Business Director - 12 month FTC

Publicis Groupe; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Zenith UK, part of Publicis Groupe, is hiring a Business Director on a 12-month fixed-term contract starting February 2027 to lead the Essity account with a c. £25m annual media budget.

You’ll oversee strategic planning across leading Personal Care and Tissue brands and manage a small portfolio of clients, driving growth and client–partner collaboration. The role demands senior relationship leadership, strong forecasting and profitability oversight, and the ability to shape bold media strategies

Qualifications

• Strong strategic media planning experience with the ability to turn insight and data into clear, effective media strategies.
• Experience building trusted senior client relationships and leading teams.
• Proven capability in forecasting, resource management and profitability.

Responsibilities

• Lead the planning team and set the strategic direction for Essity, creating outstanding work and innovative media solutions.
• Build trusted senior client relationships and deliver excellent client service.
• Oversee 1–2 smaller accounts, ensuring strategic thinking and high-quality delivery.
• Create conditions for brilliant work by establishing clear processes and collaboration.
• Own account commercials including forecasting, resources and profitability.
• Lead, develop and support a planning team in an inclusive culture.
• Collaborate with Zenith, Publicis Media, partner agencies and suppliers to unlock opportunities.

Skills

Strategic media planning

Senior client relationships

Forecasting

Team leadership

Job description

Company description

Zenith is the ROI agency. We help brands make Bold Moves in communications to drive profitable, measurable growth.

At Zenith, Bold Moves are big, brave shifts to strategy, data, audience or activation. They’re grounded in evidence, backed by rigorous forecasting and designed to deliver stronger returns for clients and better experiences for consumers. We work as empathetic partners, taking the time to understand our clients’ businesses and tying our success to theirs.

Part of Publicis Media, Zenith has over 5,000 specialists across 90 markets. In the UK, we work with leading organisations including The Very Group, Macmillan and Morrisons – helping them make smarter, more impactful choices to unlock growth. We believe an inclusive culture strengthens our business, enabling greater idea exchange, innovation and creativity, and we actively encourage our people to drive positive change.

Overview

We’re hiring a Business Director for a 12-month fixed-term contract, starting in February 2027.

This is an exciting opportunity to take the lead on Essity, a major multinational hygiene and health client with an annual media budget of c. £25m. You’ll work across household-name brands spanning Personal Care, including TENA and Bodyform, and Consumer Tissue, including Cushelle and Plenty, alongside 1–2 other smaller accounts. Essity is known for work that aims to break barriers to wellbeing and challenge social taboos through thought-provoking consumer communications.

Responsibilities

What you'll be doing:

• Lead the planning team and set the strategic direction for Essity, creating outstanding work and innovative, best-in-class media solutions.
• Build trusted senior client relationships, bringing strategic thinking, constructive challenge and consistently excellent client service.
• Oversee 1–2 other smaller accounts, ensuring strong strategic thinking and high-quality delivery across your portfolio.
• Create the conditions for brilliant work by establishing clear, effective processes and encouraging collaboration across the team.
• Take ownership of account commercials, including accurate forecasting, resource management, profitability and identifying sustainable growth opportunities.
• Lead, support and develop a talented planning team, creating an inclusive culture where people can thrive and progress.
• Collaborate across Zenith, Publicis Media, partner agencies and suppliers to unlock new opportunities, share great work and bring the best of the wider network to your clients.

Qualifications

Skills we're looking for:

• Strong strategic media planning experience, with the ability to turn insight and data into clear, effective media strategies.
• Experience working with data-driven approaches such as MMM, MTA and brand tracking, and using these insights to inform strategic decisions.
• The ability to build trusted relationships with senior clients and partners, navigating challenges collaboratively and confidently.
• Strong commercial judgement, with experience managing forecasting, resources and account profitability.
• Experience leading and developing teams, creating an environment where different perspectives are valued and people are supported to grow.
• Strong project management skills and the ability to balance multiple priorities while maintaining high standards of work.
• A curious, proactive and collaborative approach, with a willingness to champion great ideas and help turn them into meaningful outcomes.

Additional information

Zenith UKoffers 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 the Publicis Career Page which 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 Zenith UK, we are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. 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.

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