Digital Associate Director, Media Planning

WPP Media Limited; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Medical insurance

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Mental health days

Job summary

WPP Media Limited in London is seeking a Digital Associate Director, Media Planning to lead digital planning and activation for EA, spanning programmatic, social, video, and data-driven campaigns. The role sits at the centre of a hub‑and‑spoke delivery model with central and local market collaboration to ensure holistic, globally consistent yet locally adaptable digital strategies.

The ideal candidate will bring senior leadership experience in digital planning and activation, strong stakeholder

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a digital planning and activation leadership role.
• Strong understanding of digital media planning and activation.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication capability.

Responsibilities

• Lead digital media planning oversight across EA scopes, ensuring plans are strategically sound and aligned to EA objectives.
• Own senior oversight of digital activation delivery across EA markets.
• Partner with central planning and activation teams to define budget allocation and channel roles and ensure plans translate to activation reality.
• Oversee campaign structure, activation timelines, delivery quality, and governance across platforms and markets.

Skills

Digital planning leadership

Activation leadership

Stakeholder management

Digital media planning

Global entertainment clients

Job description

Digital Associate Director, Media Planning

London, 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.

2565 - Digital Associate Director, Media Planning, Global Client Solutions

The role:

Role Overview

The Account Director (Digital Planning & Activation) is a senior client leadership role responsible for overseeing digital media planning and activation delivery for Electronic Arts (EA) across biddable and platform‑led channels.

The role operates at the centre of EA’s hub‑and‑spoke delivery model, working closely with central planning and activation teams and local market teams to ensure digital strategies are planned holistically and activated consistently across markets.

This role blends digital planning leadership, activation governance, and client partnership, ensuring EA’s objectives are translated into effective digital plans and best‑in‑class execution.

Scope of Channels (Digital‑First)

The Account Director is accountable for digital planning and activation leadership across:

• Programmatic Display & Video
• Online Video & CTV
• Paid Social
• DSP‑and platform‑led digital media
• Data‑and audience‑driven digital planning and execution

Key Responsibilities

• Lead digital media planning oversight across EA scopes, ensuring plans are:
• Strategically sound
• Aligned to EA business objectives
• Feasible for activation across markets
• Partner with central planning teams to:
• Define budget allocation and channel roles
• Align planning outputs with activation realities
• Ensure digital planning considerations are clearly communicated and understood by local markets and activation teams
• Own senior oversight of digital activation delivery across EA markets
• Ensure digital plans are translated into clear, executable activation frameworks
• Oversee campaign structure, activation logic, timelines, and delivery quality
• Act as senior escalation point for digital delivery, performance, or operational risks
• Ensure digital best practices and governance standards are applied consistently

Central & Local Market Collaboration

• Act as the primary bridge between central teams and local markets for digital planning and activation
• Work closely with central planning and activation leadership to:
• Define digital frameworks and ways of working
• Maintain consistency across markets
• Partner with local markets to:
• Align global and regional digital strategies to local market requirements
• Support planning interpretation and activation feasibility
• Ensure local insights and constraints inform both planning and execution
• Balance global consistency with local flexibility across digital activity
• Serve as a trusted senior digital planning and activation partner to EA stakeholders
• Lead digital discussions across:
• Strategy and planning alignment
• Activation approach and platform selection
• Performance, optimisation, and learning
• Clearly articulate digital trade‑offs, constraints, and opportunities to EA clients
• Support test‑and‑learn and optimisation frameworks across planning and activation

Performance, Measurement & Governance

• Ensure digital plans and activation deliver against EA KPIs and outcomes
• Maintain oversight of pacing, optimisation priorities, and delivery performance
• Partner with measurement and analytics teams to ensure:
• Digital reporting clarity
• Ensure governance is maintained across platforms, partners, and markets

Commercial & Operational Ownership

• Own commercial accountability across digital planning and activation scopes, including:
• PO management
• Finance process adherence
• Forecasting and cost control
• Work closely with finance and operations teams to ensure:
• Accurate billing
• Alignment between planning assumptions and activation delivery
• Support business cases and staffing justification linked to digital delivery needs

Team Leadership & Ways of Working

• Provide senior leadership across digital planning and activation teams
• Create clarity on ownership, responsibilities, and decision‑making within a matrixed model
• Support capability development in digital planning and activation best practice
• Champion EA digital ways of working across central and local teams

Skills and Experience

• Proven experience in a digital planning and activation leadership role
• Strong understanding of digital media planning and biddable activation
• Strong commercial and operational leadership skills
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication capability
• Experience working with global entertainment, gaming, or technology clients
• Experience operating within hub‑and‑spoke or global/regional delivery models
• Familiarity with platform‑heavy and performance‑led digital environments

Key Behaviours

• Calm and credible under pressure
• Commercially rigorous
• Collaborative and pragmatic

Reporting & Stakeholders

• Reports into: Senior Client / Business Leadership
• Key stakeholders:
• EA global, regional, and market teams
• Central digital planning and activation leadership
• Local market planning and activation teams
• Finance, operations, and platform partners

Life at WPP Media & Benefits

Our passion for shaping the next era of media is powered by our commitment toBe Extraordinary, investing in our employees to inspire transformational creativity. We alsoLead Optimistically,firmly believingin andChampioning Growth and Developmentfor every individual. This commitment allows WPP Media employees toleveragethe extensive global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, build vital professional connections, and learn at thecutting edgeof marketing and advertising.

WeCreate an Open environmentbuilt on trust and respect, where everyone feels they belong and has opportunities to progress. This inclusive culture is fostered through a variety of employee resource groups and frequent in-office eventsshowcasingteam wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. Our comprehensive benefits package reflects this commitment, including 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 characteristics. We believe the best work happens whenwe'retogether, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection in this open and supportive environment.That'swhywe’veadopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If yourequireaccommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

While we appreciate all applications received, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

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