Strategy Partner

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. With exceptional talent, trusted data and intelligence, and world-class partnerships – all united by ourpioneeringagentic marketing platform, WPP Open – we help clients navigate change, capture opportunity, and deliver transformational growth.

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.

Are you curious about human behavior, and always looking for inspiration for a collection of sources beyond the norm? Do you wish to challenge the status quo, and bring strategies to life in exceptional ways? Wavemaker UK is looking for a curious and provocative strategy partner to join our department. Wavemaker UK are experiencing exceptional growth, offering interesting brand challenges for strategists to take on, and bring our ethos of Positive Provocation to all the unrivalled work that passes through our doors at Sea Containers.

In this role, you will drive strategic thinking across:

• Client Work: Build relationships with senior client and partner agency stakeholders to be their confidante and drive brand growth outside of just briefs. Be quality control check for all presentations and workshops with client.
• Pitches: Own the narrative for the entire pitch story (including written response and any chemistries), ensuring the strategy lives and breathes in all elements of the pitch, in addition to owning and developing the comms strategy for the pitch brief, building a robust understanding of the audience, working with audience science to build any bespoke research (i.e. focus groups of otherwise), and ensuring the strategy comes through in activation and any big ideas.
• Thought leadership: Write regular thought leadership pieces that feature in top industry titles and contribute to agency thought leadership projects like Growth Trends and Positive Provocation. Speak on industry panels, network within the industry to have a finger on the pulse on the latest thinking
• Agency: Cement Wavemaker’s Positive Provocation and further develop it as the agency evolves. Drive the strategic direction of initiatives to that make a positive impact on the work across the agency: i.e. training, inclusive planning, sustainable planning. As well as coach and mentor junior agency members who have a strategic nous. Make the work better though optimising ways we respond to briefs, the way we plan, the way we brainstorm ideas, etc.
• Awards: Have oversight of the awards on your client patches, rewrite entries, and ensure they are the strongest they can be.
• Team: Lead debates, inspiration sessions, and constantly share news research, tools and inspiration stimuli with the team. Be engaged and involved in team meetings and initiatives, including participating in brainstorms, and inspiration outings. Lean in and help on accounts needing resource during team absences or during client clashes.

Skills & Experience:

• Storytelling & Persuasion - The ability to develop a compelling narrative and use multiple storytelling techniques to sell in a strategy, idea, media argument, etc, whether from scratch, or taking the existing components from teams and building a compelling and exciting red thread end to end.
• Marketing & Media Industry Theory and Thinking- the ‘Science: having knowledge and understanding of the core Media and broader Marketing principles as well as the key literature and thinking that guides the best practices in Media and Comms
• Creativity - The Art: The ability to weave creativity into every aspect - whether it's thinking differently about a problem, bringing new combinations of data, insight or even media formats together, and pushing the boundaries of the thinking and the ideas to take brands to a new place
• Critical Thinking: The objective analysis and evaluation of a business, media or human challenge in order to identify insights and form a point of view

Life at WPP Media & Benefits

Our passion for shaping the next era of media is powered by our commitment to Be Extraordinary, investing in our employees to inspire transformational creativity. We also Lead Optimistically,firmly believingin and Championing Growth and Development for every individual. This commitment allows WPP Media employees toleveragethe extensive global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, build vital professional connections, and learn at thecutting edgeof marketing and advertising.

We Create an Open environment built on trust and respect, where everyone feels they belong and has opportunities to progress. This inclusive culture is fostered through a variety of employee resource groups and frequent in-office eventsshowcasingteam wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. Our comprehensive benefits package reflects this commitment, including 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 believe the best work happens whenwe'retogether, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection in this open and supportive environment.That'swhywe’veadopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If yourequireaccommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process. Please note that while our philosophy is the same across WPP, benefits may vary by office/country.

Please note this is a UK based role and requires individuals to have the right to work in this location

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

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