Director Media (Cross Channel)

About WPP Media 

WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients and communities. For more information, visit wpp.com. 

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. For more information, visit wppmedia.com 

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. 

Role Summary and Impact

As part of the Global Operations Centre (GOC), the Director – Cross Channel will lead and evolve a global media execution function, working across the United States, Europe and Asia. The role combines cross-channel media expertise, operational leadership, client partnership and people development to deliver scalable, consistent and high-quality outcomes across markets.

The Director will own the operational strategy, governance, delivery standards, reporting, capacity planning and continuous-improvement agenda across multiple PODs and workstreams. The role will translate business and marketing priorities into practical activation frameworks, guide teams through ambiguity, and build a future-ready, AI-enabled delivery organisation. We are looking for a Director – Cross Channel who will:

Cross-Channel Operations and Delivery Excellence

• Lead end-to-end operations across at least two core digital media disciplines, such as Search, Social, Programmatic or Ad Operations, while maintaining a working understanding of complementary channels.
• Build and govern common delivery standards across teams, PODs and markets, covering campaign setup, quality assurance, tracking, reporting, documentation and operational controls.
• Drive measurable improvements in quality, timeliness, productivity and delivery outcomes through clear performance measures, root-cause analysis and disciplined follow-through.
• Scale and continuously improve processes, integrating workflows across media functions to enable consistent and connected cross-channel delivery.
• Champion automation, advanced measurement and AI/ML-enabled ways of working to improve efficiency, insight and scalability.
• Maintain awareness of evolving industry developments, including identity solutions, real-time analytics and server-side tagging, and translate relevant developments into the media operations roadmap.

Client, Market and Stakeholder Leadership

• Build trusted relationships with Nexus-Hub regional teams, market leaders, internal senior stakeholders and external clients.
• Confidently lead senior and CEO-level conversations, simplifying complex operational issues and translating business goals into scalable frameworks and activation plans.
• Act as a strategic partner rather than only a delivery lead, thinking beyond the immediate problem and focusing stakeholders on sustainable solutions and outcomes.
• Influence across strategy, analytics, engineering and activation teams, including situations where direct authority is limited.
• Own cross-market escalations, exercise sound stakeholder judgement and make informed decisions in ambiguous situations or where information is incomplete.
• Communicate clearly and credibly across organisational levels, both verbally and in writing.

People and Leadership

• Lead a high-performing, globally distributed organisation, with experience managing teams of approximately 30–50 people and 4–8 direct reports.
• Create clarity of direction and accountability across multiple PODs or workstreams, balancing delivery priorities, team capacity and stakeholder expectations.
• Coach and mentor leaders and team members, provide timely and actionable feedback, and build a strong succession and leadership pipeline.
• Drive training, professional growth and platform capability while reinforcing best practices, operational consistency and quality at scale.
• Foster resilience, collaboration and openness to feedback, and visibly translate feedback into action.

Planning, Risk and Commercial Discipline

• Lead or support scoping, capacity planning, staffing and resource management across markets and workstreams.
• Proactively identify delivery, capability and stakeholder risks; establish mitigations early and maintain ownership through resolution.
• Manage vendor relationships and evaluate relevant martech and adtech solutions to support platform compliance and operational innovation.
• Work independently, take ownership of outcomes and make timely decisions while balancing client needs, team sustainability and operational priorities.

Skills and Experience

• Minimum 10 years of relevant digital media and operations experience, with no exceptions; 12–15 years of professional experience is preferred for this Director-level scope.
• Deep expertise in at least two digital media channels among Search, Social, Programmatic and Ad Operations, with working knowledge of complementary channels.
• Hands-on experience with relevant platforms and tools, which may include Google Ads, Meta, TikTok, The Trade Desk, DV360, SA360, CM360/DCM, Microsoft Advertising, Amazon Ads, LinkedIn, AppsFlyer and tagging or analytics tools.
• Proven experience leading sizeable, multi-location media activation or operations teams and delivering centralised support to local or regional teams.
• Experience working with global and geographically distributed teams; exposure to multiple PODs or workstreams is strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to manage complex client relationships, cross-functional collaboration and senior stakeholder expectations.
• Strong track record of maintaining quality standards, driving operational improvement and delivering performance at scale.
• Good understanding of scoping, capacity planning, staffing requirements and resource trade-offs.
• AI-enabled mindset, with prior experience or meaningful exposure to applying AI in work highly desirable.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets.
• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in any field.
• Excellent English communication skills, both written and verbal.

Leadership and Behavioural Traits

• Solution-oriented and strategic: looks beyond the immediate problem and focuses on scalable, sustainable solutions.
• Mature stakeholder manager: navigates complex internal and external relationships, including senior and CEO-level conversations, with confidence and judgement.
• Delivery standard-setter: creates consistency across teams and markets and holds the organisation accountable for measurable quality and delivery outcomes.
• Decisive under ambiguity: makes sound, informed choices when information is incomplete and maintains ownership of the outcome.
• Proactive risk leader: anticipates challenges, surfaces issues early and mobilises the right action before delivery is affected.
• Continuous-improvement champion: scales processes, embraces automation and raises operational maturity over time.
• Coach and talent builder: develops people, strengthens leadership capability and creates an environment in which feedback leads to action.
• Resilient and collaborative: remains constructive under pressure, works across boundaries and responds openly to feedback.
• Influential and independent: shapes outcomes without relying on hierarchy and works autonomously while staying connected to enterprise priorities.

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 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.