Account Director, Social

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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.

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1980 - Account Director, Social 

Role Summary and Impact: 

We are seeking an experienced Paid Social Account Director for our prestigious automotive client account for UK and Overseas Markets. This role will sit within the wider activation team and be integral to the paid social output of the team.  As a Paid Social Account Director, you will lead and deliver excellence in paid social campaign activation for key client accounts. You will assume day-to-day responsibility for the paid social output, providing strategic leadership for campaigns, ensuring optimal performance, and maximizing in-channel effectiveness across all key social platforms. Your focus will be on in-depth analysis, driving campaign performance, and leading and developing a team of paid social specialists. You will be a trusted voice for all things paid social, building strong relationships with clients, suppliers, and internal stakeholders within the WPP Open ecosystem, ensuring social strategy integrates with wider digital and comms strategies. 

Key Responsibilities: 

Line Management:  

• Line manage a team of Paid Social specialists (e.g. Managers and Executives), providing coaching, mentorship, and support for their development, workload management, and career progression. Lead the recruitment process for your immediate team. 

Campaign Management: 

• Oversee the production of comprehensive paid social media plans (+ supporting material) aligned with client objectives and KPIs, articulating proposed tactics to stakeholders. 

• Oversee a team responsible for end-to-end setup of paid social campaigns across all relevant social platforms. 

• Ensure the standard of regular Quality Assurance (QA) checks, monitoring campaign performance, pacing, troubleshooting, and optimizing to improve performance. 

• Ensure all performance commentary delivers valuable insight and recommendations, identifying trends and recommending on-platform actions. 

• Lead client calls and presentations, ensuring the standard of end-of-campaign reporting and quarterly/annual reviews. 

Client & Partner Management: 

• Responsible for delivering on the overarching paid social strategy across accounts, ensuring alignment with wider digital and comms strategies. 

• Act as a key social point-of-contact for clients, maintaining their confidence in the team's output. 

• Demonstrate deep understanding of media/technology developments, identifying and presenting opportunities to test and innovate in the paid social space, securing client backing. 

• Manage internal and external stakeholders (including key media partners like Meta, Twitter, Snap, TikTok, Pinterest) to deliver multiple projects simultaneously. 

Operational Excellence: 

• Identify opportunities to test and innovate in paid social, developing initiatives to evolve standards and efficiency across the wider team. 

• Develop tailored testing/learning agendas for clients that drive clear and actionable insight on each social platform. 

• Ensure accurate and effective management of agency finance processes; ensuring the immediate team fulfils mandatory finance processes in a timely and accurate manner. 

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. 

• Deep Paid Social Expertise: Extensive experience setting up and optimising paid social campaigns across key social platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snap, TikTok etc.). Training certifications (e.g., Meta Blueprint) a plus. 

• Strategic & Analytical Acumen: Experience planning large-scale paid social campaigns (brand and direct-response objectives). Strong analytical skills, compiling detailed/insightful reports, identifying trends, recommending actions and leading the development of experimentation frameworks and executions. 

• Leadership & People Management: Proven experience managing a team of social specialists (preferably in an agency environment), including workload management, training, and mentoring. Experience line managing others and leading recruitment. 

• Client & Stakeholder Management: Proven track record of working with clients and external stakeholders, forming strong relationships, and comfortable presenting to clients and leading calls. 

• Communication & Influence: Excellent communication skills, able to articulate campaign rationale and insights, and communicate effectively with diverse backgrounds. 

• Integrated Perspective: Strong understanding of how paid social activity complements and enhances the wider marketing mix and integrates with broader digital and comms strategies. 

• Mindset: Collaborative, friendly, can-do attitude. Passionate about paid social, eager to test and innovate. 

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. This inclusive culture is fostered through a variety of employee resource groups and frequent in-office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. Our comprehensive benefits package reflects this commitment, including 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 characteristics. We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection in this open and supportive environment. 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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While we appreciate all applications received, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. 

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