Director, Planning

3623 - Director, Planning - UK

Role Summary and Impact

We are recruiting for a Business Director who is an exceptional and driven media planner, to join our Connections Planning team working on the Ford account.

We work in a unique ‘full service’ model meaning that the media teams collaborate closely with creative and account management teams within the Ford agency structure (primarily working with VML). 

Therefore we foster a fully integrated team approach across media, creative and client, working together across the agency and client locations - 2 days (Mon-Tue) at Ford’s Dunton office (a short taxi from Shenfield on the Elizabeth Line- Travel costs are covered), 1 day (Thurs) at Rose Court in London and 2 days (Weds and Fri) are flexible at the location of your choosing. 

Your role, as a Planning Lead will be focused on leading a team to deliver the planning and account management for Ford of Britain, across both Personal Vehicles and Commercial Vehicles. You will get the opportunity to design exciting, award-winning campaigns as well as work with channel specialists to make those plans a reality. This involves everything from defining the approach to audience, designing the connections plan across both brand & performance using all relevant touchpoints as well as advising on media innovation and measurement. We have strong inter-agency relationships, working closely with creative, PR & experiential and influencer agencies and enjoying senior client exposure. The client offers the opportunity to deliver fresh ideas & push boundaries to continue their business growth. We have a very strong relationship with the client and are often seen as an extension of their team. Mindshare work on the Ford account globally, and whilst this role is UK specific there is a lot of collaboration between the teams.

You will be expected to demonstrate experience and knowledge in: 

• Good stakeholder management with both clients and agency alike 
• Ability to work with clients to ensure the brief is right with clear and measurable objectives in place 
• An ability to think and work ‘audience first’, translating audience insight into actionable audiences  
• Specify how to build and target audiences in addressable and non-addressable media and validate the approach to ensure that the defined audience can be reached at the scale required 
• Designing an approach that outlines how and where we will connect with defined audiences in media 
• Designing the connections ecosystem & plan, working closely and collaboratively with channel specialists  
• Day to day management of campaigns as a key liaison between clients and channel specialists  
• Designing measurement & testing framework to inform as well as measure and optimise the campaigns 
• Line management of planning team within account structure 
• Responsibilities to the planning department as senior member of the team, contributing to Business Director board meetings and leading work streams.  

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.

The specific attitudes and behaviours expected or this role are that:

• You show a passion for media and the industry with knowledge of the main trends that help to inform your thinking and output.  
• You have clear opinions and an understanding of what makes a great media campaign - tangibly prove your plans are aimed at achieving excellence in planning craft. 
• You can create a holistic measurement framework that is relevant for the brand and every campaign (setting KPIs, methods i.e., which tool/system, necessary tracking) and plans for adaptation/optimisation).   
• You must have extensive experience leading senior client relationships, managing all agency teams, leading and delivering client projects and tackling challenging conversations. 
• You are an excellent team player taking the responsibility for working in a collaborative, inclusive way to allow specialists to contribute. 
• You demonstrate a high degree of organisation that leads to successfully managing workflow for self and more junior members of the team. 
• You are open-minded, flexible and embracing of agile ways of working. 

The Ideal Candidate

 As Business Director you will be responsible for the leadership and delivery of best-in-class planning and implementation.  

• You will have a strong desire to deliver innovative and effective work both reactively (in response to briefs), and proactively (spotting those opportunities for insight and innovation outside of briefs).  
• We expect our Business Directors to show a breath of understanding of media channels, as well as in-depth and speciality understanding in how to discuss the present and future role each channel plays as part of a comms strategy.  
• Strong people management skills. 
• Collaborative both in the day-to-day account role and across the planning department. 

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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