Associate Activation Director

Publicis Groupe ANZ; Australia; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Wholeself program

Flexibility - Liberté

Global Marcel AI Platform

Marcel Classes (learning)

Job summary

Publicis Groupe ANZ's Spark Foundry unit is seeking an Associate Activation Director to lead activation for the Paramount+ account, driving best-in-class outcomes and strategic partnerships. You will oversee a high-performing team and steer complex media negotiations while delivering campaign excellence.

This role suits a senior media professional who thrives at the intersection of client leadership, team development, and hands-on media expertise.

Qualifications

• 7+ years' experience in media activation, investment or planning.
• Previous experience leading and developing team members.
• Strong negotiation skills and commercial acumen.
• Deep understanding of the media landscape and investment marketplace.
• Proven ability to manage complex client relationships and stakeholder groups.
• Experience working across large-scale, high-profile client accounts.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to balance strategic and hands‑on responsibilities.
• A collaborative leadership style with a passion for coaching and mentoring others.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with high client expectations.
• A proactive mindset and commitment to continuous learning and development.

Responsibilities

• Lead activation across a dedicated entertainment and streaming client portfolio.
• Manage and develop a Senior Executive and Coordinator, providing day-to-day leadership and support.
• Lead media negotiations and ensure maximum value is delivered across every campaign.
• Oversee campaign delivery, ensuring work is executed accurately, efficiently and to a high standard.
• Act as a key point of contact for clients, media partners and internal stakeholders.
• Support senior leadership on commercial opportunities, quarterly reviews and strategic initiatives.
• Drive workflow management across the team, ensuring priorities and deadlines are met.
• Identify market opportunities and translate industry trends into actionable recommendations.
• Champion best-practice activation processes and commercial outcomes. Contribute to team culture, development and ongoing capability building.

Skills

Media activation

Team leadership

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Account management

Organizational skills

Coaching & mentoring

Client relationships

Fast-paced adaptability

Job description

Company description

At Spark Foundry we bring HEAT to brands, Higher Engagement, Affinity and Transaction. Engagement with consumers, customers and stakeholders, affinity with brands, and transactions, that materially impact our client’s businesses. Spark is uniquely positioned to deliver HEAT because we have an aligned set of beliefs that guide how we navigate a changing media landscape, a structure that is designed for total accountability and a repeatable methodology to bake continuous improvement into everything we do. In order to bring this vision to life, we seek alignment around key values from our talent. Diverse thinkers with diverse thinking—what we call Allsorts—are essential to tackle challenges through the lens of different disciplines and perspectives. To succeed at Spark, you must thrive on the belief that great ideas are only great if they work. It’s not enough to be new, cool, or interesting; our solutions must drive business results. You need to embrace both the art and the evidence—right and left brain, imagination and activation, insight and technology in the pursuit of big ideas that are forensically measured. If you are motivated by these values, we welcome you to apply to become a Sparkie.

Overview

#LI-

Join Spark Foundry and take the lead on one of the most exciting entertainment brands in market. As Associate Activation Director, you'll be dedicated to the Paramount+ account, leading a high-performing team while driving best-in-class activation, commercial outcomes and strategic partnerships.

This role is ideal for a senior media professional who loves working at the intersection of client leadership, team development and complex media negotiations. You'll have the opportunity to shape campaign excellence, influence senior stakeholders and work closely with some of the industry's most recognisable entertainment brands.

If you're an experienced activation leader looking for a role that combines people management, commercial strategy and hands‑on media expertise, we'd love to hear from you.

Responsibilities

• Lead activation across a dedicated entertainment and streaming client portfolio.
• Manage and develop a Senior Executive and Coordinator, providing day-to-day leadership and support.
• Lead media negotiations and ensure maximum value is delivered across every campaign.
• Oversee campaign delivery, ensuring work is executed accurately, efficiently and to a high standard.
• Act as a key point of contact for clients, media partners and internal stakeholders.
• Support senior leadership on commercial opportunities, quarterly reviews and strategic initiatives.
• Drive workflow management across the team, ensuring priorities and deadlines are met.
• Identify market opportunities and translate industry trends into actionable recommendations.
• Champion best-practice activation processes and commercial outcomes. Contribute to team culture, development and ongoing capability building.

Qualifications

• 7+ years' experience in media activation, investment or planning.
• Previous experience leading and developing team members.
• Strong negotiation skills and commercial acumen.
• Deep understanding of the media landscape and investment marketplace.
• Proven ability to manage complex client relationships and stakeholder groups.
• Experience working across large-scale, high-profile client accounts.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to balance strategic and hands‑on responsibilities.
• A collaborative leadership style with a passion for coaching and mentoring others.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with high client expectations.
• A proactive mindset and commitment to continuous learning and development.

Additional information

Publicis Groupe benefits: Be a part of the Publicis Groupe family, recent winner of the Employer of Choice Awards and one of the world's most progressive and dynamic modern communications businesses. You can learn more about us at www.publicisgroupeanz.com.

Enjoy all the perks that come with our network offering:

• A comprehensive Wholeself program supporting physical, mindful, and financial wellbeing.
• A creative, lively, and rewarding office environment where people love working with each other, supported by our Publicis Liberté flexibility approach — "working your way with us."
• Access to our Global AI Platform Marcel, connecting Publicis Groupe employees with opportunities for career mobility and collaboration across our global network.
• Extensive Learning & Development opportunities including more than 15,000 learning programs via our online learning platform, Marcel Classes.
• A culture of open feedback and support to reach your goals through our Career Conversations program.
• A committed Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion strategy driven through our Viva Women, Égalité, enABLE, EmbRACE, and Écologique committees.
• Leave benefits including Birthday Leave, Flexible Public Holidays, and an additional 5 days of leave after 2 years of service.
• Work Your World program enabling employees the flexibility to work from anywhere in the world for up to 6 weeks per year.
• Parental leave policy with up to 18 weeks based on tenure, paid primary carer leave, secondary carer swap, and Cub Care leave.
• Access to counsellors, psychologists, and professionals through Sonder, an all-in-one digital wellbeing technology platform designed to support psychological, medical & safety needs.
• A workplace that stands together to provide a more open, supportive, and recovery-forward culture for all employees with life-threatening illnesses. Read more about our Working With Cancer Pledge: https://workingwithcancerpledge.com/
• Proud partners of Diversity Council Australia, Pride in Diversity, Family Friendly Workplaces, Supply Nation, and the Australian Disability Network.

If you don't tick every box in this ad, please don't rule yourself out. Research suggests that women and other people in underrepresented groups tend to only apply if they meet every requirement. We focus on hiring people who share our values of inclusion, collaboration, adaptability, fearlessness, and integrity rather than ticking boxes — so if this role resonates with you, please apply.

Diversity. Inclusion. Equity. More than just words; these are part of our DNA. At Publicis Groupe, we are committed to the inclusion and recognition of all people regardless of race, age, culture, ability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, and religious affiliation. We believe that to deliver the best solutions to our clients, our people need to reflect the diverse communities in which our clients operate. We value diversity and the skills, knowledge, and experience that difference brings to our culture and solutions.

Uniqueness is powerful; without it, we wouldn't be where we are today. So be you — we like it that way.

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for people with disability or those that require additional support throughout the application process. If you need any assistance or adjustments, please contact us via [e-mail]; your personal information will be kept confidential.