Implementation & Activation Manager

IMPLEMENTATION & ACTIVATION MANAGER

ABOUT WPP & OPENDOOR

At WPP, we’re constantly reinventing the future of creativity on an ever-broader canvas, bringing together unrivalled talent, resources and skills to provide an integrated offer of communications, experience, commerce and technology.

Over the last decade, we have developed a dedicated global client practice with the mission of accelerating WPP’s impact for our largest clients by bringing them the best of WPP. Each team is custom-built around a client’s specific needs and challenges, providing easy access to the right capabilities. And that’s why we’ve built OpenDoor for Amazon.

OpenDoor is a unique integration of the best of WPP and Amazon – building on their respective strengths and visions. Whether at WPP or at Amazon, every project is an OpenDoor on new possibilities. Anything and everything can be an opportunity for our people to drive impact – for them to innovate, learn, thrive, and occasionally fail too.

The unique OpenDoor partnership model is built to deliver next level Productivity, fueled by our industry-leading approach to People, Platforms, and Process. OpenDoor spans across all WPP agencies and disciplines such as media, business consultancy, communications and brand strategy, tech and commerce, public relations, and production.

OpenDoor’s values are built from Amazon’s own 16 Leadership Principles, and WPP’s core values of Open, Optimistic and Extraordinary. Together, when WPP’s Creative Transformation meets Amazon’s next-level customer centricity, our people come together to challenge and impact what’s done today and build a better future.

By joining OpenDoor, not only are you joining a cross-function team partnering with one of WPP’s top five global clients, but you are also taking a step to challenge yourself and the world around you every day, working in the most unusual way on some of Earth’s most ambitious opportunities in marketing, tech, media, business, and creativity.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are searching for a talented and enthusiastic individual to join our OpenDoor team as an Implementation & Activation Manager. This is a Full-time position based in Sydney. This role plays a crucial part in supporting WPP's mission to deliver consistency, delivery excellence and best in class service for Amazon in every country across its diverse businesses, including XCM, Prime Video, and RMI

The role of the Implementation & Activation team is to deliver the highest excellence in Implementation Planning and Buying, ensuring client campaigns are planned and executed in an effective, efficient, and future facing way. The scope of Implementation & Activation incorporates Video (TV, BVOD, SVOD, Short-Form IO Online Video and Cinema), Out of Home (Direct and Programmatic), Audio (Radio, Podcasting and Music Streaming) and Display (Newspapers, Magazines, and Digital IO Display).

The role of Manager within the Implementation & Activation team is to oversee that approved client media plans are booked with the highest level of operational excellence, whilst supporting the planning function. Able to confidently lead a small team, you set the highest standard for operational excellence, and maintain a market-leading view of best practice media buying.

You are responsible for leading your team and ensuring all campaigns are delivered and executed in an effective, efficient, and future-facing way.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS:

Reporting to: Implementation & Activation Director Direct reports: Implementation & Activation Associate Managers, Executive and Coordinators Internal departments: Collaborate closely with your client team, including client leads, comms planners, strategy leads, the Implementation & Activation team and other agency and group departments to manage expectations and collectively deliver the strongest outcomes for clients Media Owners: Establish strong relationships with our media partners at a Group Sales Manager level and Sales Executive level Clients: Establish a deep understanding the Amazon business and develop strong relationships with key client contacts

RESPONSIBILITIES People

• Manage team workflow, delegating tasks effectively, making sure goals are set & met, and highlighting concerns with your Director.
• Manage leave and team absences to ensure coverage for team responsibilities and minimal impact to remaining team members.
• Motivate team to achieve individual, team and organisational goals.
• Develop and train team to ensure they reach their potential.
• Empower team members with skills to improve their confidence, product knowledge, and communication skills.
• Conduct fortnightly 1:1 check-ins, annual Career Conversations and Annual Performance Reviews with direct reports through Culture Amp.
• Liaise with the People Team to resolve any team disputes to ensure a safe and productive team environment.
• Create and foster a cohesive team environment through team activities and cultural moments.
• Provide clear guidance and instruction when working with, teaching, or helping others.
• Continuously champion agency values to build strong and trusted connections, solution-oriented perspectives and demonstrate that you genuinely care for collective team success.

