Account Director, Search

1821 - Account Director, Search - MM&D

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

About WPP 650

Join an award-winning team at the heart of UK government, where your work will genuinely shape lives. As part of WPP 650 you’ll be part of a supportive, collaborative environment that values curiosity, kindness, and growth. Together, we use behaviour change principles to design smarter services, influence better decisions, and help millions of people across the country.

Named WPP 650, after the 650 UK parliamentary constituencies, the name is a reminder that our work must reflect the full breadth of the country, every community, every audience. No two days are the same. The challenges are complex, the problems worth solving, and the learning constant. You’ll tackle issues that matter, alongside talented colleagues who care deeply about what they do. It’s demanding – but always rewarding.

This is meaningful work with real-world impact – the kind you can point to with pride.

Role Summary and Impact

As a Paid Search Account Director, you will provide strategic leadership within the Media Activation team, driving Paid Search excellence for key clients. This leadership role delivers category-defining capabilities and services across Paid Search, ensuring optimal campaign performance and maximizing in-channel effectiveness and data integrity. You will lead and develop Paid Search activation teams, cultivate strong client and supplier relationships, and define advanced Paid Search strategies that align with business objectives and drive growth. Your expertise will provide rigorous and innovative recommendations across Paid Search, ensuring continuous optimization and adherence to best practices, and strategically weaving Paid Search into overall cross-channel campaign strategies.

Reporting Structure: Reports to Paid Search Business Director (Lead).

Key Responsibilities

• Line Management: 
• Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching, and development to direct Paid Search activation teams (including Account Managers and Account Executives), fostering excellence and professional growth. Support capacity planning and resource management, leading recruitment for your immediate team and assisting with wider team recruitment.
• Strategic Paid Search Leadership:
• Develop and lead advanced Paid Search strategies for client portfolios, ensuring clear alignment with business objectives, KPIs, and industry context.
• Provide strategic insight for client product areas within Paid Search, and proactively spot trends, product releases, and opportunities to enhance activity.
• Oversee the development and creation of Paid Search best practices, with ultimate accountability for adherence to controls and effective oversight of designated campaigns.
• Develop thought leadership pieces and case studies to galvanise the role of Paid Search within the wider media community.
• Client & Partner Relationship Management:
• Develop strong relationships with key clients and suppliers, leading team communications with these stakeholders and providing useful insight independently.
• Lead efforts to gather and disseminate client intelligence to understand and meet their business needs, navigating critical business changes and complex issues.
• Manage team members to deliver consistently across multiple Paid Search campaigns.
• Operational Excellence & Innovation:
• Oversee operational excellence, including financial accuracy, data integrity, and end-to-end campaign management processes across Paid Search.
• Act as an escalation point for activation issues, troubleshooting, and resolving conflicts between best practice and client requirements.
• Drive innovation by building annual learning agendas and comprehensive test plans for assigned portfolios, fostering continuous optimization.
• Contribute to agency-wide continuous improvement projects regarding processes and quality standards.
• Lead through vision, values, and model leadership behaviours while championing and facilitating change.
• Commercial Acumen:
• Demonstrate strong commercial acumen, leading on the delivery of services in line with client objectives, service level agreements, and terms of business.
• Develop ways of working that maximise client output whilst minimizing operational input.

Skills and Experience

• Deep Paid Search Expertise: Extensive experience in digital media, with specialization in Paid Search (Google Ads, Bing Ads). Proven track record of driving performance for clients.
• Platform Proficiency: Experience with planning and directly managing large-scale Paid Search (PPC) campaigns. Experience with Google stack and GMP & AdWords certifications (desirable).
• Strategic & Analytical Acumen: Strong understanding of optimization levers & testing approaches. Excellent analytical skills (quantitative analysis) and proven critical thinking capability to interpret complex campaign data and derive actionable insights.
• Leadership & People Management: Proven Project Management, Leadership, and People Management Experience, including responsibility for career development, managing people/teams, and leading hybrid teams.
• Client & Stakeholder Management: Proven ability to build strong relationships with key clients and suppliers/vendors, leading team communications and driving workstreams independently. Experience in internal and external stakeholder relationship management.
• Communication & Influence: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex strategies and performance insights clearly and persuasively to diverse audiences. Self-starter who can proactively influence clients to help evolve best practices and drive innovation.
• Integrated Perspective: Good understanding of the overall media landscape and how Paid Search integrates into cross-channel campaign strategy.
• Mindset: Passion for Paid Search, active interest and understanding of online advertising industry trends, and proactive in evolving best practices.

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 Mobilise the Enterprise.

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

Please read our Privacy Notice (https://www.wppmedia.com/pages/privacy-policy) for more information on how we process the information you provide.

#LI-Promoted