SVP, Global Delivery

Wunderman Thompson; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 125,000 - 295,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Job summary

VML, part of WPP, seeks a SVP, Global Delivery to oversee the network's economics, capacity planning, and routing across hubs. You will bridge finance, commercial teams, and hub leaders to keep margins and hub cost-to-serve aligned with market structures.

The role demands data-driven oversight of watchtower performance and delivery methodology at scale. You will lead cross-functional efforts across farshore and nearshore locations, shaping delivery standards, capacity, and governance for a

Qualifications

• Strong track record in commercial or delivery strategy roles, with direct exposure to pricing, margin, and cost-to-serve models.
• Experience designing or running project and process methodology across distributed or global delivery.
• Comfort operating across onshore, nearshore, and offshore delivery models, including staffing and capacity planning at scale.
• Consulting background, particularly at a major consulting firm, is a plus.
• Technical fluency, including AI/ML-enabled delivery or platform experience, is a plus but not required.
• Clear, direct communicator, comfortable presenting commercial and operational trade-offs to senior executives.
• Comfortable working through budget and funding transitions in motion and owning delivery's side of them quickly.

Responsibilities

• Own cost-plus pricing logic and cost-to-serve targets across all hubs, keeping economics consistent from one hub to the next rather than negotiated case by case.
• Partner with Finance and the commercial team on margin tracking, pricing structures, and the commercial packaging of delivery offerings.
• Flag margin risk transparently when commercial terms and delivery cost assumptions drift apart, before it becomes a Finance surprise.
• Own delivery's side of budget and funding cycles, ensuring changes to funding and market structures are reflected accurately in hub cost-to-serve and routing decisions.
• Partner closely with the Finance and Commercial teams as the delivery-side counterpart on budget planning and hub economics.
• Maintain continuity of delivery data and reporting through budget and funding transitions, so nothing is lost or misattributed as structures shift.
• Own the resourcing watchtower from a commercial and financial standpoint: the economics behind capacity, cost-to-serve, and routing decisions across all hubs, and the performance of the watchtower as a function.
• Act as the internal stakeholder accountable for the watchtower's performance, while cross-functional team member serves as its face to most markets, running the day-to-day routing recommendations regional and market decisionmakers see.
• Build and maintain visibility into hub capacity, skill coverage, and utilization, so routing decisions are based on real data rather than habit or convenience.
• Apply casting standards jointly with pillar leads, ensuring routing reflects best fit rather than a default to whichever market or hub is most familiar.
• Retain clarity that the watchtower informs routing decisions; regional and market leads retain final decision authority.
• Set and maintain delivery process and project methodology standards used consistently across hubs, so a scoped piece of work is staffed and executed the same way regardless of which hub picks it up.
• Work with hub leads on operational execution: onboarding, capacity planning, and closing structural gaps in how hubs run day to day.
• Support bid and proposal work that depends on delivery capacity or hub staffing commitments, translating commercial asks into realistic delivery plans.
• Own data and delivery success as an accountable outcome across the GDN, ensuring delivery data (fulfillment, capacity, margin, routing) is accurate and trusted enough to support day-to-day decisions.

Skills

Commercial strategy

Delivery leadership

Pricing & margin

Stakeholder management

Data-driven decision making

AI/ML-enabled delivery

Job description

Who We Are

VML is a global creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce to create connected brands that drive growth. Guided by a Human First philosophy, VML is known for its innovative work for brands and consistently ranks among the world’s leading creative companies, including the WARC Creative 100. VML’s global network spans 55+ markets with principal offices in Buenos Aires, Kansas City, London, New York, São Paulo, Shanghai and Singapore.

VML is part of WPP, the trusted growth partner for the world's leading brands. Powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform WPP Open, WPP unites cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, creativity, production, enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel.

For more information, please visit www.vml.com and follow along on LinkedIn #WeAreVML.

WPP ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS

SVP, Global Delivery

Reports to

Global Chief Delivery Officer (CDO)

Function

Global Delivery, WPP Enterprise Solutions (ES)

Scope

Global Delivery Network (GDN), hub economics, resourcing, and routing across farshore and nearshore hubs

Travel

Approximately 25%, primarily to hub locations and regional leadership meetings

Role Purpose

This role oversees the mechanics of the network: the commercial logic that makes hubs viable (cost-plus pricing, margin consistency, cost-to-serve targets) and the operational systems that route work to the right place (capacity visibility, the resourcing watchtower, casting standards applied jointly with pillar leads). It's a role for someone who can move fluidly between a commercial conversation with Finance, a delivery conversation with a hub lead, and a process conversation about how work actually gets scoped, staffed, and delivered across a global network.

