Associate, Direct Activation

WPP Media is looking for a curious, detail-oriented and collaborative media professional to join our Direct Activation team. As an Associate (Assistant), Direct Activation, you will play an important role in bringing our clients' media strategies to life and gain hands-on experience across the full media investment lifecycle, from marketplace intelligence and negotiations through campaign activation, optimization, measurement and financial reconciliation. This is a cross-functional media investment role, providing exposure across both offline and online channels, including Broadcast, Digital Display/Video, CTV/OLV, OOH/Print and other emerging media platforms.

Responsibilities

Support the development and execution of media investment recommendations by gathering marketplace intelligence, requesting proposals and evaluating opportunities; Work with media partners to understand their offerings, audiences, pricing, capabilities and value propositions; Participate in vendor meetings and industry discussions to build understanding of the evolving media landscape; Translate approved media strategies into accurate and effective media buys; Maintain media investments, including buy entry, insertion orders and trafficking coordination; Work closely with Planning and Ad Operations teams to ensure campaigns launch accurately and on time; Monitor campaign delivery and proactively identify opportunities, discrepancies or issues, maintaining accurate documentation of buy changes; Support ongoing campaign optimization to ensure investments are aligned with client objectives; Conduct pre-campaign checks and validations to ensure media is set up correctly and can be measured accurately; Contribute to post-campaign analysis and identify insights that can improve future investments; Maintain accurate client budgets and investment trackers

Requirements

A keen interest in developing expertise across both off-line and digital direct media; Comfortable working with budgets, numbers and data, with strong mathematical and analytical skills; Exceptional organizational skills and strong attention to detail; Excellent time-management skills with the ability to prioritize multiple projects and deadlines; Naturally curious with a desire to understand how things work and why decisions are made; Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment where priorities can change; Comfortable with ambiguity and willing to jump in wherever the team needs support; Collaborative, inclusive and respectful of different perspectives; Confident communicating with both internal stakeholders and external media partners

Nice to have

College or University education; Interest in developing expertise in offline and digital direct media

Benefits

Competitive medical insurance; Group retirement plans; Vision insurance; Dental insurance; Significant paid time off; Preferential partner discounts; Employee mental health awareness days; Access to global WPP Media and WPP networks; Employee resource groups; Professional development and learning opportunities