AEM DAM Consultant

Who We Are

VML, part of WPP, is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and human first, award-winning work for blue chip client partners including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendy's. The agency is recognized by the Forrester Wave™ Reports, as a Leader among Marketing Creative and Content Service Providers, Commerce Services, Global Digital Experience Services, Global Marketing Services and, most recently, Marketing Measurement & Optimization. In addition, VML’s specialist health network, VML Health, is one of the world’s largest and most awarded health agencies. VML’s global network is powered by 26,000 talented people across 55+ markets, with principal offices in Kansas City, New York, Detroit, London, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, and Sydney.

About WPP

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit WPP.com.

About the Role

We are looking for a Group Director, Martech Consulting to lead VML's Adobe Experience Manager Assets and Digital Asset Management practice as its most senior strategic and technical authority. This is a high-impact leadership role at the intersection of creative operations, content strategy, and enterprise technology — responsible for defining how organisations manage, govern, and activate their most valuable creative assets at scale.

As Group Director, you will own the end-to-end strategic vision for DAM across VML's enterprise client portfolio — spanning AEM Assets architecture, metadata and taxonomy design, Dynamic Media implementation, Brand Portal configuration, and the governance frameworks that underpin sustainable, scalable DAM ecosystems. You will be equally at home advising a CMO on content supply chain strategy and guiding a technical team through a complex DAM migration.

This role demands a rare combination of deep platform expertise, creative operations understanding, and senior consulting leadership — and represents a genuine opportunity to shape one of the most strategically important capability areas in enterprise marketing technology.

This position requires a minimum of 4 days per week in-office to facilitate collaboration and team development, with travel to client sites as required.

The Impact You'll Make

• Define and lead VML's strategic approach to AEM Assets and enterprise DAM across a portfolio of complex, high-value client engagements

• Serve as the most senior DAM authority at VML — advising clients, leading pitches, and shaping how the practice grows and evolves

• Own the technical and strategic integrity of DAM implementations — from governance framework design through to metadata architecture, Dynamic Media configuration, and Brand Portal deployment

• Build, develop, and inspire a specialist team of DAM consultants and digital asset management professionals

• Drive business growth — identifying new opportunities, leading proposals, and positioning VML as the partner of choice for enterprise DAM transformation

• Establish VML as a recognised leader in AEM Assets delivery and digital asset management strategy

Core Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Client Advisory

• Define and own VML's strategic vision for AEM Assets and enterprise DAM consulting — setting the direction for how we design, deliver, and continuously evolve our offering

• Act as the most senior client-facing authority on DAM engagements — advising C-suite, VP, and Director-level stakeholders on platform strategy, content supply chain investment, and long-term DAM roadmap

• Lead executive-level discovery, strategy, and visioning workshops — translating complex organisational challenges around content volume, brand consistency, and asset governance into clear, actionable technology strategies

• Develop compelling business cases and ROI frameworks that articulate the strategic value of DAM investment — connecting asset management capability to content velocity, brand compliance, and operational efficiency

• Guide clients through complex solution decisions — balancing technical architecture, creative workflow requirements, organisational change, and platform scalability

• Build and maintain trusted, long-term senior client relationships that position VML as an indispensable strategic partner in content operations and digital asset management

DAM Architecture & Technical Governance

• Own the end-to-end architecture and technical governance of AEM Assets implementations at enterprise scale

• Lead the design of metadata taxonomy frameworks — defining asset classification structures, controlled vocabularies, faceted search strategies, and metadata schemas that support both operational efficiency and long-term discoverability

• Define and govern asset ingestion workflow architecture — designing scalable pipelines for bulk ingestion, automated metadata enrichment, quality validation, and asset processing across diverse source systems and formats

• Lead the strategy and implementation of rendition management — defining rendition profiles, automated processing rules, and format strategies that support multi-channel content activation without manual duplication of effort

• Govern the configuration and optimisation of Adobe Brand Portal — defining access models, distribution workflows, portal taxonomy, and user experience to support both internal teams and external agency or partner networks

• Lead the strategic design and technical implementation of Adobe Dynamic Media — including viewer configuration, image and video preset strategy, smart imaging, adaptive video delivery, and integration with downstream activation channels

• Establish and enforce DAM governance frameworks — covering asset lifecycle management, rights and usage tracking, archival and retirement policies, version control standards, and compliance with brand and legal requirements

• Define standards for AEM Assets integration with adjacent platforms — including Creative Cloud, Adobe Workfront, AEP, CMS platforms, and third-party distribution channels

Metadata, Taxonomy & Information Architecture

• Lead enterprise-scale information architecture engagements — defining the taxonomic structures, controlled vocabularies, and classification frameworks that underpin DAM discoverability and long-term scalability

• Advise clients on metadata strategy — balancing the needs of creative teams, marketing operations, legal and compliance functions, and technology stakeholders in a single, coherent metadata model

