Chief of Staff

WPP•New York, NY

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients, and communities. Working at WPP means being part of a global network of more than 100,000 talented people dedicated to doing extraordinary work for our clients. We operate in over 100 countries, with corporate headquarters in New York, London and Singapore. WPP is a world leader in marketing services, with deep AI, data and technology capabilities, global presence and unrivalled creative talent. Our clients include many of the biggest companies and advertisers in the world, including approximately 300 of the Fortune Global 500. Our people are the key to our success. We're committed to fostering a culture of creativity, belonging and continuous learning, attracting and developing the brightest talent, and providing exciting career opportunities that help our people grow. WPP is seeking a visionary, enterprise‑minded and highly influential leader to serve as Chief of Staff to the Global Chief People Officer. Operating at the heart of a bold global People transformation now in motion and set to redefine how WPP works and delivers by 2028, this role will turn strategy into action, align leaders behind a shared vision and ensure our People function delivers at pace with measurable impact. The successful candidate will be the strategic connector, governance lead and performance driver for the People leadership agenda, shaping operating rhythm, sequencing cross‑functional delivery, clearing obstacles early and enabling well‑informed, confident decisions at the highest level. They will bind teams across geographies and disciplines into one global People function, foster trust, inclusion and innovation, and ensure every initiative strengthens WPP’s performance, client outcomes and cultural ambition.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (Master’s degree preferred).
12+ years’ experience in strategy, transformation or Chief of Staff roles in global, matrixed organisations, operating at C‑suite level.
Strong both strategically and operationally; an agile thinker who sees the big picture and ensures delivery.
Highly engaged and goal oriented with a strong sense of ownership; self-driven and able to prioritise across multiple programmes with limited oversight.
Excellent stakeholder management and influence skills across regions, functions and Agencies; able to build trusted, long‑term partnerships across diverse audiences with tangible impact on performance and retention.
Process disciplined with a bias to execution; organised, detail‑oriented and comfortable setting clear roles, responsibilities and deliverables.
Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with financial and business acumen; confident with KPI design and turning data into action.
Excellent executive communicator; produces crisp briefs and options and operates effectively in a complex matrix at global, regional and local levels.
Inclusive leader who can mobilise teams, lift ways of working and develop a small high‑performing central team.
Inspires trust, embraces diversity and champions a collaborative, innovative culture.

Responsibilities

Orchestrate the People agenda into an executable plan that delivers visible results at pace.
Enable fast, high‑quality decisions by running a sharp operating rhythm for the CPO and leadership team.
Mobilise and inspire teams across WPP by celebrating progress, reinforcing vision and ensuring clarity in priorities.
Catalyse delivery across CoEs, HRBPs and the SSC by aligning priorities, sequencing work and clearing blockers early.
Provide a single, trusted view of progress, risks and benefits that drives accountability.
Elevate C‑suite choices with concise, data‑rich briefs that turn complexity into clear options.
Champion diverse perspectives and inclusion in decision‑making, ensuring representation of different voices at the leadership table.
Act as trusted advisor to the CPO, synthesising options with data‑led insight and clear recommendations.
Bring external insight and innovation into the People agenda, challenging constructively to achieve the best outcomes.
Translate strategy into quarterly priorities with owners, milestones and success measures.
Run the leadership rhythm end‑to-end, ensuring sharp agendas, pre‑reads, decisions and follow‑
Maintain governance, decision logs and escalation paths that foster transparency, accountability and trust.
Proactively communicate changes, risks and potential impacts to stakeholders with clarity and foresight, reinforcing confidence and alignment.
Align cross‑functional workplans, interdependencies and critical paths to deliver at pace.
Integrate major strategic programmes and initiatives into the broader People leadership agenda, ensuring they progress alongside other priorities without loss of momentum.
Track KPIs and benefits, unblock issues early and drive continuous improvement.
Ensure client‑centred focus in delivery by anticipating needs and balancing short‑term priorities with long‑term capability building, achieving measurable outcomes in performance and retention.
Build relationships across Agencies, regions and functions to navigate the matrix and connect the dots.
Create strong, long‑term partnerships with stakeholders, challenging constructively when required.
Anticipate stakeholder needs and direct resources to meet current and future requirements.
Model integrity and openness by communicating changes, risks and outcomes clearly.
Foster innovation by inviting diverse perspectives, encouraging healthy challenge and celebrating progress.
Inspire engagement and alignment by consistently reinforcing WPP’s vision and strategy.