Associate Partner Search
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.
Lead search strategy and performance across key client businesses, covering paid search, SEO, and search-led media planning. This role is responsible for driving search effectiveness, integrating search within the wider media ecosystem, and ensuring campaigns deliver against business and performance objectives.
The Associate Partner will oversee strategic planning, client leadership, team management, and cross-functional collaboration while identifying growth opportunities across platforms, audiences, and search behaviors.
Key Responsibilities
1. Search Strategy Leadership
- Lead integrated search strategies across paid search, SEO, and performance media initiatives
- Align search planning with client business goals, media strategies, and conversion objectives
- Define keyword, audience, bidding, and search investment strategies across platforms
- Identify opportunities based on consumer search behavior, market trends, and platform developments
- Ensure search strategies support full-funnel marketing objectives
2. Campaign Planning & Optimization
- Oversee campaign setup, structure, and optimization across search platforms
- Ensure budgets, bidding strategies, targeting, and tracking frameworks are effectively managed
- Drive continuous optimization based on performance data and platform insights
- Monitor campaign delivery to ensure efficiency, scalability, and achievement of KPIs
- Guide testing strategies across creatives, landing pages, audiences, and search intent segments
3. Performance & Analytics
- Lead performance analysis across traffic, CTR, CPC, CPA, ROAS, conversion, and visibility metrics
- Translate campaign data into actionable recommendations and business insights
- Identify optimization opportunities through reporting, attribution analysis, and audience behavior
- Ensure accurate tracking, tagging, and measurement frameworks are implemented
- Work closely with analytics and data teams to improve reporting quality and performance visibility
4. Cross-Channel & Platform Integration
- Ensure search strategies are aligned with broader media, social, ecommerce, and content initiatives
- Collaborate with media, strategy, content, SEO, and creative teams to improve campaign effectiveness
- Support integration between paid search, organic search, and performance marketing activities
- Identify opportunities to improve search contribution across the customer journey
5. Leadership & Team Management
- Lead and mentor Search team members across multiple accounts and projects
- Provide strategic direction, performance guidance, and capability development for the team
- Ensure operational excellence across planning, execution, reporting, and optimization processes
- Support new business pitches, strategic proposals, and capability development initiatives
- Drive collaboration across internal teams and external platform partners
6. Client Leadership
- Act as senior lead for search and performance discussions with clients
- Present search strategies, performance reviews, and optimization recommendations to stakeholders
- Build strong client relationships through strategic partnership and business understanding
- Support business growth through identification of new search and performance opportunities
Key Capabilities & Skills
- Strong expertise in paid search, SEO, and performance marketing
- Deep understanding of search platforms including Google Ads and Microsoft Ads
- Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities
- Experience managing large-scale search budgets and performance targets
- Strong leadership and stakeholder management skills
- Strong understanding of attribution, tracking, and measurement frameworks
- Clear communication and presentation skills
- Strong PowerPoint/Google Slides and Excel/Google Sheets skills
Basic Requirements
- 10+ years of experience in search, performance marketing, or digital media
- Experience leading teams and managing senior client relationships within media agencies
- Proven experience handling large-scale search campaigns and integrated media planning
- Strong understanding of digital platforms, analytics, and performance metrics
- Bachelor’s degree required
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