Associate Director, Search-Paid

WPP Media Limited; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive medical

Retirement plans

Vision

Dental insurance

Paid time off

Partner discounts

Mental health days

Job summary

WPP Media Limited seeks a senior leader to own paid search strategy for high-profile clients in a dynamic multi-market environment.

You will guide the direction of search initiatives within broader media strategies, partnering with clients and internal teams to deliver results. The role emphasizes thought leadership, governance, and a strong track record in performance marketing through AI-enabled optimization.

Qualifications

• Proven senior paid search leader with multi-market client experience.
• Strong strategic thinker able to define and drive search activation within broader media plans.
• Excellent stakeholder management and client leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Take full strategic ownership of paid search across large client portfolios.
• Develop and codify paid search best practices and controls.
• Escalate and resolve strategic paid search issues with proactive risk and opportunity tracking.
• Champion innovative Google/Microsoft AI features and tools.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder mgmt

Team development

Tools

Google Ads

Microsoft Ads

SA360

Job description

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.

3831 - Associate Director, Search-Paid - Manchester

Role Summary and Impact

As a Senior Search Associate Director, you will serve as the strategic lead for paid search across a portfolio of high profile clients. You will own the direction and effectiveness of search activation while shaping how search integrates into broader media strategies.

Operating as a senior leader within the Search team, you will set the vision for your client group alongside the Director, influence cross departmental processes and decision making.

You will also play a key role within the WPP Media Search Community driving thought leadership, representing the agency with partners, and helping to define best in class standards together with the network.

Key Responsibilities

Performance Management

• Take full strategic ownership of paid search performance across large spending client portfolio, setting ambition and direction in partnership with senior client stakeholders.
• Develop paid search best practices, ensuring adherence to controls and processes.
• Act as the escalation point for paid search strategic problems, proactively identifying risks, opportunities, and growth pathways.
• Champion innovation by testing and scaling new Google/Microsoft products and AI capabilities.

Client & Partner Management

• Operate as the most senior day-to-day search lead, and strategic partner to client stakeholders.
• Influence broader integrated planning conversations, ensuring search has a seat at the table in defining brand and performance outcomes.
• Represent WPP Media with platform partners, contributing to joint business plans, beta programmes, and capability building initiatives.

People Management

• Reports to the Search Director
• Directly manage and develop a team, setting high standards for delivery, communication, and craft expertise.
• Support on resource shaping, succession planning, and long‑term team capability development.
• Contribute to recruitment efforts for your team, acting as an ambassador for EssenceMediacom and WPP Media
• Shape the culture of your team through clear leadership behaviours, coaching, and championing collaboration across offices and markets.

Operational Excellence

• Drive operational and process excellence, ensuring your team is efficient, effective and fully utilising WPP Media’s suite of AI tools, tech, and automation capabilities.
• Contribute to commercial planning and identify opportunities for service evolution, scope expansion, and new revenue opportunities with clients.
• Ensure full governance and compliance across financial, operational, and activation workflows.

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.
• Deep platform expertise with Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, and SA360, with a strong
• Significant experience leading complex search clients, either with multi‑market, high profile or growth clients.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders
• Strong track record in developing and managing people
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross‑functional workstreams and collaborate effectively with Media, Planning, Data, Analytics, and Creative.
• Deep platform expertise with Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, and SA360, with a strong understanding of how AI, automation, and audience signals are evolving performance marketing.

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.

• competitive medical
• group retirement plans
• vision
• dental insurance
• significant paid time off
• preferential partner discounts
• 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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