Associate Director, Activation and Delivery, UK

WPP Media; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Retirement plans

Vision & Dental insurance

Paid time off

Employee discounts

Mental health days

Job summary

WPP Media is seeking an Associate Director of Activation and Delivery in the UK. Based in Manchester, you will lead paid social campaigns, oversee client accounts and drive campaign performance.

You will mentor a team of social specialists, ensuring flawless delivery and strong ROI for clients. You will partner with senior stakeholders, translate business goals into robust strategies, and optimise budgets while maintaining high standards of quality and collaboration.

Qualifications

• In-depth hands-on paid social expertise across major platforms, at least 4+ years in paid social.
• Proven track record supervising and developing junior paid social specialists.
• Demonstrable ability to build and maintain client relationships and be a trusted advisor.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day paid social output for assigned client accounts.
• Translate client goals into effective campaign strategies and oversee execution and budget management.
• Mentor and develop a team of social specialists to ensure high-quality delivery.
• Prepare and present performance reports with actionable recommendations to stakeholders.

Skills

Paid Social Expertise

Team Supervision

Client Management

Commercial Acumen

Analytics & Reporting

Communication

Project Management

Tools

Meta Ads Manager

TikTok Ads Manager

Pinterest Ads Manager

Job description

Associate Director, Activation and Delivery, UK

Manchester, United Kingdom

About WPP Media

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. With exceptional talent, trusted data and intelligence, and world-class partnerships – all united by ourpioneeringagentic marketing platform, WPP Open – we help clients navigate change, capture opportunity, and deliver transformational growth.

WPP Media is WPP's AI-driven media operating unit, bringing together media, data, and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation at scale. Connected through WPP Open and powered by Open Intelligence, clients see exactly where, how, and why their media investment is working.

2480 - Associate Director, Activation and Delivery, UK

Role Summary and Impact

As a Paid Social Account Director, you will be pivotal in ensuring the successful execution and optimisation of paid social campaigns across your assigned client accounts. This role requires a strong blend of hands‑on paid social expertise, meticulous campaign management, and effective team leadership. You will be responsible for overseeing the day‑to‑day paid social output, ensuring campaigns align with client objectives and deliver measurable results. Cultivating strong client relationships will be key, acting as a primary point of contact and trusted advisor. You will also mentor and develop a team of social specialists, fostering their growth and ensuring innovative, high‑quality campaign delivery that maximises client ROI across all relevant social channels. Ultimately, you will contribute significantly to client success and the agency’s reputation through expert delivery and stakeholder management.

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.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

Account Directors are charged with responsibility for the day‑to‑day paid social output of one (or more) client accounts, with several key areas of focus. These include:

• Extensive Paid Social Expertise:In-depth, hands‑on proficiency across all major paid social advertising platforms, including Meta Ads Manager (essential) plus TikTok Ads Manager and Pinterest Ads Manager (desired). Minimum of 4+ years of experience in paid social media.
• Team Supervision & Development:Proven track record of successfully overseeing, mentoring, and developing a team of junior paid social specialists. This includes guiding day‑to‑day account management, ensuring performance standards, and fostering professional growth.
• Client & Stakeholder Management:Demonstrable ability to build and maintain strong client relationships, serving as a trusted point of contact and advisor. Capable of developing and nurturing relationships with suppliers and other internal/external stakeholders.
• Commercial Acumen & Strategic Execution:Strong understanding of how paid social campaigns contribute to business objectives and ROI. Ability to translate client goals into effective campaign strategies and oversee their successful execution, including budget management and identifying optimisation opportunities.
• Analytical & Reporting Excellence:Proficient in interpreting complex campaign data, identifying key trends, deriving actionable insights, and presenting comprehensive performance reports and recommendations to stakeholders.
• Communication & Presentation:Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex strategies and performance insights clearly, concisely, and persuasively to diverse audiences. Confident in leading client calls and presentations.
• Project & Quality Management:Excellent organisational skills, adept at managing multiple client projects and team priorities concurrently, ensuring adherence to quality standards and best practices.

Preferred Skills & Qualifications:

• Proven track record of contributing to new business pitches and client growth initiatives.
• Relevant industry certifications (e.g., Meta Blueprint).

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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