Senior Account Director- Trading

WPP MEDIA; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global media agency in London is looking for a Senior Account Director - Trading to lead trading strategies and negotiate campaigns. The position demands a strong background in media trading, exceptional relationship management, and leadership skills to develop the team and drive revenue growth. The ideal candidate enjoys collaboration and innovation in a hybrid work environment. Competitive salary and benefits package offered.

Benefits

Competitive medical and dental insurance

Significant paid time off

Preferential partner discounts

Employee mental health awareness days

Qualifications

• Significant industry knowledge with understanding of the OOH landscape.
• Experience managing teams and coaching junior staff.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to articulate ideas clearly.

Responsibilities

• Lead negotiations on pricing and campaign bookings.
• Develop effective trading solutions for clients.
• Manage and mentor a team of account managers and executives.

Skills

Negotiation skills

Relationship building

Commercial acumen

Communication skills

Industry knowledge of OOH

Education

Experience in media planning or trading

Tools

MS Office Suite

Job description

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 WPP Media OOH: A Leading WPP Media Brand

WPP Media OOH is the UK’s #1 specialist out-of-home (OOH) agency, part of WPP. We work with more of the UK’s leading brands & agencies than anyone else to influence valuable audiences on the move. We are a diverse group of passionate experts, united in our devotion to one medium.

We are entering a new era for OOH, one defined by significant growth, disruption, and tech innovation. We want to be the agency that is leading the industry through this change. To deliver outcomes that are human, inspiring, and effective.

Our company values demonstrate how we build relationships and conduct business. They are agility, integrity, innovation, passion & focus. Our world is changing, and we are looking for new talent to join us. People who are excited by the possibilities ahead for OOH, that share our appetite for change, that can live our values, and will help us to transform our business and the wider industry.

Role Summary and Impact

Senior Account Director- Trading

Skills and Experience

At WPP Media, we believe in the power of our culture and our people. It’s what elevates us to deliver exceptional experiences for both our clients and each other. In this role it will be critical to embrace WPP & WPP Media’s shared core values:

• 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.

• Work closely with their allocated Trading and Planning Team to buy optimal campaigns for clients/agencies and deliver contracted KPIs and Audit guarantees, client service charters, and providing the highest levels of service.
• Take the lead on the negotiation of pricing and booking campaigns to get the best overall delivery for our clients with regards to price, distribution, quality, research, and added value.
• Develop effective OOH Trading solutions across a portfolio of clients using vendor inventory portfolios, delivering against committed commercial objectives.
• Identify and drive revenue, delivering opportunities to Trading and WPP Media OOH as a whole.
• Effectively coordinate short-term opportunities and regularly monitor spend commitments with key Media Vendors to ensure set targets are met.
• Regularly communicate and report KPI and commercial target delivery in check-ins and updates (including scenario planning and highlighting challenges and issues in a timely manner).
• Build excellent rapport and relationships with Media Vendors, developing and demonstrating expert opinion on vendor news and activity.
• Manage Trading Senior Account Managers, Account Managers, and the development of Account Executives.
• Undertake coaching and feedback, positively motivate the wider team, and lead by example.
• Get involved in the wider WPP Media OOH business, helping with training, forums, agency initiatives, business opportunities, developing others, developing tools and systems, creative ideas, internal and external events, etc.
• Someone who builds relationships – good networker, acts as a role model, hands‑on when needed, strong sense of ownership, proactive with an eye on the wider picture.
• Someone who is commercially strong – adaptable negotiation skills, identifies new revenue opportunities and develops new business, manages profitability, good numeracy.
• Someone who is an excellent communicator – confident and engaging manner, persuasive, articulates ideas clearly and has good written skills, good listening skills.
• Someone who is digitally and technically up to speed – good understanding and use of MS Office/Windows – Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, able to use internal technical tools – picks up new technology and systems well.
• Has significant industry knowledge with a strong understanding of the OOH landscape, especially Media Owners, buying, and trading media space.
• Someone who enjoys interaction with others – offers guidance and assistance, delegates, acts as a mentor, active team player, versatile, flexible, adaptable, organised and structured, can multitask.
• Acts as a mentor and sounding board for more junior staff.
• Gets involved in the wider WPP Media OOH initiatives – All In Groups (Green Team, Team Roots, Team Pride, Team Enable, Mental Health Allies) and events.

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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