Account Director, Paid Social

2217 - Account Director, Paid Social

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

We are seeking a highly experienced Paid Social Director to lead the planning and activation of high-impact International Paid Social Campaigns for the UK Government. This is a pivotal leadership role within our expanding UK Government portfolio, demanding seamless collaboration with central planning, strategy, and cross-channel specialists.

You will be instrumental in developing and executing cutting-edge Paid Social strategies, with a particular focus on leveraging LinkedIn's unique targeting and engagement capabilities for government communications and objectives. You will provide strategic direction to a dedicated team and serve as a key client contact, driving continuous, timely optimization and proactively identifying opportunities to maximise campaign performance and deliver unparalleled Paid Social excellence for our esteemed client.

Key Responsibilities:

Campaign Management

• Oversee and ensure best-in-class Paid Social campaign activation across relevant accounts, ensuring campaigns are operating at the highest standard and delivering highest quality output for our clients.
• Develop and implement innovative Paid Social strategies, specifically tailored for the UK Government's objectives and audience, with a strong focus on platforms like LinkedIn, Meta (Facebook/Instagram), X (Twitter), and TikTok.
• Ensure that the team is using templates to prove methodologies for optimisation approach for key Paid Social tactics and optimisation logs.
• Act as an escalation point for your direct team on activation issues and challenges, particularly concerning platform policy adherence (e.g., LinkedIn's political advertising guidelines) and any conflict between best practice and client requirements.

Client and Partner Management

• Ultimate responsibility for client interaction and the success of the relationship, with a focus on nurturing key strategic relationships, and team operations/deliverables.
• Agree and set business objectives for each client and review campaign performance against these objectives.
• Create/design comprehensive Paid Social strategies for the client portfolio, ensuring strategy is clear and most appropriate to the client's objectives, KPIs and client's industry.
• Drive revenue growth through spotting new optimisation opportunities, services or products and delivering excellent results.
• Develop strong relationships with key platform representatives (e.g., LinkedIn, Meta, X, TikTok) and other service providers to guide the team in developing their understanding of the evolving Paid Social ecosystem.
• Drive understanding of the products and solutions that could be relevant for clients that have been developed within the group, particularly new features on core social platforms.

People Management

• The ability to manage, motivate and train individuals, in line with business requirements, resource, and development needs.
• Ensure individuals workloads are managed and prioritised in line with client needs and SLAs.
• To have identified training requirements with Line Manager, and a formal plan for delivery over 12 months.
• To be responsible for the team’s development (their 360’s, and task & objectives), and to be tied into their own objectives.
• Highlight great teamwork, and client initiatives. Demonstrate examples of Paid Social best practice to the wider team, and contribute to department and wider agency PR and communications.

Operational Excellence

• The appropriate use of tools to drive accountability in Paid Social buying, operational efficiencies, and actionable business insights, with the scoping of agreed client outputs.
• Ensure financial accuracy, integrating the planning and buying process, and reconciliation of spends, including client terms and Paid Social fees, via buying templates and processes.
• Maintain standards and process throughout the end-to-end campaign lifecycle.
• Develop productive relationships with key internal departments and help develop new revenue opportunities through matching client needs to resource and facilitate introductions.
• Understand and promote the function and value of the other departments within the Agency and its partners within the group.

Skills & Experience

• Passionate about Paid Social activation and driving continued excellence. With proven experience in multi-channel Paid Social campaign activation and management.
• Deep and demonstrable expertise in LinkedIn Ads Manager, including advanced targeting (Matched Audiences, List Uploads, Company Targeting, Job Title/Seniority, Skills, Groups), campaign objectives, and ad formats (Single Image, Video, Carousel, Document Ads, Lead Gen Forms).
• Proven experience in managing large-scale, complex campaigns on Meta (Facebook/Instagram), X (Twitter), and TikTok, with a strong understanding of each platform's nuances for government or public sector communication.
• Experience in developing and leading client relationships, particularly within the public sector or government.
• Exceptional people management skills, including support and development of junior team members.
• A comprehensive understanding of how Paid Social can integrate with other digital and offline channels for a holistic campaign approach.
• Ability to translate technical and complex points about social platforms and campaign performance to non-technical audiences and coach others to do the same.
• Ability to develop and execute comprehensive testing roadmaps in the Paid Social space – audience, media, creative, and platform-specific features.
• Experience navigating and adhering to specific platform policies and advertising regulations, especially for sensitive topics or government-related content.

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 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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