UM - VP Client Business Partner

Position Summary

The Vice President (VP), Client Business Partner is responsible for leading teams of media professionals to devise innovative, scalable, measurable media solutions that drive highly engaging consumer experiences. Digital marketing is a key vehicle and would be infused throughout the entire campaign solution. The Vice President (VP), Client Business Partner is responsible for maintaining an efficient team that achieves strong profitability and building strong working relationships with clients at all levels, and partners (i.e. creative agencies, ancillary businesses). Inspiring creative media solutions that are grounded in insight is a key requirement.

Key Responsibilities

• Assume overall responsibility for the team's total media product from strategy to tactical recommendation
• Look for and deliver new and innovative solutions to client business issues and challenges
• Oversees development of plans consisting of building media strategies tied to brand marketing objectives and strategies, across channels
• Provide thought leadership and help develop strategic direction for media planning and buying across traditional and digital mediums
• Cultivate an ongoing understanding of client business, operations & marketing strategies and how these relate to media & communication strategies
• Provide media solutions and thought leadership to executive level client leaders
• Ensure that client relationships continue to be strengthened by high quality work and continual innovation
• Collaborate with creative agencies, media planning, and activation partners to develop ideas aligned to client strategy
• Partners with analytics and research teams to develop Point of Views (POVs) on research and measurement solutions for clients
• Evangelizes the strategic planning process, positioning, and ensures that media plans are informed by these values
• Play a key role in the negotiation of client agreements including scope of work and corresponding efficient staff plans
• Continually monitor and identify areas of both opportunity and risk with regards to achieving business objectives
• Drive organic growth by proactively identifying opportunities to deepen our relationship with clients via Mediabrands’ Speciality Business Units (SBUs)
• Inspire and lead the team in the development of creative and innovative and on-strategy media solutions grounded in insight
• Seamlessly integrate all groups (investment, digital, strategy) and collectively drive against client and business objectives
• Participate in new business activities as needed

Desired Skills & Experience

• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Executive level of progressive experience in media planning within an agency environment, or a combination of media agency and client-side marketing/media experience
• Senior level of experience managing and developing large staffs across multiple teams
• Experience leading the media product for a matrixed, complex client with multiple LOB’s, varied Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and related stakeholders
• Change Leadership: adaptable and resilient; able to guide teams through transformation, growth, or restructuring.
• Demonstrated business and financial acumen, with strong business planning experience
• Proven ability to cultivate strong professional relationships with clients, colleagues, and media partners
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills
• Ability to influence and negotiate win-win solutions
• Exemplary leadership and people-management skills
• Demonstrated critical thinking and problem solving abilities
• Operates with a collaborative approach and a ‘can do’ mindset
• Creative and adaptive thinker who enjoys learning, taking on unfamiliar challenges, and shaping new strategic approaches and frameworks
• Proven ability to drive strategic solutions
• Previous experience leading new business planning and presentations

UM is a global media agency committed to Futureproofing our clients’ businesses for the now and the next. We leverage the transformational power of rich business analytics and real-time intelligence to maximize growth and activate the full consumer journey across content and connections. Our consultative approach and agile model, rooted in diversity, equity and belonging, drive better business outcomes for brands. As the leading global media network in Mediabrands, UM operates in over 100 countries, with more than 3,000 people innovating on a roster of clients including the following in Canada: BMO, Sobeys, PokerStars, FanDuel, Johnson & Johnson, SkipTheDishes, Sony, Spotify and Hershey. UM is the number one agency in Canada, as ranked by RECMA, and the most awarded media agency at the Media Innovation Awards and CMA Awards for the past two years. For more information, please visit umww.ca.

What's in it for you?
• Generous paid time off with a minimum of 37 paid days off including vacation and monthly wellness days. We also have four-day long weekends, half-day summer Fridays, and meeting-free Friday afternoons year-round.
• A flexible hybrid work model that works for you.
• A focus on personal development with formal training opportunities, including mental health training and inclusion education for everyone.
• A chance to be part of and grow within a global network of agencies.
• The opportunity to contribute to our company culture by joining one of our many community-based employee groups, such as Black Employee Network, Girls on Fire, Hispanic or Latinx Alliance, Neuro Network, Pan-Asian Network, and Rainbow Lounge.