Commercial Director

Publicis Groupe Holdings B.V; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension

Life Assurance

Private Medical cover

Inclusive benefits

Job summary

Publicis Media in London seeks a Commercial Director to lead the commercial management of major global client relationships and guide high-stakes pitches across Connected Media. The role requires strong commercial judgement, governance, and the ability to partner with Global Client Leads and senior agency stakeholders.

You'll shape fee models, navigate contractual terms, and ensure consistent execution across markets, while mentoring junior colleagues and driving sustainable growth in a

Qualifications

• Substantial commercial leadership experience in a media agency, marketing services, consultancy or similarly complex client-services environment.
• Strong knowledge of MSAs, SOWs, fee models, rate cards, incentives, scope control and global commercial governance.
• Proven ability to lead senior client, procurement and stakeholder negotiations while protecting commercial value and building durable relationships.
• Confident financial and analytical capability, with strong commercial modelling, data interpretation and advanced Excel skills.
• Clear, persuasive communicator able to simplify complex commercial matters for senior, international and cross-functional audiences.
• Highly organised, proactive and rigorous, with strong judgement, attention to detail and the ability to deliver accurately under pressure.
• Collaborative leader, able to coach junior colleagues and work credibly across Client Leadership, Finance, Legal, Procurement, New Business and operational teams.

Responsibilities

• Shape the commercial strategy for global pitches and growth, translating client ambition into compelling, commercially robust proposals.
• Lead the development of fee models, rate cards, efficiencies, operating models and scope assumptions that balance competitiveness, margin protection and delivery quality.
• Identify commercial risks, dependencies and value levers across pitch materials, contracts and client requirements, ensuring they are clearly understood and addressed.
• Partner with client, agency, market and specialist teams to align the proposed commercial model with the operating solution and implementation plan.
• Represent the commercial position in senior stakeholder, client, procurement and auditor discussions, providing clear, confident and strategic guidance.
• Secure the right executive alignment, approvals and governance at key decision points to support successful conversion and sustainable growth.
• Act as the senior commercial partner to Global Client Leads, providing strategic guidance across major multinational client relationships.
• Own the commercial architecture of key accounts, ensuring fee, scope, contractual and performance terms are clear, current and commercially effective.
• Identify and convert revenue, margin and value-creation opportunities through scope growth, value-based solutions and disciplined commercial governance.
• Lead senior client, procurement and governance discussions, representing the commercial position with clarity, confidence and authority.
• Drive contract, MSA, amendment and fee negotiations in partnership with Legal, Finance and business leadership.
• Ensure global commercial agreements are understood, cascaded and implemented consistently across regional and local markets.

Skills

Commercial leadership

Global client leadership

Negotiation

Financial modelling

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Excel skills

Tools

Excel

Job description

Company description

Publicis Media harnesses the power of modern media through leading agency brandsDysrupt, Infinite Roar, Publicis Collective, Publicis Health Media, Spark Foundry, StarcomandZenith, as well as global acceleratorPMX; immersive experience group PMCI and access to integrated platform-based technologies and offerings fromCJ, EpsilonandInfluential.

A key business solution of Publicis Groupe, Publicis Media’s digital-first, data-driven global solutions deliver client value anddrive growth in a platform-poweredworld. It is present in over 100 countries with over 23,000 employees worldwide.

Overview

Reporting to the Senior Commercial Director, the Commercial Director will lead the commercial management of one or more major global client relationships and play a senior role in global pitches for Connected Media and, when required, for Publicis Groupe. The role is accountable for translating client requirements into clear commercial strategies, negotiating and maintaining contractual and fee arrangements, and ensuring global agreements are understood and implemented consistently across regional and local markets.

The Commercial Director will combine strong commercial judgement, financial discipline and contract knowledge with confident stakeholder leadership. The role will act as a trusted commercial business partner to Global Client Leads and senior agency stakeholders, while guiding junior commercial colleagues and serving as an escalation point for markets.

Responsibilities

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Global pitches and growth

• Shape the commercial strategy for global pitches and growth opportunities, translating client ambition into compelling, commercially robust proposals.
• Lead the development of fee models, rate cards, efficiencies, operating models and scope assumptions that balance competitiveness, margin protection and delivery quality.
• Identify commercial risks, dependencies and value levers across pitch materials, contracts and client requirements, ensuring they are clearly understood and addressed.
• Partner with client, agency, market and specialist teams to align the proposed commercial model with the operating solution and implementation plan.
• Represent the commercial position in senior stakeholder, client, procurement and auditor discussions, providing clear, confident and strategic guidance.
• Secure the right executive alignment, approvals and governance at key decision points to support successful conversion and sustainable growth.

Global client commercial leadership

• Act as the senior commercial partner to Global Client Leads, providing strategic guidance across major multinational client relationships.
• Own the commercial architecture of key accounts, ensuring fee, scope, contractual and performance terms are clear, current and commercially effective.
• Identify and convert revenue, margin and value-creation opportunities through scope growth, value-based solutions and disciplined commercial governance.
• Lead senior client, procurement and governance discussions, representing the commercial position with clarity, confidence and authority.
• Drive contract, MSA, amendment and fee negotiations in partnership with Legal, Finance and business leadership.
• Ensure global commercial agreements are understood, cascaded and implemented consistently across regional and local markets.

Team and capability development

• Set annual goals and hold regular career and development check-ins for direct reports.
• Guide and quality-assure the work of Associate Directors, Managers and Senior Managers, ensuring delivery is timely, accurate and of a consistently high standard.
• Share relevant work and learning with the wider Commercial team and deliver at least two team training sessions each year.
• Contribute actively to a collaborative and inclusive team culture, including team engagement and social activities.

Qualifications

EXPERIENCE, SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS

• Substantial commercial leadership experience in a media agency, marketing services, consultancy or similarly complex client-services environment.
• Strong knowledge of MSAs, SOWs, fee models, rate cards, incentives, scope control and global commercial governance.
• Proven ability to lead senior client, procurement and stakeholder negotiations while protecting commercial value and building durable relationships.
• Confident financial and analytical capability, with strong commercial modelling, data interpretation and advanced Excel skills.
• Clear, persuasive communicator able to simplify complex commercial matters for senior, international and cross-functional audiences.
• Highly organised, proactive and rigorous, with strong judgement, attention to detail and the ability to deliver accurately under pressure.
• Collaborative leader, able to coach junior colleagues and work credibly across Client Leadership, Finance, Legal, Procurement, New Business and operational teams.

Additional information

Publicis Mediaoffers 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 Publicis Media, 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.