Search Lead, Media Management and delivery

The Global Search Lead is a senior client and capability-focused role that sits at the intersection of our performance, channels, and solutions functions within WPP. This role will have direct responsibility for evolving our clients' search growth plans — spanning paid search, SEO, and the rapidly emerging landscape of AI-driven and generative search — blending deep technical expertise with carefully articulated development plans that advance client maturity and deliver against growth objectives. We operate to the principle that 'performance is everything', and it is the lead role to dissect client goals into both the core search capabilities required (paid, organic, visual/voice, generative AI surfaces) and the solutions WPP has to support those ambitions — from technology and automation, to project-based analysis, to consulting on how and where organisational change is the solution. The role will be pivotal to thinking laterally across problems where search is both a discipline and a signal layer that informs the wider media ecosystem.

Responsibilities

Leading clients through an advancing search agenda with a broad understanding of the whole discovery and media ecosystem; Creating and developing a sophisticated and leading global search team operating model across paid, organic, retail, and AI-driven search; Integrating all WPP capabilities, solutions, and search disciplines linked to growth; Leading growth for clients and crafting compelling narratives that connect client ambitions to practical search solutions and strategy; Leading direct and indirect agency teams in global search growth plans across global, regional, and local markets; Supporting performance and client growth through the WPP framework of thinking; Driving the evolution of search strategy in response to generative AI, zero-click search, and changing consumer discovery behaviours; Implementing ways of working that enhance our practice — including results, decision-making, team structures, and group initiative deployment; Setting client and team KPIs, including search-specific performance benchmarks and maturity roadmaps

Requirements

Substantial and demonstrable success in managing and leading the global search agenda for major brands; Deep expertise across paid search and SEO, with strong working knowledge of emerging AI/generative search surfaces; Track record of senior client management up to and including C-level where required; Proven success in stakeholder management and ability to build relationships with all agency leads; Proven track record of managing and inspiring large, distributed search capability teams across multiple markets; Proven track record in understanding and operating in media ecosystems beyond search; Strong technology understanding (search platforms, bid management, SEO tooling, AdTech and MarTech stacks) as well as attribution models, cross-channel planning and buying, and search automation/AI tooling; Experience building and scaling search measurement frameworks including incrementality, MMM integration, and first-party data strategies; Strong background in leading global search accounts; Experience working with inter-agency solutions and clients that operate across borders; Working knowledge of adjacent performance disciplines (social, programmatic, affiliates); Fluency in topics such as first-party data activation, attribution, incrementality testing, feed management, content and creative impact on discovery, and measurement models; Passion to power client growth, tenacity to push ideas, and agility to adapt