Manager, Innovation

2095- Manager, Innovation - UK

Role Summary and Impact

Join an award-winning team at the heart of UK government, where your work will genuinely shape lives. As part of WPP 650 you'll be part of a supportive, collaborative environment that values curiosity, kindness, and growth. Together, we use behaviour change principles to design smarter services, influence better decisions, and help millions of people across the country.

Named WPP 650, after the 650 UK constituencies, the name is a reminder that our work must reflect the full breadth of the country, every community, every audience. No two days are the same. The challenges are complex, the problems worth solving, and the learning constant. You'll tackle issues that matter, alongside talented colleagues who care deeply about what they do. It's demanding - but always rewarding.

This is meaningful work with real-world impact - the kind you can point to with pride.

The advertising industry is in the midst of the biggest multi-generational communications shift in history. CMOs and public sector leaders are mastering two critical transformations: delivering a data, technology & AI-powered future, and moving beyond paid advertising. Organizations must shift from interrupting people with ads to engaging people with highly relevant, trust-building experiences.

WPP Media is establishing The Experience Capability, a transformational offering that sits at the heart of integrated ESOP (Earned, Shared, Owned, Paid) strategies. This capability creates and integrates experiences across Platforms, World Building, Applied Innovation, DCO, Creators, and Creative Excellence to unlock growth for our clients' most pressing business challenges.

We are seeking an Account Manager (AM), Innovation Strategy to serve as the vital day-to-day engine driving execution, coordination, and tracking for our flagship UK Government account (WPP 650). Reporting directly to the Business Director, Innovation Strategy, you will be responsible for the hands-on project management, administration, and execution of innovation strategies and thought-leadership programs.

In this role, you will act as a key connector—ensuring that strategic ideas are translated into practical, well-tracked campaigns. You will coordinate daily with planners across WPP 650, specialist Department & Mission Hubs, and delivery teams (including creative technologists, behavioral scientists, and data specialists) to keep our pilot programs moving on schedule, on budget, and to the highest standards.

Leadership Areas

Strategic Leadership & Operationalisation (~40%)

• Operationalize the Innovation Pipeline: Run the day-to-day project workflows, status meetings, and timeline tracking that take innovation concepts from initial brief to live campaign implementation, measurement, and post-campaign scaling.
• Coordinate with Data, Tech & Analytics (DTA): Partner directly with the DTA team on a day-to-day basis to ensure all active innovation pilots have established tracking codes, data clean room structures, and real-time dashboarding so that clients can clearly verify performance.
• Embed Best Practices Across Hubs: Work directly with the dedicated Department & Mission Hubs to distribute standardized briefing templates, campaign checklists, and testing frameworks.
• Administrate the "Test & Learn" Agenda: Maintain the central testing log for the WPP 650 team, tracking active hypotheses, live pilot schedules, and performance results.
• Maintain Operational Tools: Support the team’s daily use of proprietary tools like WPP Open and InnovateIQ, keeping partner databases and system data up-to-date to drive operational efficiency.

Project Coordination & Delivery (~40%)

• Day-to-Day Project Management: Act as the central project coordinator for active innovation projects, working with internal or external parties to ensure timely delivery of innovation strategies, ideas, solutions
• Coordinate with Specialisms: Set up and manage joint work sessions with Citizen Consultancy and Behavioural Science teams to ensure campaign briefs are processed with correct audience insights and behavioral targets.
• Support Inclusive Design Workflows: Assist the Business Director in running campaigns through the DE&I accessibility checklist, ensuring innovative tech assets are fully accessible and representative before going live.
• Partner Coordination: Act as the daily point of contact for external tech, platform, and creator partners, managing the collection of technical specs, asset requirements, and delivery dates.

Thought Leadership & Knowledge Management (~10%)

• Support the Media Futures Programme: Manage the logistics, scheduling, and slide preparation for client-facing thought-leadership events, "Future of" learning sessions, and partner education days.
• Curate the Learning Repository: Own the administration of the WPP 650 case study database, gathering post-campaign results from team leads, writing up pilot summaries, and ensuring the repository is easily searchable.
• Track Cultural & Tech Trends: Monitor key media and tech opportunities, compiling a monthly summary of inspiration and best-in-class work to share internally and with government clients.

Network Collaboration & Administration (~10%)

• Liaise with Creative Technologists: Act as the daily project connector between strategic planners and the Creative Media & Tech Lab, tracking prototype timelines and organizing review sessions.
• Maintain Financial & Administrative Rigor: Support the billing, invoicing, and resource tracking for active innovation pilots, ensuring all partner costs are processed and aligned with the "10% Investment Guidelines."
• Facilitate Internal Communications: Run the weekly status calls, distribute minutes, and manage action items for the core innovation capability and the internal community of "innovation champions."

Skills and Experience

This role requires a highly organized, detail-oriented, and proactive project manager with a passion for creative media and emerging technologies. You are someone who thrives on creating order out of complex ideas, managing timelines, and ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.

You possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills, allowing you to build strong working relationships with internal agency specialists and daily client counterparts. You are comfortable multi-tasking across different government departments, showing high adaptability and a problem-solving attitude in a fast-paced environment.

Key Requirements:

• Strategy, Planning or innovation experience within a media, creative, or digital agency.
• Outstanding organizational, project management skills and attention to detail, with a proven track record of managing project timelines, status sheets, and delivery schedules.
• A strong interest in emerging media, digital platforms, and creative technology (e.g., AI applications, messaging apps, interactive formats).
• Experienced in daily client servicing and stakeholder management, with a professional and proactive communication style.
• Familiarity with campaign execution workflows, including basic tracking, media trafficking, and performance reporting.
• Strong collaborative spirit, with experience coordinating tasks across diverse internal departments (such as strategy, buying, and data teams).
• Highly proficient in project management tools (e.g., Teams, Planner, Excel, PowerPoint) and comfortable learning proprietary agency toolsets.

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 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.

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

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