multiple pitches and other WPP opcos to stay up to date with their talent, systems and innovations.
• Ensuring that our best work and pitch learning is replicated widely through active collaboration with the wider strategy team and onward distribution and coaching to pitching teams locally.
• Work collaboratively with Strategy Squad counterparts to create compelling growth stories that can be utilised for pitch presentations, client work and award entries.
• Bring an up‑to‑date point of view of our best work across the group and new needs arising from pitches to continuously evolve the way that we do things.
• Sharing relevant thought leadership with the wider squad team to ensure they are educated on the latest trends and category insights.

Skills & Experience

• A senior team leader with experience in a client facing or growth role.
• A genuine team player and supportive partner.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, and charismatic sales representative in pitch and prospect meetings.
• Excellent understanding of the tools and processes that create the distinctiveness of each agency brand.
• Superb written, PPT and presentation skills.
• The confidence to give direct feedback and guidance to colleagues, including senior leadership.
• Have deep experience in translating between marketing briefs and business requirements.
• Be skilled in recognising and supporting local nuances and differences to come to the surface inside a globally consistent framework of thinking and delivering.
• Know a killer idea when they see it and be able to deliver it compellingly.
• High level collaboration skills with a wide range of stakeholders, organisations and markets.
• Deliver on the individual promises of WPP, WPP Media and each of the three individual brands.

Life at WPP Media & Benefits

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.

Benefit highlights: competitive medical, group retirement plans, vision, and dental insurance; significant paid time off; preferential partner discounts; and employee mental health awareness days. 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.

WPP Media is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular 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.

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