Clients

• Offer expert perspectives and POVs on recent market trends or developments, ensuring they are shared with key stakeholders regularly.
• Regularly meet with vendors and partners to drive your client's agenda, creating opportunities for your team members to get involved and engage.
• Maintain an in-depth understanding of client challenges, objectives & initiatives, and be able to clearly articulate these to your team and your media partners.
• Help build on the agency's reputation for outstanding client service.
• Cultivate strong, trusted relationships with clients at an intermediate level.
• Robust understanding of the in-scope services of your clients and the process for completing work above and beyond.

Product

• Oversee the delivery of best-in-class campaigns, in line with all planned parameters, in an efficient, effective, compliant, and future facing way, in line with Implementation & Activation best practice.
• Maintain an in-depth knowledge of the media landscape, able to articulate and train others on core media principles and the capabilities of each media touchpoint.
• Identify and lead product innovation opportunities for your clients and with your teams.
• Lead non-biddable projects across your client remit, working collaboratively with stakeholders to define and deliver success.
• Engage with internal product teams including GroupM proprietary product and service teams to ensure you have a robust understanding about their offerings and relevance to our clients and can clearly articulate their benefits of their inclusion.
• Responsible for ensuring all financial and compliance processes are followed by you and your team, with 100% accuracy.
• Lead initiatives to improve both agency and client capabilities, working across vendors and partners to achieve success. Seek to find, communicate, and implement improvements in all aspects of the role. When required, a strict adherence to buying commitments that have client contract association.
• Support the planning team in the development of strong media plans that meet client objectives and KPIs.
• Ensure your team are delivering on time and with accuracy.
• Support Associate Director and/or Director on investment decisions, audits, negotiations, and forecasting
• Strengthen your skills of media planning principles, including agency practices and philosophies.

Growth & Marketing

• Identify, collate, and highlight examples of great work from within the team, both internally and externally.
• Build the agency’s reputation by contributing to entries for awards and competitions and by contributing to industry thought leadership.
• Be a positive face of the agency at industry events, either related to clients’ category or our media partners.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

• Experience managing a team.
• Passion for Media implementation and buying.
• Strong, up to date, media landscape knowledge (confidently able to articulate macro audience trends and the challenges and opportunities they bring).
• Attention to detail.
• Extensive media buying experience.
• Problem solving mentality.
• Clear communicator, with strong presentation skills.
• Demonstrates well developed negotiation skills.
• Results Driven. Passionate about delivering business results for clients, with the ability to identify and clearly articulate what’s working and why.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

In 3 months:

• Established collaborative relationships with all key stakeholders and internal reports.
• A strong understanding of and can clearly articulate the agency and group proposition, core Implementation & Activation processes and our way of working.
• Immersed yourself in the team with an understanding of the status of all active and upcoming campaigns.

In 6 months:

• Demonstrated your ability to deliver on all aspects of the role in an efficient, effective, and proactive way.
• Strengthened your key stakeholder relationships to deliver great team work consistently.
• Managing the Implementation & Activation processes for the team, ensuring that your manager and wider team are regularly updated.

In 12 months:

• Taking on greater ownership for campaigns and clients – responsibility and volume.
• Building strong relationships with publishers, representing the agency appropriately and ensuring that campaigns are delivered to the highest quality.

BENEFITS OF OPENDOOR

• Unparalleled Access: Gain direct experience working with one of the world's most innovative and influential companies.
• Mentorship & Training: Receive guidance from experienced professionals at both WPP and Amazon.
• Cutting-Edge Technology: Utilize industry-leading tools and platforms, including WPP Open.
• Data-Driven Environment: Develop your analytical skills and contribute to data-driven decision making.
• Global Impact: Be part of a team that is shaping the future of marketing on a global scale.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.