Search Account Director

ESSENCEMEDIACOM; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading media agency in the UK is seeking a Search Account Director to manage and optimize paid search strategies. In this role, you will oversee team performance, cultivate client relationships, and drive innovation in search activities. Ideal candidates will have expertise in search campaign management across platforms, strong communication skills, and proven experience in project management. This position offers a hybrid working model and competitive benefits while fostering an inclusive culture committed to employee growth.

Benefits

Competitive medical insurance

Group retirement plans

Significant paid time off

Employee mental health awareness days

Qualifications

• Extensive expertise in search campaign setup and management across platforms.
• Strong understanding of digital marketing's strategic applications.
• Proven experience in project management and stakeholder engagement.

Responsibilities

• Oversee planning and optimisation of paid search activity.
• Build and nurture relationships with clients acting as main communication point.
• Drive process automation through AI tools and efficient workflows.

Skills

Search campaign management

Client relationship management

Project management

Communication skills

Tools

Google Ads

Microsoft Ads

Search Ads 360

Job description

Search Account Director

About WPP Media

WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients and 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.

About EssenceMediacom: A Leading WPP Media Brand

EssenceMediacom is a new breed of media agency. Grounded in analytics & insights and powered by data & technology, we believe in the power of media and creative to drive breakthroughs for the world’s best brands. We help clients understand the modern marketing paradox and discover the breakthroughs brands need to win with their consumers. We are designed for the new communications economy — built on data & technology, built for people & algorithms, built around diverse schools of thought, built to test & learn at scale, and, crucially, built to evolve.

Role Summary and Impact

As a Search Account Director, you will oversee the planning, strategy, and optimisation of paid search activity, serving as the activation lead for your team and accounts. Leveraging your platform expertise and account management skills, you’ll ensure search strategies are tailored to the unique challenges of each client and that campaigns are executed to brief, on time, and within budget. As part of the WPP Media Search Community, you’ll contribute to a network of specialists, shaping best practices, driving innovation, and showcasing the very best of your expertise and results.

Key Responsibilities

Performance Management

• Lead the output of your team, ensuring high quality client-facing and operational deliverables, while working with UK-based and global teams.
• Ensure adherence to controls and best practices across paid search campaigns.
• Maintain a strategic understanding of client business objectives and KPIs, staying informed on industry trends, product updates, and opportunities to boost performance.
• Adopt an innovative approach to the development and execution of paid search activities.

Client & Partner Management

• Build and nurture strong relationships with clients and key partners, acting as the main point of communication for your team.
• Provide clients with valuable insights, demonstrating a deep understanding of the search landscape and its impact on their business.
• Monitor the client’s industry and competitive environment to create effective, forward-thinking solutions.

People Management

• Reports to the Search Director
• Play an active role in recruitment, and support both the Director and Partner in interviewing, and building a strong team, serving as an ambassador for the agency to potential candidates.
• Invest in the professional growth of your team members, supporting their career development and progression within the agency.
• Lead by example to inspire and motivate less experienced team members, creating a culture of collaboration and experimentation.
• Effectively manage junior team members, ensuring workloads are monitored, prioritised, and delivered on time.

Operational Excellence

• Drive process automation through the adoption of AI tools, scripts, third-party solutions, and more efficient ways of working.
• Ensure compliance with all aspects of paid search activation finance processes.
• Contribute to the development of strategic revenue and service opportunities for the agency.

Skills and Experience

• 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.

• Extensive expertise in search campaign setup, management, optimisation, and reporting across platforms such as Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, and ideally Search Ads 360.
• Strong understanding of the strategic and tactical applications of paid search and digital marketing as a whole.
• Proven experience in project management, stakeholder engagement, and people management.
• Ability to lead and manage hybrid teams across multiple markets.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and countries.

Life at WPP Media & Benefits

Our passion for shaping the next era of media includes investing in our employees to help them do their best work, and we’re just as committed to employee growth as we are to responsible media investment. WPP Media employees can tap into the global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, grow their networks, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising. We have a variety of employee resource groups and host frequent in-office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. 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 Media is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular 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 when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations 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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