VP, Media Solutions - Development, UK

2992 - VP, Media Solutions - Development, UK

Role Summary and Impact

The VP, Media Solutions - Development is a critical, high-impact leader within WPP Media Solutions: one who combines deep expertise with the leadership ability to translate ambitious strategy into high-quality deliverables, leveraging the best of global and local technology. They will lead a large multiple discipline solutions owner and engineering team, owning and managing the UK technology stack for WPP Media solutions UK. This highly experienced leader will establish agile product and engineering best practices and run a highly effective team, building micro services that enable innovation at scale. Leveraging the best of WPP Open global technology, evolving and iterating to create unique advantage ensuring the Solutions function delivers both current priorities and future capability at the standard the organisation needs.

We are looking for a delivery focused Solutions development leader who can evolve and enforce high-quality development and delivery practices to own and deliver the backbone of Media solutions and define and own the delivery roadmap for key business initiatives. This role will be a key delivery focused leader with Mar Tech, agentic product and engineering leadership. This leader will drive truly progressive changes in our proprietary Media Solutions, ensuring they reflect innovative media planning practices rather than traditional channels, and drive real growth for our clients.

As the leader of this function, they will ensure the wider MM+D commercial strategy is implemented and Solutions is the core driver of our commercial success through best-in-class builds and innovative net-new solutions: developing in line with our Data and Tech roadmap to deliver integrated Solutions that utilise Open Intelligence, Open Media Studio and the broader WPP Open ecosystem.

Reporting into the Solutions Design and development SVP and the DTA Product leader in the UK, this leader will development differentiation by design, own the platform operations, product and engineering function, and collaborate with global teams to test and learn, iterate, share learnings into scaling unique and powerful capabilities - ensuring it is fully embedded in the wider WPP Media organisation and securing its position as a driver of commercial growth, client advantage and innovation. This leader will set the standard for product development and establish a roadmap focused on commercial growth and enabling scaled, quality solutions across all owned and operated platforms to drive commercial differentiation.

What will you do

• Translate the vision and strategy for Media Solutions in the UK into a set of deliverables in the UK roadmap, ensuring it reflects innovative media planning practices and drives real growth for clients.
• Translate the wider MM+D commercial strategy into actionable plans for the Solutions function, maintaining a clear line between organisational strategy and day-to-day delivery
• Set the standards for product development and platform operations to manage the health and quality of the technology stack across product, engineering, QA and release management processes for the UK, leveraging global practices and technology where appropriate.
• Own, upskill and inform the product management function for solutions in leading the design of the future facing technology stack, ensure clear agile ways of working and implement and manage scrum.
• Develop a strong, informed point of view on how WPP's technology needs to evolve to deliver business outcomes, and design the Solutions architecture to reflect the needs of the UK. Build and innovate on top of quality globally developed products and configure where appropriate.
• Ensure clear change management, quality assurance and deliverables from all development partners, internal and external are meeting requirements against project and roadmap goals and objectives.

Technology & Delivery

• Lead the Development function to manage priorities, deliverables and quality standards for solutions development: with a focus on scaled, quality delivery
• Ensure Solutions development leverages the best of WPP's global and local technology: building in line with Open Intelligence, Open Media Studio and the broader WPP Open ecosystem
• Adopt a most global, most local approach: taking the best of global technology capability and driving the behavioural change needed to maximise competitive advantage in the UK market
• Own the relationship with WPP's Data & Tech roadmap, maximizing the capabilities for the UK with clear communication, commitment to quality delivery and setting the software development standards.
• Create measureable quality benchmarks across the solutions owners and engineers to deliver against the roadmap.
• Ensure high quality collaboration between key stakeholders both across Solutions design and development, Open and global Media solutions teams.

Leadership & People

• Build strong stakeholder relationships across WPP Media, with structured processes to communicate the team's output, roadmap and impact
• Fully embed the Solutions function into the wider WPP Media organisation, ensuring it is seen as a strategic partner rather than a separate capability
• Set the technology strategy in collaboration with the SVP of Design and development, own the roadmap and backlog, prioritise ruthlessly, delivery quality technology on a stable and robust technology stack.
• Set the standard for quality product and engineering agile practices, and hold the team accountable for decision making across solutions architects, solutions owners, platform operations and WPP Open teams to ensure a highly integrated tech stack.
• Establish investment cases and requirements gathering across the team is a high quality standard for external and internal development teams.
• Experience running 3rd party SOW’s, vendor negotiations, and off shore development teams.

Behaviours

• Creates clarity from complexity. Translates competing priorities and strategic ambiguity into a clear direction the team can act on.
• Builds momentum. Moves things forward at pace, makes decisions without waiting for perfect information, and gives others the confidence to do the same.
• Makes hard calls. Willing to make decisions that are difficult or unpopular when they are the right ones. Accountable for outcomes.
• Develops leaders, not just individuals. Genuinely invested in the growth of the people beneath them. Understands that their impact is multiplied through others.
• Holds the long view. Balances short-term delivery pressure with building something sustainable. Does not sacrifice future capability for near-term convenience.
• Operates at the intersection of vision and pragmatism. Knows when to push for better and when good enough is right. Grounds ambitious thinking in what can realistically be built and delivered.
• Influences at pace. Builds credibility and trust with senior stakeholders through quality of thinking and commercial insight. Communicates the team's roadmap and output with structure and clarity.
• Raises the bar for quality. Uses the full breadth of WPP Open technology available to teams to push the standard of output: critical thinking applied to both the work itself and the tools used to produce it.
• Drives global to local. Adopts a most global, most local approach: evangelising the best of global technology and driving the behavioural change needed to maximise competitive advantage in the UK market.
• Builds collaborative, high-performing teams. Formulates and manages a highly collaborative team with clear ways of working, roles and responsibilities to deliver meaningful output to clients.

Skills and Experience

• Experience in a martech technology delivery with proven track record of developing and delivering commercially driven data and technology solutions.
• Proven technical and user product management leadership, focus on the end user experience and stable, robust platform development.
• Leading the end to end software development cycle across large, complex and multi – discipline media ecosystems for commercial benefit.
• Experience leaning into agentic capabilities, best in class technology leader that sets the bar in quality, agile development. Sets the fundamental principles and best practices for solutions development
• A track record of translating high-level strategy into operational plans and delivering against them at scale
• Experience leading large, cross-functional departments and developing senior leaders
• Strategic understanding of the media planning and technology landscape: including programmatic, addressable, and data-driven media
• Experience operating in a complex, matrixed organisation: comfortable navigating global frameworks and adapting them for local market needs
• Familiarity with the WPP Open platform ecosystem is an advantage, though not a requirement

Life at WPP Media & Benefits

Our passion for shaping the next era of media is powered by our commitment to Be Extraordinary, investing in our employees to inspire transformational creativity. We also Lead Optimistically, firmly believing in and Championing Growth and Development for every individual. This commitment allows WPP Media employees to leverage the extensive global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, build vital professional connections, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising. 

We Create an Open environment built on trust and respect, where everyone feels they belong and has opportunities to progress. This inclusive culture is fostered through a variety of employee resource groups and frequent in-office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. Our comprehensive benefits package reflects this commitment, including 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 believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection in this open and supportive environment. 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 that while our philosophy is the same across WPP, benefits may vary by office/country.

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.

While we appreciate all applications received, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. 

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