Account Manager

ESSENCEMEDIACOM; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading media agency in Manchester is seeking a Planning Account Manager to manage day-to-day account operations and lead a creative team. The ideal candidate will have strong presentation skills, a proven digital understanding, and experience in cross-channel media planning. This role offers competitive benefits and opportunities for growth in a supportive environment.

Benefits

Competitive medical and dental insurance

Significant paid time off

Employee mental health awareness days

Preferential partner discounts

Qualifications

• Strong presentation and communication skills with excellent written & verbal English.
• Proven digital understanding and ability to tackle digital questions.
• Drive to execute new ideas and be at the forefront of industry developments.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day account operations and act as the main contact for clients.
• Inspire and manage the internal team while overseeing budget documents.
• Ensure smooth account operations between planning and other departments.

Skills

Proficiency in managing budgets

Strong presentation skills

Excellent verbal communication

Ability to delegate

Experience in cross-channel media planning

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

About EssenceMediacom: A Leading WPP Media Brand

EssenceMediacom is a new breed of media agency. Grounded in analytics & insights and powered by data & technology, we believe in the power of media and creative to drive breakthroughs for the world’s best brands. We help clients understand the modern marketing paradox and discover the breakthroughs brands need to win with their consumers. We are designed for the new communications economy — built on data & technology, built for people & algorithms, built around diverse schools of thought, built to test & learn at scale, and, crucially, built to evolve.

Role Summary and Impact

The planning account manager is the perfect role for a bright, enthusiastic, and personable character, and an opportunity to work within the umbrella of the biggest advertiser in the country, and on the most exciting and popular brands within that.

The successful candidate will manage the day-to-day account, be involved in end-to-end media planning from annual planning to econometrics debriefs, lead a team, and deliver idea-first media solutions within a accommodating, fair and friendly client team. The candidate should also have an established knowledge of the UK digital landscape and experience using insights and planning tools to ensure our plans are digital-first, founded in insight and set-up to test & learn. If you have a passion for media planning across multiple channels, this is a wonderful opportunity!

Based in our new WPP campus building in the heart of Manchester’s development district, the largest communications operation outside of London and the home for all WPP regional talent across a number of business disciplines, and an amazing place to grow your communications career and to realise your potential in a dynamic and exciting setting.

Role Responsibilities

1. Leading the day-to-day account management and being the go-to person for the client. You will be indispensable to them, a key ally to help them develop amazing work.
2. Inspiring and managing the internal team. Doing and delegating where appropriate, overseeing important budget documents and ensuring the efficiency of the day to day.
3. Acting as the key fulcrum between planning and other EssenceMediacom departments to ensure a smooth and successful running of the account.

Skills and Experience

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.

• Performance mindset be proficient in managing budgets and comprehensive measurement documents.
• Proven digital understanding, training and ability to cover digital questions in client meetings in lieu of specialist teams.
• Strong presentation and communication skills with excellent written & verbal English language skills/grammar.
• Independent worker who can own and manage relationships confidently.
• Drive to execute new ideas and be at the forefront of new industry developments.
• Personality. It’s a work hard, play hard group.
• A keen eye for detail and a conscientious approach.
• Experience in cross channel media planning.
• A positive and passionate approach that motivates the team around you.
• The ability to delegate, up and downwards, to coordinate between groups and departments and to be able to sell strategies, initiatives and ideas convincingly.
• Provide regular feedback (both positive and negative) to the team on a regular basis.
• Set clear KPIs’ that focus on the individual’s key behaviours and areas for improvement.
• Flag up any serious performance issues immediately and seek help to manage them accordingly.
• Ensure that the team are working in a collaborative way with Digital, Investment, MBA, Business Science, Consumer Insight etc.
• Quality control of output from the team.

Life at WPP Media & Benefits

Our passion for shaping the next era of media includes investing in our employees to help them do their best work, and we’re just as committed to employee growth as we are to responsible media investment. 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, and dental insurance, significant paid time off, preferential partner discounts, and employee mental health awareness days.

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.

Please note this is a UK based role and requires individuals to have the right to work in this location

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