Associate Director, Planning

About WPP Media WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. With exceptional talent, trusted data and intelligence, and world-class partnerships – all united by our pioneering agentic marketing platform, WPP Open – we help clients navigate change, capture opportunity, and deliver transformational growth.  WPP Media is WPP's AI-driven media operating unit, bringing together media, data, and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation at scale. Connected through WPP Open and powered by Open Intelligence, clients see exactly where, how, and why their media investment is working. For more information, visit wppmedia.com . 3226 – Associate Director, Planning - UK Role Summary and Impact We are looking for an experienced and ambitious Associate Director to lead on a number of UK accounts, including our exciting integrated new business win – Electoral Commission. You will be responsible for guiding the day-to-day communications strategy, managing a talented team, and driving an integrated approach that gets the most out of creative and media. We want an enthusiastic and passionate leader who thinks in terms of delivering behaviour change and outcomes and inspires their team to operate with speed and agility. Key Responsibilities • Lead the day-to-day strategic output for your accounts, owning the response to briefs and proactively identifying tactical, opportunities. • Own the account workflow, ensuring our integrated teams (Creative, Media, Data) operate seamlessly and at pace. • Act as a key senior client contact, building trust and partnership through exceptional service and delivering against commercial goals. • Be comfortable and compelling when presenting work, ideas, and results to senior clients, agency partners, and internal teams. • Work with the Client and Strategy Directors to explore opportunities for innovation. • Oversee the implementation and delivery of all media activation, managing workflow through our specialist teams where necessary. • Ensure all reporting delivers sharp, actionable insights that feed our live feedback loop—moving beyond post-campaign analysis to in-flight optimisation. • Maintain full oversight of all financial aspects of the account (billings, reconciliations, finance queries). • Live and breathe 'The Power of &', ensuring creative and media are never separate conversations. • Coach, support, and develop your direct reports (Account Executive) through regular 1-2-1s and active mentorship. Skills and Experience You are someone who both champions and challenges – yourself, your team, and your clients – to push for faster, more effective work. • You are fluent in both Brand and Performance, able to connect a great creative idea to a measurable outcome • You are a self-starter who demonstrates immense curiosity, inspiring your team, fostering a willingness to learn and test new approaches. • You possess strong client management skills and the gravitas to lead senior-level conversations. • You have a proven track record of delivering strong, integrated comms planning that is rooted in data and measurement. Life at WPP Media & Benefits Our passion for shaping the next era of media is powered by our commitment to   Be Extraordinary, investing in our employees to inspire transformational creativity. We also   Lead Optimistically, firmly believing in and   Championing Growth and Development   for every individual. This commitment allows WPP Media employees to leverage the extensive global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, build vital professional connections, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising.   We   Create an Open environment   built on trust and respect, where everyone feels they belong and has opportunities to progress. Thi