Associate Director, Planning (12 Month Mat Cover FTC)

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.

3327 - Associate Director, Planning - UK  (12 Month Mat Cover FTC) 

About us

Want to build the UK’s most exciting brands at the bleeding edge of AI and culture?

Welcome to &Accelerate at T&P.

We are not a traditional, slow-moving agency. We reject lengthy SLAs, red tape, and siloed thinking. Instead, we operate on a simple, powerful belief: modern marketing requires the lightning speed of  Artificial Intelligence (AI)  fused with the unstoppable intuition of  Human Intelligence (HI).

Born as a pioneering, high-growth unit within T&P and backed by the massive scale of WPP, &Accelerate is an incubator for scaling legends.

We work in flat, agile, “&-shaped” teams  where creative, media, data, and technology live under one roof. By leveraging WPP’s premier tech platform,  WPP Open  (representing a massive $500M annual investment in AI), we supercharge our thinking and fast-track marketing tasks so we can spend more time doing what humans do best: being brilliantly creative, strategically daring, and commercially unstoppable.

Our Two-Gear Philosophy

We believe in moving at the speed of culture. To do that, we operate in a unique Two-Gear Model:

• The Strategic Gear:  Crafting the big, long-term brand ideas that stop people in their tracks.
• The Tactical Gear:  Running a daily, reactive content engine that hacks the social interest graph and moves at the exact speed of cultural trends.

We’re building a place where you can thrive.

Ultimately, we are our people. We believe the journey of building great brands should feel just as good as the results. We reject the traditional agency grind in favour of a nurturing, inclusive, and transparent culture where you get board-level exposure, rapid career progression, and the freedom to challenge the status quo.

If you are commercially minded, allergic to bureaucracy, and constructively impatient - this isn’t just a job. It’s your launchpad.

About the Role

We are looking for an ambitious, modern Account Director  to step into the engine room of &Accelerate and lead the day-to-day delivery for two of our most prestigious, forward-thinking client portfolios: Karo Healthcare  and SC Johnson.

As an Account Director, you won't just manage client accounts - you will shape how these legendary brands show up in culture. Operating within our flat, integrated team structure, you will sit at the crossroads of creative, media planning, performance, and AI. You will be responsible for orchestrating our HI + AI model  to deliver seamless, high-velocity campaigns, managing client relationships with gravitas, and mentoring a talented, multidisciplinary team of Account Managers and Executives.

This is a pivotal leadership role for a strategically-minded, hands-on account handler who is ready to reject traditional agency silos and drive the future of integrated brand growth.

The Clients

You will be leading brands that are household names, tasked with injecting them with the speed, purpose, and cultural relevance of an insurgent start-up.

• Karo Healthcare (featuring E45):  A trusted giant in skincare. We famously took E45 "from the back of the bathroom cabinet to the front of culture" through our groundbreaking, inclusive campaign, This Is Me. This Is My Space, supporting transgender and gender-diverse individuals. The campaign won the highly prestigious Channel 4 Diversity in Advertising Award, driving a massive 57% increase in branded search volumes, 4.3% sales growth, and a 10% rise in brand reputation.
• SC Johnson (featuring ECOVER):  The original pioneer of ecological cleaning. We are helping this iconic green brand lead the modern conversation around sustainability. By hacking the social interest graph and moving at the speed of culture, we make eco-friendly living accessible, bold, and highly relevant to today's consumers.

Key Responsibilities

• Client Partnership & Growth

• Own Key Relationships:  Be the trusted partner for senior brand leads across Karo and SC Johnson, acting as an indispensable adviser who deeply understands their businesses, verticals, and competitors.
• Drive Integration:  Seamlessly bridge the gap between media, creative, performance, and technology, bringing "The Power of &" to life on a daily basis.
• Unlock Innovation:  Work alongside the Client Lead to identify growth opportunities, pitching brave, first-to-market ideas that leverage our HI + AI model.

