Paid Social Senior Associate Director

WPP Media Open · verified Sep 10, 2026

London Director Paid Social

Leadership Paid Social role at WPP Media. London.

Role brief

Growth Roles summary, based on the employer's posting.

What you'll do

Lead paid social campaigns and connect account activity to the wider cross-channel strategy
Guide team capacity, resource planning, communications, and work quality across assigned accounts
Set regional paid social best practices with EMEA and APAC teams, maintaining channel controls
Advise clients and suppliers while managing paid social vendors, platforms, partners, and integrations
Create thought leadership and case studies, and share regular reviews of owned workstreams

What you bring

Activation Director-level experience in digital media or advertising, including some P&L responsibility
A record of project leadership and people management
Experience running large-scale paid social through Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn
Strong command of media planning fundamentals such as reach, frequency, channels, and formats
Experience managing paid social vendor relationships and contributing to channel best practices

Who this fits

You’ll suit a senior paid social leader who can work independently with clients, suppliers, and internal stakeholders while guiding a team. This London role is UK-based, requires the right to work there, and follows a hybrid approach with teams in the office around four days a week. Discuss any needed accommodation or flexibility with the hiring team.

From the employer

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.

3066 - Paid Social Senior Associate Director - GCS

Role Summary and Impact

The Paid Social, Senior Account Associate Director is the paid social lead for designated clients/campaigns and is responsible for delivering category-defining capabilities and services across all Biddable channels, with a particular focus on paid social activity. Success in this role involves providing strategic insight across a breadth of channels, helping to evolve best practice within the paid social channel specifically, and leading a team (including ultimate responsibility for quality of work within this team).

Responsible for effective oversight of designated account campaigns and weaving these into the overall cross-channel campaign strategy
Support the team Client Director & Media Activation Practice Lead in capacity planning & resource management for the team
Oversea development and creation of paid social best practices in region coordinating with global EMEA / APAC team to ensure consistency across regions (with ultimate accountability for adherence to controls and best practices across all channels in the immediate account team)
Be the primary contact point of contact between the Media Activation team and regular stakeholders both internal & external for their account(s)
Develop strong relationships with your client, and key suppliers, leading team communications with these stakeholders. Be able to communicate with clients on subjects outside your remit, and provide them with useful insight, working independently
Develop in-depth knowledge of all paid social platforms and related bid-management platforms, and other methods of buying paid social (e.g. including programmatically-bought via DSPs) operating as in-agency expert in your field of specialism, whilst showing a good understanding of the overall media landscape
Manage and develop vendor relationships within paid social, working closely with the Platforms & Emerging Media team where applicable
Identifying new platforms, partners & integrations, evaluating these (and existing platforms) over time and maintaining a POV here
Develop thought leadership pieces & case studies throughout the course of the year to demonstrate role within wider industry as a display expert
Deliver quarterly, semi-annual, or annual updates on work quality as it relates to owned workstreams
Responsible for effective oversight of designated account campaigns and weaving these into the overall cross-channel campaign strategy
Support the team Client Director & Media Activation Practice Lead in capacity planning & resource management for the team
Oversea development and creation of paid social best practices in region coordinating with global EMEA / APAC team to ensure consistency across regions (with ultimate accountability for adherence to controls and best practices across all channels in the immediate account team)
Be the primary contact point of contact between the Media Activation team and regular stakeholders both internal & external for their account(s)
Develop strong relationships with your client, and key suppliers, leading team communications with these stakeholders. Be able to communicate with clients on subjects outside your remit, and provide them with useful insight, working independently
Develop in-depth knowledge of all paid social platforms and related bid-management platforms, and other methods of buying paid social (e.g. including programmatically-bought via DSPs) operating as in-agency expert in your field of specialism, whilst showing a good understanding of the overall media landscape
Manage and develop vendor relationships within paid social, working closely with the Platforms & Emerging Media team where applicable
Identifying new platforms, partners & integrations, evaluating these (and existing platforms) over time and maintaining a POV here
Develop thought leadership pieces & case studies throughout the course of the year to demonstrate role within wider industry as a display expert
Deliver quarterly, semi-annual, or annual updates on work quality as it relates to owned workstreams

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.
Proven experience at Activation Director level in a Digital Media or Advertising role (including some aspects of managing P&L)
Proven Project Management, Leadership and People Management Experience
Experience with planning and running large-scale paid social activity on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, either directly or via third party platforms
Excellent knowledge of media planning fundamentals e.g. reach, frequency, channels, formats, etc.
Experience of managing paid social vendor relationships
Regularly contributes to paid social best practices and campaign processes
End of quarter wrap up and review content for biddable campaigns.
Responsible for Biddable media planning and strategy
Experience with Google Analytics (plus certification) desirable
Experience with programmatically-bought paid social activity desirable
Some experience with paid search, programmatic display & reservation-based buying desirable

Life at WPP Media & Benefits

Our passion for shaping the next era of media includes investing in our employees to help them do their best work, and we’re just as committed to employee growth as we are to responsible media investment. WPP Media employees can tap into the global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, grow their networks, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising. We have a variety of employee resource groups and host frequent in-office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. Our benefits include 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 particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. 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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Please read our Privacy Notice for more information on how we process the information you provide.