The role carries direct accountability for data and delivery success across the GDN, including close, ongoing work with the Finance and Commercial teams to keep hub economics, budgets, and routing logic consistent as funding and market structures evolve.

Key Responsibilities

Hub Economics and Commercial Model

• Own cost-plus pricing logic and cost-to-serve targets across all hubs, keeping economics consistent from one hub to the next rather than negotiated case by case.

• Partner with Finance and the commercial team on margin tracking, pricing structures, and the commercial packaging of delivery offerings.

• Flag margin risk transparently when commercial terms and delivery cost assumptions drift apart, before it becomes a Finance surprise.

Budget and Funding Alignment

• Own delivery's side of budget and funding cycles, ensuring changes to funding and market structures are reflected accurately in hub cost-to-serve and routing decisions.

• Partner closely with the Finance and Commercial teams as the delivery-side counterpart on budget planning and hub economics.

• Maintain continuity of delivery data and reporting through budget and funding transitions, so nothing is lost or misattributed as structures shift.

Resourcing and Global Routing

• Own the resourcing watchtower from a commercial and financial standpoint: the economics behind capacity, cost-to-serve, and routing decisions across all hubs, and the performance of the watchtower as a function.

• Act as the internal stakeholder accountable for the watchtower's performance, while cross-functional team member serves as its face to most markets, running the day-to-day routing recommendations regional and market decisionmakers see.

• Build and maintain visibility into hub capacity, skill coverage, and utilization, so routing decisions are based on real data rather than habit or convenience.

• Apply casting standards jointly with pillar leads, ensuring routing reflects best fit rather than a default to whichever market or hub is most familiar.

• Retain clarity that the watchtower informs routing decisions; regional and market leads retain final decision authority.

Delivery Operations and Methodology

• Set and maintain delivery process and project methodology standards used consistently across hubs, so a scoped piece of work is staffed and executed the same way regardless of which hub picks it up.

• Work with hub leads on operational execution: onboarding, capacity planning, and closing structural gaps in how hubs run day to day.

• Support bid and proposal work that depends on delivery capacity or hub staffing commitments, translating commercial asks into realistic delivery plans.

• Own data and delivery success as an accountable outcome across the GDN, ensuring delivery data (fulfillment, capacity, margin, routing) is accurate and trusted enough to support day-to-day decisions.

What Success Looks Like

• Budget and funding transitions land smoothly, with no disruption to hub economics or routing continuity.

• Hub economics are consistent, transparent, and defensible to Finance across every hub in the network.

• Routing decisions are fast, data-driven, and trusted by regional and market leads.

• Delivery methodology is consistent enough that clients and internal stakeholders get a predictableexperience regardless of which hub is delivering the work.

• Margin risk and capacity gaps are surfaced early, not discovered after the fact.

• Data and delivery success are owned end to end, with a clear, accountable owner rather than shared or ambiguous responsibility.

Candidate Profile

This role suits someone who has operated at the intersection of commercial strategy, delivery execution, and process design, ideally in a large-scale, matrixed services environment. A background in management consulting, or at a large consulting house, is a strong signal for this role, given the need to move between commercial framing, operational detail, and executive-level communication. Prior technical or platform experience is a plus, particularly for candidates who have led AI-enabled or data-driven delivery models but is not a substitute for the core commercial and delivery operations experience this role requires.

• Strong track record in commercial or delivery strategy roles, with direct exposure to pricing, margin, and cost-to-serve models.

• Experience designing or running project and process methodology across distributed or global delivery

• Comfort operating across onshore, nearshore, and offshore delivery models, including staffing and capacity planning at scale.

• Consulting background, particularly at a major consulting firm, is a plus given the demands of executive stakeholder management and structured problem-solving.

• Technical fluency, including AI/ML-enabled delivery or platform experience, is a plus but not required.

• Clear, direct communicator, comfortable presenting commercial and operational trade-offs to senior executives.

• Comfortable working through budget and funding transitions in motion and owning delivery's side of them quickly.

Working Relationships

Direct report to

** Global CDO**

Regular partners

Hub leads across farshore and nearshore locations, Finance and Commercial teams, regional delivery leads, pillar leads, Delivery Operations lead, resourcing watchtower market-facing lead

Governance forums

Global Delivery Council, hub governance reviews, resourcing watchtower operating cadence

The base salary range for this position at the time of this posting is indicated below. Individual compensation varies based on job-related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications. We offer a competitive benefits package, click WPP Benefits for more details.

_$125,000—$295,000 USDWe 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 an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to 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.