Global Associate Director - Investment London, England

Buying, Trading & InvestmentLondon,England

EssenceMediacom is GroupM's newest and largest agency, committed to delivering marketing breakthroughs for brands. It has disrupted the old models across media, creative, innovation and analytics to find new opportunities for advertisers and deliver truly integrated media solutions.

Born out of two pioneering agencies, EssenceMediacom fuses Essence's performance, data, analytics, and creative technology DNA with MediaCom's scaled multichannel audience planning and strategic media expertise.

As part of WPP, the world's largest marketing communications services group, and GroupM, WPP's consolidated media investment management arm, we have access to the richest data, most robust benchmarks, and most advanced capabilities in the market. This helps us provide comprehensive solutions to all marketing challenges.

Our 'breakthrough' ambition is underpinned by our commitment to 'continuous learning .' We aim to ensure our people fulfil their potential by investing in their whole-person wellbeing, careers, and capabilities, which in turn helps grow our clients' businesses.

EssenceMediacom, with 10,000 people across 120 offices in 96 markets, is one of the world's leading communications specialists, with billings of more than US $21 billion (Source: COMvergence, 2021). Its global client roster includes adidas, Coca-Cola (TCCC), Dell, Google, Hasbro, Mars, NBC Universal, P&G , Richemont, Shell, Sony, and Uber.

This position sits within the Global Investment department of EssenceMediacom .

The Global Investment management function has three core objectives and units :

• leading the pricing and accountability elements of international and multi-local pitches and managing client cost deliveries and incentive schemes across the Agency client portfolio
• managing the proprietary media offer of the Agency in close connection with GroupM, the parent company to WPP media Agencies
• managing the partnerships with key media vendors worldwide assuring the most competitive conditions for the Agency and our Clients

Following a number of Global business consolidations, EssenceMediacom are seeking to expand its current team and to manage a series of exciting new and current assignments within our pricing and accountability unit , where our clients require a centralised measurement of media buying performance

The Associate Director will be working on two main clients, one or more smaller clients as well as supporting new business if and as required.

Accountabilities include:

• Investment Management for two main clients (60%)

With the support of junior staff where applicable and guidance from a Director (the line manager), the candidate will be responsible for overseeing the implementation and delivery of EssenceMediaCom's accountability framework for the clients.

The candidate will work closely with markets to track buying performance and optimise value delivery to the the clients' business as well as providing the clients with trading insight and context on an ongoing basis.

This will include contributing to the recommendation of on-going c lient pricing strategies .

• Investment Management for other clients ( 3 0%)

The I nvestment Management Unit track the buying performance for a number of smaller clients across a range of media in key territories. Due to the wide range of clients and relatively horizontal structure, there are a number of opportunities for the candidate to manage other projects with full responsibility on the account: work directly with EssenceMediaCom's Account Teams, build auditor relationships, and handle client queries.

• Supporting New Business RFQs (10%)

Each and every agency resource gets involved in supporting New Business RFQs if necessary. From a candidates perspective this will be particularly true in the case of a large consolidated regional or global procurement processes where a number of central 'cost experts' would need to be involved in the RFP. Resilience is the key quality required in such situations.

A bit about your skills and experience:

• You will need to have a minimum of 6-7 years' experience gained in a buying/investment role in a media agency and/ or at a media auditing firm
• It is essential that you possess solid knowledge of cost and quality aspects across all media types, especially television / online, ideally gained in an auditing environment on-top of agency experience. Due to the increasingly digital profile of the accounts in scope, experience in online buying would be a particular asset.
• Given the technicality of the benchmarking, where very precise and quantified outcomes need to be delivered, excellent numerical , analytical and IT skills, as well as great attention to detail are essential. Good communication and presentation skills are also important.
• You will need a good eye for organisational structures and procedures, as well as a very "hands-on" attitude. Working with a network of local operators on globally aligned businesses can often present challenges in terms of collaboration and a certain degree of resilience and patience is therefore required.