Search Associate Director

WPP Media; Manchester; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A global media agency in Manchester seeks a Search Associate Director to oversee paid search strategies, optimize campaigns, and manage client relationships. The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience in search management, demonstrate leadership capabilities, and inspire team growth. This role offers a dynamic environment focused on innovation and collaboration, along with competitive benefits. Join us in shaping the future of media by leading projects that drive client success.

Benefits

Competitive medical benefits

Group retirement plans

Paid time off

Mental health awareness days

Qualifications

• Extensive experience with search management and optimization.
• Proven project management and people management skills.
• Ability to manage stakeholders across multiple markets.

Responsibilities

• Oversee planning, strategy, and optimization of paid search activities.
• Build and nurture client relationships as the main point of contact.
• Lead recruitment and development of team members.

Skills

Extensive expertise in search management

Strong understanding of paid search and digital marketing

Excellent communication skills

Ability to influence and lead teams

Tools

Google Ads

Microsoft Ads

GA and Search Ads 360

Job description

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

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 Associate Director, you will oversee the planning, strategy, and optimisation of paid search activity, serving as the primary activation lead for your team and accounts. Leveraging your deep platform expertise and leadership 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 oversight of paid search activity and team output, ensuring integration into overall cross-channel strategies while working with UK based and global teams.
• Develop paid search best practices, ensuring adherence to controls and processes.
• Maintain a strategic understanding of client business objectives and KPIs, staying informed on industry trends, product updates, and opportunities to drive 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 senior point of communication for your clients.
• 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 search landscape, to create effective forward-thinking solutions.

People Management

• Reports to the Search Director.
• Support both the Director and Partner in resource management for your client group.
• Lead an active role in recruitment, and building a strong team, serving as an ambassador for the agency and to potential candidates.
• Invest in the professional growth of your team members, supporting their career development and progression within the agency.
• Inspire and motivate less experienced team members, creating a culture of collaboration and experimentation.
• Lead through vision, values, and model leadership behaviours while championing and facilitating change.

Operational Excellence

• Implement ways of working that maximise client output whilst minimising operational input.
• Drive process efficiency through our suite of AI tools and tech solutions.
• Ensure compliance with all aspects of paid search activation finance processes.
• Contribute to the development of strategic revenue and service opportunities.

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 management, optimisation, and reporting across platforms including Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, GA and Search Ads 360.
• Strong understanding of the strategic and tactical applications of paid search and digital marketing as a whole.
• Proven experience in client results and delivery.
• Proven project management, stakeholder engagement, and people management.
• Ability to influence, lead and manage 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.
If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.