• Campaign Strategy & Delivery

• Master the Two Gears:  Champion the delivery of campaigns that balance long-term strategic brand building (Strategic Gear) with reactive, cultural moment-hacking (Tactical Gear).
• Campaign Orchestration:  Oversee the end-to-end campaign lifecycle - from brief to post-campaign analysis (PCA) - ensuring that creative and media activation are delivered flawlessly and at pace.
• Measurement & Outcomes:  Keep measurement at the forefront of every campaign, working with performance partners to ensure all activity delivers clear, actionable business results.

• Team Leadership & Operations

• Nurture Integrated Talent:  Lead, coach, and develop a highly capable team of Account Managers and Account Executives, running regular 1-on-1s and fostering an inclusive, high-performance environment.
• Commercial & Financial Stewardship:  Own the financial health of your accounts, overseeing budgeting, monthly billings, reconciliations, and resource allocation to ensure healthy commercial performance.
• Optimise Workflows:  Introduce and champion agile, AI-assisted workflows within the team, utilising WPP Open  tools to automate routine admin and protect your team's time for creative and strategic thinking.

Who Are You?

You are a natural collaborator, an "&-shaped" thinker  who is passionate about media, creative strategy, and cutting-edge tech. You excel at turning complex problems into clear, actionable, and brilliantly executed campaigns.

Our Ideal Candidate:

• Experience:  6+ years of account handling or communications planning experience within a media, creative, or integrated agency environment (ideally with exposure to FMCG, healthcare, or purpose-led brands).
• Insurgent Energy:  You are enthusiastic, proactive, and thrive in a fast-paced environment. You don't just adapt to speed - you set the pace.
• Radically Efficient:  You have a bias for action and an eye for spotting smarter, faster, and more creative ways to get things done using modern tools and AI.
• Constructively Impatient:  You are eager to push creative boundaries and challenge both clients and teams to produce work that makes a real cultural impact.
• Gravitas & Communication:  You are an exceptional presenter and storyteller, with the natural confidence to guide, challenge, and align senior stakeholders.
• Detail-Oriented:  You hold yourself and your team to an elite standard of output, ensuring financial reporting, media bookings, and client deliverables are always immaculate.

The Perks (our favourite bit)

Backed by WPP, we offer a market-leading benefits package designed to support your life, your health, and your career:

Extra Time Off (The Ultimate Crowd-Pleaser)

• 25 Days Annual Leave  as standard.
• Christmas Closedown:  Extra paid time off over the festive period so you can fully unplug.
• Your Birthday Off:  An additional day off to celebrate you every year.
• Anniversary Day Off:  A paid day off on the anniversary of your start date.
• 2 Paid Volunteering Days  per year to give back to causes you care about.

Health, Fitness & Wellbeing

• 50% Off Gym Memberships:  Half-price corporate rates at Pure Gym, Gymbox, Nuffield Health, and Fitness First (with zero joining fees!).
• Private Medical Insurance (BUPA):  Full coverage including Dental & Optical.
• Help @ Hand (Day 1 Support):  24/7 access to remote GPs, mental health counselling, and physiotherapy from your very first day.

Fun & Fridays

• Friday Finishes:  4:00 PM finishes every Friday (and 3:00 PM Summer Fridays!).
• Celebrating Milestones:  £100 Huggg vouchers for marriages/civil partnerships, plus £75 dinner money and gifts for significant birthdays.

Financial Future

• Unmatched Pension Scheme:  Up to a  10.5% employer contribution  (Scottish Widows).
• Discounted Shopping:  Massive discounts on high street shopping and travel via our 'Engage' platform.
• Cycle2Work & EV Schemes:  Great savings on regular or electric bikes and electric vehicles.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

At T&P and &Accelerate, diversity and inclusion aren't just buzzwords - they are the heart of how we create brilliant work. We are committed to building a team that represents a rich variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills.

We welcome and encourage applications from all candidates, particularly those from underrepresented communities. We are a flexible employer and are always happy to have open, individual conversations about any specific adjustments or support you need to thrive here.

Ready to launch the next stage of your career? Apply today!

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