Transformation Lead

2202 - Transformation Lead

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

TRANSFORMATION LEAD

Role Summary and Impact

This role sits within WPP Media’s Global Client Solutions and leads transformation across our most critical client engagements. This role sets the transformation agenda—proactively defining the north star, priorities, and sequencing for how WPP Media and our clients will win next—shifting teams from reactive delivery to agenda-setting, system-led change. It owns the orchestration and value realization of complex change, designing simple, repeatable systems (operating models, workflows, diagnostics, maturity maps, and change management) that convert ambition into measurable outcomes.

Two capabilities define success. First, commerciality: the ability to rewire scopes, pricing, staffing models, and ways of working to improve profitability and cash for WPP Media and create clearer value for clients. Second, executive influence: the ability to lead the most senior conversations, align competing interests, and navigate bureaucracy to unlock decisions and momentum. The Partner is exceptionally strong under pressure—calm, decisive, and creative in high‑stakes, fast‑turnaround moments—able to synthesize signal, make calls, and mobilize teams quickly. Acting as a connector across disciplines (media, content, CX, platforms, commerce), they embed pragmatic AI‑enabled workflows where they materially improve efficiency and decision quality, and build M‑shaped talent to ensure the right capabilities meet the right work.

Skills and Experience

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 Mobilize the Enterprise.

This roles specific skills:

Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Set and own the transformation agenda for WPP Media’s most critical client engagements—define the north star, non‑negotiables, and sequenced path to value.
• Establish a systems‑first approach: operating models, workflows, diagnostics, maturity frameworks, and change management that scale across engagements.
• Translate market shifts (AI, automation, platforms, commerce, data privacy) into practical standards and embed AI‑enabled workflows where they materially lift performance.
• Move the organization from projects to platforms and from best practice to repeatable systems; codify and socialize playbooks that connect strategy to delivery.
• Champion an “own the orchestration, enable the system” ethos, connecting disciplines to deliver tangible business impact.

Business Development & Growth

• Rewire scopes, pricing, staffing models, and delivery structures to strengthen profitability and cash for WPP Media while clarifying value for clients.
• Productize offerings (service catalogues, playbooks, value cases) with clear SLAs, KPIs, and outcome‑based narratives.
• Design commercial constructs that align value and incentives (efficiency‑to‑value, milestone‑based, managed services).
• Create integrated propositions across WPP Media and the wider WPP ecosystem; identify and land cross‑sell/upsell pathways.
• Represent transformation in senior client forums; act as executive sponsor for flagship engagements.

Team Leadership & Development

• Build, lead, and inspire a high‑performing transformation team aligned to GCS priority engagements.
• Define role clarity and capability ladders; recruit and develop M‑shaped talent—broad across disciplines with deep spikes in multiple areas.
• Create a culture of knowledge sharing—codify best practice into reusable assets and run enablement to drive adoption.
• Deploy talent dynamically to the highest‑impact opportunities; ensure the right capabilities are matched to the right work at the right time.

Operational Excellence & Delivery

• Set rigorous delivery standards and governance across critical engagements; ensure consistent, on‑time, on‑budget execution.
• Orchestrate senior stakeholder alignment; navigate bureaucracy to unblock decisions and maintain momentum.
• Lead with urgency in high‑pressure, fast‑turnaround scenarios—stand up rapid response structures to stabilize and accelerate delivery.
• Embed structured change management; track and deliver value realization
• Own operations and performance for the GCS transformation portfolio (P&L stewardship, utilization, forecasting, profitability).

Experience:

• Significant experience in media/marketing transformation, consulting, or related disciplines, with leadership across high-stakes client engagements.
• Proven ability to restructure scopes, pricing, staffing, and delivery to improve profitability and create reinvestment headroom.
• Deep expertise in operating model and workflow design, diagnostics, maturity mapping, and sequenced change management.
• Demonstrable experience embedding pragmatic AI-enabled workflows to improve efficiency and decision quality.
• Exceptional poise and judgment in high‑pressure, fast‑turnaround environments; decisive, calm, and creative under time constraints.
• Excellence in executive stakeholder management and storytelling; credible advisor to C‑suite, procurement, and senior client sponsors.
• Strong commercial acumen: offer design, pricing, contracting, P&L stewardship, and outcome-based/value realization frameworks.
• Connector across disciplines (media, content, CX, platforms, commerce); builder of M‑shaped talent and teams.
• Bias for action with hands-on delivery when required; comfortable moving from boardroom strategy to operational detail.
• Ability to integrate across WPP Media and the wider WPP ecosystem to align capabilities and drive impact.

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

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