Business Affairs Manager

WPP Production; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 42,705 - 75,768; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

WPP Production is seeking a Business Affairs Manager to support creative development, integrated productions, and financial/legal aspects of agency production for omnichannel campaigns across North America.

The role requires a strong grasp of production processes from concept to delivery, with attention to budgets and timelines in a fast-paced environment. A hybrid work model and collaboration with cross‑functional teams are central to success.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in advertising agency or station-side environments.
• Comprehensive knowledge of media management and regulation.
• Excellent organizational and tracking abilities.
• Experience with regulatory clearance (Ad Standards Canada & thinktv).
• Working knowledge of ACTRA/UDA/SAG/AFTRA/AFM contracting and discussions.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with department leads to educate team members on agency and client production processes; interface with client engagement, accounting, regulatory bodies, and outside partners.
• Audit vendor policies and engagement agreements; ensure SOX compliance and adherence to production guidelines; manage third-party rights and licensing.
• Manage creative resourcing and workflow across the agency; oversee traffic and asset management; lead a team to deliver on production timelines.

Skills

Advertising experience

Media management

Organizational skills

Regulatory clearance

Microsoft Office

Legal guidelines

Communication skills

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

About WPP Production

We are WPP Production - the unified global production company that brings together all of WPP's content producers, studios and craft experts into one connected organisation. We combine world-class human craft with next generation technology to originate, design, and deliver multi-channel content systems at scale. Built for borderless collaboration and powered by deep craft expertise, we are the production engine designed for today's always on, AI driven marketing world.

About WPP

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit WPP.com.

A Hybrid working model

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.

Business Affairs Manager

WPP Productions is seeking a Business Affairs Manager to play an integral role supporting creative development, integrated productions and handling financial and legal aspects of all agency production for omnichannel advertising campaigns, including broadcast, digital, print, and experiential projects. You will serve as the specialist and main point of contact for account management and agency leadership for all production matters for North American clients. The ideal person for this role is a team player with a creative mind, an ability to work in a fast-paced creative environment and an extensive understanding of the production process from conception and bidding to final delivery. They are detailed, with a keen eye on all aspects of omnichannel production, ensuring they are finished on time, on scope and on budget.

What you'll do:

• Collaborate | Partner with department leads to educate new team members to agency and client production processes. Interface and coordinate with client engagement team, accounting, regulatory bodies, and outside production partners. Work with the Director of Business Affairs to advance the department by targeting select talent that can continue to enhance our capabilities within the evolving content landscape. Collaborate with various cross-agency teams to review creative materials at all stages while advising on talent, third-party rights, including copyright, trademark, and rights of publicity, and other advertising regulations and guidelines. Liaise with agency legal on contract challenges, release standardization and updates, and templates. Advise on production guidelines, best practices, and client brand guidelines. Partner with production and other stakeholders to track and manage active agency production jobs. Partner with finance and production partners to finalize client estimates. Work with Producers and Finance on various production budgets.
• Audit | Review vendor policies and engagement agreements. Maintain sufficient business practices to insure all production is auditable by Agency auditors, Clients and Unions: SOX compliance, transparency and adherence to Union Collective Bargaining Contracts (UDA). Enforce Agency & Client Production Guidelines: specs, competitive bidding, estimating, contracting. Ensure alignment with Client SOWs and MSAs and manage third party rights and obtain clearance. Create and issue award documents including vendor agreements, production contracts, insurance, licensing and talent agreements and vendor purchase orders. Always have an eye on evaluating production and contract challenges. Proactively manage all account transition documentation and Licensing. Advise and proactively educate agency teams and clients on the SAG-AFTRA and AFM (if applicable) agreements, including waivers, interpretations, regulations, and non-union (if applicable) best practices, employment guidelines and other considerations. Update agency process and forms based on changes in the industry. Participate in and impact project scoping discussions. Estimate talent session fees and all other talent related costs of production; work with talent payroll company and account services to estimate usage fees. Draft and negotiate various third-party agreements, including music, licensing of footage and images, artwork and recognizable structures, apps, and other third-party rights.
• Manage | Responsible for managing creative resourcing and workflow across the agency. Help to lead creative asset management for clients and the production of their day‑to‑day work deliverables, owning production projects from post to archiving. Act as the Team leader overseeing all traffic management assigned with a focus on a solutions‑oriented environment inspiring collaboration.

What you'll need:

• 5+ years of experience in advertising agency and/or station-side
• Comprehensive knowledge of media management
• Excellent organizational & tracking skills
• Experience with regulatory clearance (Ad Standards Canada & thinktv‑Telecaster Services)
• Acute Microsoft Office skills
• Working knowledge around the ACTRA/UDA/SAG/AFTRA/AFM commercials contracting and discussions
• Knowledge of legal guidelines for commercial production, licensing language, trademark, rights of privacy, copyright
• Exceptional initiative, pitch‑in, multi‑tasking, attention to detail and follow through skills
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Strong attention to detail and ability to juggle multiple projects at once
• A passion for helping teams create their very best work in the smartest way possible

The hourly salary for this position at the time of this posting may range from CA $31.25/hr to CA $55/hr. Individual compensation varies based on job‑related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications.

Why work here:

At WPP Production, you’ll help shape the future of content production at a truly global scale. We bring together world‑class talent, cutting‑edge studios, and advanced technology to solve some of the most complex creative and production challenges in the industry. You’ll work in a collaborative, borderless environment where craft excellence is valued, innovation is encouraged, and AI and next‑generation tools are used to amplify not replace human creativity. With access to diverse projects, global career opportunities, and the backing of WPP’s unmatched network, this is a place where you can grow your skills, make real impact, and create work that performs for every audience, across every channel, at every moment.

Inclusion and Impact

WPP 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.

Data

We rely on legitimate interest as a legal basis for processing personal information under the GDPR for purposes of recruitment and applications for employment. Before you do this, we think it's a good idea to read through our Privacy statement. This explains what we do with your personal data when you apply for a role with us, and, how you can update the information you have provided us with or how to remove it.