Business Director

Publicis Groupe UK; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension

Life Assurance

Private Medical cover

Reflection Days

Shared Parental Leave

Job summary

Spark Foundry, part of Publicis Groupe, is hiring a Business Director to lead brilliant media thinking for George, one of the UK’s best-known fashion retailers. This high-impact role sits at the heart of our partnership, shaping strategy, strengthening client relationships and delivering work that drives brand growth and commercial progress.

You’ll unite smart planning, retail insight, strong team leadership and collaborative problem-solving to help George stay true to its value-led roots while

Qualifications

• Strong experience in media planning in agency or brand-side.
• Understanding of retail/fashion or consumer communications.
• Experience leading integrated campaigns with cross-functional teams.
• Ability to build relationships with senior stakeholders.
• Commercial awareness of agency finances and revenue opportunities.
• Clear, engaging presentation skills.
• Collaborative leadership and team development.

Responsibilities

• Own trusted senior client relationships and act as day-to-day partner for senior stakeholders.
• Shape and direct media strategy for George with grounded insight and commercial focus.
• Collaborate with Managing Partner to align client priorities and decision-making.
• Lead development of integrated campaign thinking with strategists and investment teams.
• Oversee team workflow, service levels and deadlines; ensure priorities are clear.
• Contribute to accurate forecasting and business updates with commercial perspective.
• Coach and develop the team with clear goals and growth opportunities.

Skills

Media planning

Retail/fashion understanding

Integrated campaigns

Client relationships

Commercial awareness

Presentation skills

Leadership & coaching

Job description

Company Description

Who We Are in the UK?

Spark Foundry, the Acceleration Agency.

We help brands to identify, learn and respond to opportunities faster than the competition.

Every client has an area of their business they need to accelerate, from short-term goals to long-term transformation.

We’ve proven our approach during the most difficult year on record. Now we’re using it to provide a launchpad for their future.

Come be an accelerator with us.

How we accelerate

• Planning: an approach that works in practice rather than theory, arming planners with the ability to create cutting edge campaigns
• Intelligence: a suite of tools that give definitive answers to big questions, and uncovers actionable insights about real people
• Trading: a model built on flexibility and trusted relationships, underpinned with bold guarantees
• Relationships: a culture of asking challenging questions to better understand the brief – we are not a ‘yes’ agency
• People: a strong history of recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds and accelerating their careers

Our Commitment

We are diverse though our experience, people and the clients we look after - and we celebrate that diversity. Our people hold us accountable to our beliefs and via regular surveys and our grass roots D&I team, The Collective, and internal next generation board, Firestarters, we hold regular events and work continually towards generating ideas, initiatives and educating our people to ensure we are a diverse and inclusive agency.

As part of our dedication to create an inclusive and diverse workforce, Spark Foundry is committed to equal access to opportunity for people without regard to race, age, sex, disability, neurodiversity, sexual orientation, gender identity or religion.

Overview

We are hiring a Business Director to lead brilliant media thinking for George, one of the UK’s most recognisable fashion retail brands. This is a high-impact role at the heart of Spark Foundry’s partnership with George, helping shape strategy, strengthen client relationships and deliver work that drives both brand growth and commercial progress. You’ll bring together smart planning, retail insight, strong team leadership and a collaborative approach to help George continue building its fashion authority while staying true to its value‑led roots. If you enjoy turning complex challenges into clear, effective media strategies, this is an opportunity to make a visible difference for a major client.

Responsibilities

What you'll be doing:

• Own trusted senior client relationships, acting as a key day‑to‑day partner for senior stakeholders and helping create the conditions for strong, effective work.
• Shape and direct media strategy for George, ensuring plans are grounded in insight, commercially focused and built to deliver measurable impact.
• Partner closely with the Managing Partner to understand client priorities, define success and bring a strong client perspective into internal discussions.
• Lead the development of integrated campaign thinking, working with strategists, investment teams and account colleagues to deliver connected, high‑quality outputs.
• Oversee team workflow, service levels and deadlines, helping the team stay focused, supported and clear on priorities.
• Contribute to accurate forecasting and business updates, bringing commercial awareness to account planning and decision‑making.
• Support, coach and develop the team, creating clear goals, encouraging growth and helping people do their best work.

Qualifications

Skills we're looking for:

• Strong experience in media planning, ideally within an agency environment, with brand-side experience also valued.
• A confident understanding of retail, fashion or consumer‑facing communications, with the ability to connect audience insight to business outcomes.
• Experience leading integrated campaigns, working with cross‑functional teams to bring strategy, planning and activation together effectively.
• Skilled client partner, comfortable building relationships with senior stakeholders and navigating complex conversations with clarity and care.
• Sound commercial awareness, including an understanding of agency financials, revenue opportunities and profitable account management.
• Clear and engaging presentation skills, with the ability to translate strategic thinking into compelling recommendations for senior audiences.
• A collaborative leadership style, with experience supporting managers and developing high‑performing teams through feedback, coaching and clear direction.

Additional Information

Spark Foundryoffers a wide range of benefits to support our employees. Full details are shared when you join, but highlights include core benefits such as Pension, Life Assurance, and Private Medical cover, alongside enhanced policies like Reflection Days and Shared Parental Leave. You’ll also have access to a range of additional initiatives, including:

Please check out thePublicis Career Pagewhich showcases our Inclusive Benefits and our EAG’s (Employee Action Groups).

Publicis Groupe works primarily from the office or our clients' office four days per week.

At Spark Foundry, we welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, and do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion or belief, disability, age, citizenship, relationship status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic.

We are committed to providing a fair, accessible, and inclusive recruitment process. If you have any access needs - for example, related to disability, neurodivergence, or a health condition - please let us know. We’ll work with you to ensure the process works for you. Sharing this information will never impact your application.

Guided by our values, we listen with empathy, uplift each other, take responsibility, and embrace change - building a culture where everyone feels seen, respected, and genuinely included.