Director, Digital Investment

WPP Media•Toronto, ON

11d•Hybrid

About The Position

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. WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients and communities. WPP Media is WPP’s global media collective. In a world where media is everywhere and in everything, we bring the best platform, people, and partners together to create limitless opportunities for growth. 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. EssenceMediacom is a new breed of media agency. Grounded in analytics & insights and powered by data & technology, we believe in the power of media and creative to drive breakthroughs for the world’s best brands. We help clients understand the modern marketing paradox and discover the breakthroughs brands need to win with their consumers. We are designed for the new communications economy — built on data & technology, built for people & algorithms, built around diverse schools of thought, built to test & learn at scale, and, crucially, built to evolve.

Responsibilities

Full accountability for every aspect of Universal’s broadcast, digital and OOH activations, including platform strategy, tactical plans, specs and deadlines, in-platform campaign execution, benchmarking and insights
Oversee budget allocation and management for broadcast, digital and OOH
Collaborate with Planning Director to ensure strategy addresses tactical best practices, market considerations and achievable budget allocations
Spearhead broadcast, digital and OOH excellence and identify areas of growth
Work with media partners to bring forward first-to-market ideas
Work with media partners to coordinate QBRs/HBRs
Provide guidance on strategic media optimizations and investment strategy
Ensure efficient time management across the team
Responsible for investment team meeting Universal deliverable deadlines and planned campaign launch dates
Oversee team performance, quality control and adherence to best practices
Identify risk areas and implement solutions
Minimize executional errors, including timely launches, campaign pacing and spending of campaign budgets
Aid Group Planning Director in creating learning agendas for Universal
Work with analytics to gauge campaign performance and KPIs to determine the extent to which the objectives and strategies were met
Proactively keep abreast of industry trends, share knowledge with Universal and ensure internal team follows the guidelines
Maintain a strong relationship with clients through a demonstration of industry and Universal’s business knowledge
Voice a strong POV, based on Universal’s objectives, media knowledge & communication goals
Steward relationships with media partners and seek opportunities of business growth through fostering partner’s deeper understanding of Universal's business priorities
Forge a strong connection with the senior practice leads within the EssenceMediacom US teams
Collaborate with WPP trading & investment teams to deliver innovative, efficient media solutions and best practices to Universal
Serve as a role model through example and support development of the team
Manage and mentor team, ensuring all team members are delegated work appropriately
Backup Investment Manager during periods of personal time off/open roles
Collaborate with Planning and Activation Directors to build holistic strategies and plans
Ensure consistency between investment pods and keep track of all historical optimizations for future teams succession and knowledge share out
Manage the day to day workload of Manager, Planner/Buyers and Assistants
Provide constructive feedback to team members in a timely manner