VP, Media Solutions - Development, UK

WPP Media is WPP's AI-driven media operating unit, bringing together media, data, and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation at scale. Connected through WPP Open and powered by Open Intelligence, clients see exactly where, how, and why their media investment is working.

For more information, visit wppmedia.com.

2992 - VP, Media Solutions - Development, UK

Translate the vision and strategy for Media Solutions in the UK into a set of deliverables in the UK roadmap, ensuring it reflects innovative media planning practices and drives real growth for clients.
Translate the wider MM+D commercial strategy into actionable plans for the Solutions function, maintaining a clear line between organisational strategy and day-to-day delivery
Set the standards for product development and platform operations to manage the health and quality of the technology stack across product, engineering, QA and release management processes for the UK, leveraging global practices and technology where appropriate.
Own, upskill and inform the product management function for solutions in leading the design of the future facing technology stack, ensure clear agile ways of working and implement and manage scrum.
Develop a strong, informed point of view on how WPP's technology needs to evolve to deliver business outcomes, and design the Solutions architecture to reflect the needs of the UK. Build and innovate on top of quality globally developed products and configure where appropriate.
Ensure clear change management, quality assurance and deliverables from all development partners, internal and external are meeting requirements against project and roadmap goals and objectives.
Lead the Development function to manage priorities, deliverables and quality standards for solutions development: with a focus on scaled, quality delivery
Ensure Solutions development leverages the best of WPP's global and local technology: building in line with Open Intelligence, Open Media Studio and the broader WPP Open ecosystem
Adopt a most global, most local approach: taking the best of global technology capability and driving the behavioural change needed to maximise competitive advantage in the UK market
Own the relationship with WPP's Data & Tech roadmap, maximizing the capabilities for the UK with clear communication, commitment to quality delivery and setting the software development standards.
Create measureable quality benchmarks across the solutions owners and engineers to deliver against the roadmap.
Ensure high quality collaboration between key stakeholders both across Solutions design and development, Open and global Media solutions teams.
Build strong stakeholder relationships across WPP Media, with structured processes to communicate the team's output, roadmap and impact
Fully embed the Solutions function into the wider WPP Media organisation, ensuring it is seen as a strategic partner rather than a separate capability
Set the technology strategy in collaboration with the SVP of Design and development, own the roadmap and backlog, prioritise ruthlessly, delivery quality technology on a stable and robust technology stack.
Set the standard for quality product and engineering agile practices, and hold the team accountable for decision making across solutions architects, solutions owners, platform operations and WPP Open teams to ensure a highly integrated tech stack.
Establish investment cases and requirements gathering across the team is a high quality standard for external and internal development teams.
Experience running 3rd party SOW’s, vendor negotiations, and off shore development teams.
Creates clarity from complexity. Translates competing priorities and strategic ambiguity into a clear direction the team can act on.
Builds momentum. Moves things forward at pace, makes decisions without waiting for perfect information, and gives others the confidence to do the same.
Makes hard calls. Willing to make decisions that are difficult or unpopular when they are the right ones. Accountable for outcomes.
Develops leaders, not just individuals. Genuinely invested in the growth of the people beneath them. Understands that their impact is multiplied through others.
Holds the long view. Balances short-term delivery pressure with building something sustainable. Does not sacrifice future capability for near-term convenience.
Operates at the intersection of vision and pragmatism. Knows when to push for better and when good enough is right. Grounds ambitious thinking in what can realistically be built and delivered.
Influences at pace. Builds credibility and trust with senior stakeholders through quality of thinking and commercial insight. Communicates the team's roadmap and output with structure and clarity.
Raises the bar for quality. Uses the full breadth of WPP Open technology available to teams to push the standard of output: critical thinking applied to both the work itself and the tools used to produce it.
Drives global to local. Adopts a most global, most local approach: evangelising the best of global technology and driving the behavioural change needed to maximise competitive advantage in the UK market.
Builds collaborative, high-performing teams. Formulates and manages a highly collaborative team with clear ways of working, roles and responsibilities to deliver meaningful output to clients.

Experience in a martech technology delivery with proven track record of developing and delivering commercially driven data and technology solutions.
Proven technical and user product management leadership, focus on the end user experience and stable, robust platform development.
Leading the end to end software development cycle across large, complex and multi – discipline media ecosystems for commercial benefit.
Experience leaning into agentic capabilities, best in class technology leader that sets the bar in quality, agile development. Sets the fundamental principles and best practices for solutions development
A track record of translating high-level strategy into operational plans and delivering against them at scale
Experience leading large, cross-functional departments and developing senior leaders
Strategic understanding of the media planning and technology landscape: including programmatic, addressable, and data-driven media
Experience operating in a complex, matrixed organisation: comfortable navigating global frameworks and adapting them for local market needs
Familiarity with the WPP Open platform ecosystem is an advantage, though not a requirement