Implementation and Activation Associate Director

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 . Role Summary and Impact Wavemaker, part of WPP, positively provokes growth for clients by reshaping consumer decision-making and experiences through media, content, and technology. Our name is both our mission and our method. We do our best work for brave brands and people who relish being challenged to go further and faster, together. The Implementation & Activation team is responsible for delivering best-in-class implementation planning and activation for clients. Our team members are fully embedded within EssenceMediacom client teams, accountable to the clients they work on. The scope covers the Implementation Planning and Activation of all media channels and touchpoints, with a focus on delivering connected, audience-first client outputs. We navigate the ever-changing media landscape efficiently and effectively, fueling growth for the brands we work with through transparency, accountability, and leveraging exceptional media relationships. As an Implementation & Activation Associate Director, you are a critical leader overseeing delivery across a team of implementation planning and activation specialists. You are responsible for supervising team workflow to ensure client demands are met, workloads are balanced, and high levels of effective collaboration occur amongst team members and key stakeholders. Working closely with your manager, you will produce best-in-class solutions, offer unparalleled service, and drive towards client targets. You will foster deep trust and understanding with clients and contribute to great teamwork. Core Responsibilities • Cultivate strong, trusted relationships with clients at an intermediate to senior level. • Offer expert perspectives and POVs on recent market trends or developments, ensuring they're shared with key stakeholders regularly. • Regularly meet with vendors and partners to drive your client's agenda, creating opportunities for team engagement. • Maintain an in-depth understanding of client challenges, objectives, and initiatives, and clearly articulate these to your team and media partners. • Proactively recommend tactics and opportunities that resolve client challenges and objectives. • Bring innovation and creativity, leveraging market insights to construct and present effective, future-facing Implementation plans grounded in strategic priorities and data-led optimization. • Maintain an in-depth knowledge of the media landscape, confidently articulating core media principles and how each media touchpoint fuels client growth; able to train others. • Collaborate closely with internal product teams, including GroupM proprietary offerings, to articulate benefits and convert growth opportunities. • Play a pivotal role in client media audits, media negotiations, and billings forecasting. • Motivate and empower direct reports to achieve individual, team, and organizational goals, including conducting regular performance management and development discussions. • Champion company values to build strong connections, solution-oriented perspectives, and demonstrate genuine care for collective team success. • Identify, collate, and sho