Associate Director, Operations

About WPP Unite

WPP Unite is a specialized unit within the WPP network, designed to deliver integrated, transformative marketing solutions for some of our most strategic clients. We bring together talent and capabilities across disciplines—media, creative, strategy, commerce, and analytics—to operate as one unified team.

Our focus is not only on delivering exceptional work, but on continuously evolving how we work. We build and scale modern operating models, workflows, and tools that drive efficiency, transparency, and measurable impact across the business.

About the Role

As an Operations, Associate Director at WPP Unite, you will play a critical role in ensuring the seamless, efficient, and profitable delivery of complex marketing solutions. This role is responsible for driving both the day-to-day execution and operational rigor across a client account or portfolio, with a focus on delivery excellence, workflow consistency, with an eye towards financial performance.

Reporting into the Operations capability, you will partner closely with the Account Leads and cross-functional discipline teams to manage projects end-to-end, ensuring alignment to defined processes, timelines, and ways of working. You will be responsible for translating business needs into structured plans and workflows, proactively managing risks, and maintaining visibility across all workstreams.

In addition to delivery, you will support the rollout and adoption of new workflows, tools, and operating models—helping teams embed more consistent, scalable ways of working. Your experience in fast-paced environments will enable you to navigate complexity, drive accountability, and continuously improve how work is executed.

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities

Your core responsibilities will span strategic delivery, operational excellence, financial stewardship, and team leadership:

Strategic Delivery & Project Leadership:

• End-to-End Project Delivery: Manage the full lifecycle delivery of business-critical projects across U.S.-based teams, from initial intake through execution and closeout
• Project Planning & Scoping: Support the development of clear project scopes, timelines, and plans. Translate business needs into structured, actionable workflows that align with established processes
• Cross-Functional Coordination: Partner with cross-discipline teams (e.g., Strategy, Media, Creative, Analytics) to ensure alignment on timelines, deliverables, and dependencies, helping teams stay on track to meet milestones
• Risk & Issue Management: Proactively identify risks and issues, escalating as needed and working with stakeholders to resolve challenges quickly and effectively
• Stakeholder Communication: Maintain clear and consistent communication across stakeholders, ensuring visibility into progress, timelines, and key decisions
• Quality & Ways of Working: Support adherence to defined processes and workflows, helping to reinforce consistency and quality in how work is delivered. Provide feedback to improve ways of working over time

Operational Excellence & Work Quality:

• Process Adherence & Improvement: Develop a strong understanding of workflows and operating models across disciplines. Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and work quality, and support the implementation of process enhancements within your projects
• Team Support & Guidance: Provide day-to-day guidance to team members on workflows, tools, and ways of working. Reinforce best practices and support teams in delivering high-quality, consistent work
• Cross-Team & Partner Alignment: Help ensure internal teams, clients, and external partners understand and follow established processes and workflows, supporting effective collaboration across teams

Strategic Thinking & Business Impact:

• Business Context & Application: Build a strong understanding of the client business, project goals, and broader market context to ensure work is delivered effectively and aligned to objectives
• Insight Contribution: Leverage project data, delivery learnings, and team feedback to surface insights and opportunities for improvement
• Opportunity Identification: Identify gaps, inefficiencies, or risks within projects and workflows, and escalate or recommend solutions to the appropriate stakeholders4. Financial

Stewardship & Business Performance Management:

• Project Financial Management: Support the profitable delivery of work across assigned projects by managing scope, timelines with an eye toward resource management
• Scope & Forecast Support: Assist in maintaining project scopes, estimates, and forecasts
• Financial Tracking & Visibility: Monitor project financials (e.g., burn, utilization, pacing), flag risks or variances, and communicate updates to stakeholders in a timely manner
• Team Alignment on Scope & Effort: Help ensure teams are working within defined scope and timelines, escalating risks and supporting course correction when needed

Team Leadership & Development:

• Work Quality Support: Contribute to maintaining high standards of work quality by reinforcing best practices, workflows, and consistency across projects
• Team Collaboration: Foster a collaborative and positive team environment
• Operations Alignment: Stay connected to broader Operations initiatives and help ensure alignment to shared processes, tools, and standards

Skills & Qualifications:

• Experience: 6–8+ years of experience in Project Management or Operations, with a proven track record of managing complex, multi-disciplinary projects in a fast-paced agency environment
• Commercial Acumen: Understanding of project financials, including scope, resourcing.
• Digital Expertise: Experience managing digital projects across media, creative, or integrated marketing, with an interest in how tools and technology are evolving ways of working
• Analytical Capabilities: Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret project data and communicate insights clearly to internal teams and stakeholders
• Project Management Methodologies: Proficiency in project management methodologies (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, Hybrid), with the ability to apply them in practical, flexible ways
• Technical Aptitude: Experience using project management tools (e.g., Wrike preferred, Asana, Jira, Monday.com), along with collaboration tools (Slack, Microsoft Teams) and G Suite/O365

Essential Soft Skills:

• Interpersonal & Relationship Management: Strong interpersonal and relationship management skills, with the ability to work effectively across teams and build trust with stakeholders at all levels
• Collaboration & Influence: Ability to collaborate across cross-functional teams and positively influence outcomes, driving alignment and accountability within project teams
• Communication & Presentation: Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey project updates, risks, and complex information to stakeholders
• Problem-Solving & Decision-Making: Proactive and solutions-oriented, with the ability to identify issues, navigate ambiguity, and support effective decision-making
• Organization & Time Management: Highly organized, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams, prioritize effectively, and keep projects on track
• Continuous Improvement Mindset: Demonstrates curiosity and a willingness to learn, with a focus on improving processes, workflows, and ways of working

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.

WPP Media is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to, among others, individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans. If you need an accommodation because of a disability to search and apply for a career opportunity with WPP Media, please send an e-mail to WPP Media Leave Administration at Leave.Administration@groupm.com or call (212) 297-8507 and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

While we appreciate all applications received, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.