Director, Solutions, Activation

WPP Media; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Retirement plan

Vision insurance

Dental insurance

Paid time off

Partner discounts

Mental health days

Job summary

WPP Media, the AI‑driven media operating unit of WPP, seeks a Director of Solutions, Activation in London to lead a top‑tier activation team. You will shape strategic vision, oversee multi‑agency collaboration, and ensure data‑driven, cross‑channel campaigns deliver exceptional client outcomes.

Reporting into the Head of Activation, you will steer major projects, align with Marketing Science, and champion continuous improvement for transformative growth across our media solutions.

Qualifications

• Pivotal leadership role guiding activation teams to deliver cross‑channel media solutions.
• Strong collaboration with Heads of Activation, marketing science, and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Activation team under the Head of Activation to deliver cross‑channel campaigns.
• Collaborate with onshore and offshore specialists to ensure high‑quality activation and reporting.
• Drive data‑driven, AI‑enabled campaigns and continuous improvement across processes.

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.

3091 - Director, Solutions, Activation - UK

Location: London

Reporting into: Head of Activation

AboutWPP Media

WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet,clientsand communities. For more information, visit wpp.com.

WPP Media is WPP’s global media collective. In a world where media is everywhere and in everything, we bring the best platform, people, and partners together to create limitless opportunities for growth. For more information, visit wppmedia.com.

AboutWPP Media Solutions -A LeadingWPP MediaBrand

Our proprietary, opt-in media solutions give clients access to unique advantages andcutting-edgecapabilities. Through a single point of access to addressable media,we'vebuilt on premium inventory andleverageduniversal customer signals.

We enable cross-channel storytelling, cross-platform AI optimization, and robust business impact measurement to maximize campaign effectiveness.

Role Summary and Impact

The Activation Directorisa pivotal role in our Activation team, tasked with leading a top-tier team to deliver exceptional media solutions. This individual will work under the Head of Activation, managing a specific agency/businessareaand spearheading cross-channel campaigns to achieve outstanding results for our clients.Therole involves collaboration with both onshore and offshore specialists.

Skills and Experience

AtWPP Media, we believe in the power of our culture and our people.It’swhat elevates us to deliver exceptional experiences for both our clients and each other. In this role it will be critical to embraceWPP &WPP Media’ssharedcorevalues:

• 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.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership

• Collaborate with the Heads of Activation on the strategic vision and structure development and execution across the activation function.
• Lead pivotal business projects and initiatives to enhance our solutions and capabilities, engaging with both internal stakeholders and external partners.
• Lead your pods of activation experts to represent activation's voice within WPP Media , offering in-depth, cross-channel insights and expertise .
• Be the expert in the room, sharing insights as cross-channel specialists across the business and externally with agencies and clients .
• Act as the senior escalation point for your agency "patch" and serving as a liaison for your agency teams.
• Owner of a single channel demand management.
• Collaborate with Marketing Science for the integration of data and AI in campaigns and ensure best practices in data-driven, multi-channel campaigns from inception to reporting.
• Support client engagement projects as expert, feed into testing roadmaps and new activity uptake.
• Develop an independent activation team proficient in problem-solving.
• Encourage the creation and uptake of data-driven, multi-channel, brand‑safe best practices to achieve client goals from campaign setup to reporting and reconciliation.
• Take ownership of activation requirements within Ad Tech Product Development programmes.
• Work closely with other teams across WPP Media to ensure the highest quality activation by implementing systems, tools, and processes that govern quality and performance.
• Cultivate a culture of rigour and continuous improvement in best practices and processes combined with an agile, experimental approach to empower the team to innovatively expand the scope of our WPP Media Solutions.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing throughout the business.
• Embed the intelligent use of data and AI analytics into the campaign lifecycle.
• Develop a self-reliant activation team capable of independently resolving activation issues.

Processes and efficiencies

• Own key projects to improve ways of working and team efficiencies .
• Continuously refine processes, SLAs and best practice to improve campaign quality and efficiency.
• Ensure the continuous iteration and adoption of process and best practices that drive quality, efficiency, and accuracy across all campaigns.
• Drive operational excellence through automation, training, and offshoring.
• Unify onshore and offshore teams for effective campaign delivery.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and ensure documentation accessibility.
• Utilise systems for campaign monitoring, addressing recurring issues.
• Align business processes with activation team needs and codify working practices.
• Integrate data, AI, and analytics solutions with Marketing Science and data teams.
• Ensure uptake of systems and tools for campaign delivery monitoring, reporting, and issue resolution.

Performance and demand management

• Monitor campaign pacing and demand forecasting.
• Foster collaborative practices to enhance client performance.
• Partner with Client Services for targeting and forecasting of client briefs.
• Prioritise initiatives with Marketing Science, focusing on data governance.
• Continually overseeing the entire portfolio of demand and supply, including forecasting and monetisation; communicating critical information to senior stakeholders, managing issues effectively, and considering multiple clients and supply points for optimal portfolio management.

People & Culture

• Lead and develop direct reports, fostering professionalism and high standards .
• Guide team career development and performance, with effective stakeholder management.
• Drive recruitment, onboarding, and training for new members.
• Maintain up-to-date technical knowledge within the team.
• Set performance KPIs and instil a collaborative 'one team' ethos.
• Promote continuous learning through partnerships with key industry players.
• Collaborate with colleagues in other markets and business areas within their specialism

Our benefits include competitive medical, group retirement plans, vision, and dental insurance, significant paid time off, preferential partner discounts, and employee mental health awareness days.

WPP Mediais an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard toparticular 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 whenwe'retogether, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection.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.

(Please note this is a UK based role and requires individuals to have the right to work in this location).

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