• Design automated metadata enrichment strategies — leveraging Adobe Sensei and AI-powered tagging capabilities to reduce manual metadata burden while improving asset discoverability

• Define search and findability strategies within AEM Assets — ensuring asset libraries remain navigable and efficient as content volumes grow

• Develop metadata governance protocols — establishing ownership, maintenance responsibilities, and quality assurance processes that keep taxonomy structures accurate and relevant over time

Creative Operations & Technology Bridge

• Serve as the strategic bridge between creative operations and technology teams — translating the needs of creative directors, content producers, and brand managers into technical platform requirements, and ensuring technology solutions genuinely support creative workflows

• Define content supply chain strategies that connect asset creation, management, and activation into seamless, efficient end-to-end workflows

• Lead the design of creative workflow integrations — connecting AEM Assets with Adobe Creative Cloud, Workfront, Frame.io, and other creative production tools to minimise friction and maximise asset reuse

• Advise on brand governance technology strategies — defining how DAM platforms enforce brand standards, manage approved asset libraries, and control the distribution of on-brand content across global teams and agency networks

• Develop operating model recommendations that define how creative, marketing, IT, and legal teams collaborate around asset management — including roles, responsibilities, and governance processes

DAM Governance, Rights & Compliance

• Define and lead DAM governance frameworks — establishing the policies, processes, and platform configurations that govern how assets are created, stored, maintained, activated, and retired

• Advise clients on digital rights management strategy — including usage rights tracking, licence expiry management, talent and property releases, and territorial usage restrictions

• Ensure DAM implementations support compliance with data protection regulations — including appropriate handling of personal data within asset metadata and rights records

• Develop asset lifecycle management frameworks — defining how assets move through creation, approval, active use, archival, and retirement, with appropriate automation and governance at each stage

• Lead the design of audit and reporting capabilities within AEM Assets — providing clients with visibility into asset usage, rights status, and governance compliance

Practice Development & Thought Leadership

• Define and continuously evolve VML's AEM Assets and DAM delivery methodology — building proprietary frameworks, accelerators, and toolkits that scale quality and accelerate time to value across engagements

• Contribute to external thought leadership — producing industry content, presenting at events, and shaping VML's market positioning in digital asset management, content operations, and creative technology

• Establish VML's DAM centre of excellence — creating the standards, knowledge assets, and enablement resources that underpin consistent delivery quality across the practice

• Stay ahead of Adobe AEM Assets product developments — including AI-powered asset management, Content Hub evolution, and Dynamic Media innovation — translating new capabilities into client opportunities and internal practice development

• Identify adjacent capability areas — including content supply chain automation, AI-driven asset intelligence, and integrated creative operations platforms — and develop VML's ability to deliver in these spaces

• Build VML's profile within the Adobe DAM partner ecosystem — contributing to co-innovation conversations, partner programmes, and joint go-to-market opportunities

Team Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a growing team of AEM Assets consultants, DAM specialists, and digital asset management professionals

• Define clear career pathways and development plans that attract, retain, and grow specialist talent within the practice

• Set high standards for technical quality and delivery excellence — reviewing solution designs, governing implementations, and ensuring consistent output across all engagements

• Foster a culture of craft, curiosity, and continuous learning — keeping the team ahead of platform developments and evolving industry best practice in digital asset management

• Collaborate cross-functionally with creative operations, content strategy, technology, and media teams to deliver integrated, outcome-focused client programmes

• Formally manage a team of direct reports, providing regular performance feedback, development coaching, and clear expectations aligned to practice growth objectives

Business Development & Growth

• Lead and contribute to new business pitches and proposals for AEM Assets and broader DAM and content operations engagements

• Identify and develop organic growth opportunities within existing accounts — expanding scope, introducing adjacent capability areas, and deepening strategic relationships

• Contribute to commercial scoping and solution design — ensuring proposals are technically credible, commercially sound, and competitively differentiated

• Maintain a close working relationship with Adobe's AEM Assets, Dynamic Media, and Brand Portal product and partner teams — leveraging those relationships for co-selling opportunities, early roadmap access, and market differentiation

• Represent VML in industry forums, Adobe partner events, and client-facing thought leadership opportunities

What You'll Bring

Essential Experience

• 8+ years of experience in digital asset management, content operations technology, or martech consulting — with substantial, hands-on expertise in Adobe Experience Manager Assets

• Deep, proven expertise across the core AEM Assets and DAM capability set, including:

• Metadata taxonomy design and information architecture

• Asset ingestion workflow design and automation

• Rendition strategy and asset processing configuration

• Adobe Brand Portal configuration and governance

• Adobe Dynamic Media implementation — including viewer configuration, image and video presets, smart imaging, and adaptive video delivery

• DAM governance frameworks — covering asset lifecycle, rights management, and compliance

• Demonstrated ability to bridge creative operations and technology teams — understanding the language, priorities, and workflows of both, and designing solutions that genuinely serve both communities

• Proven track record of leading enterprise DAM transformations — from strategy and architecture through to deployment, adoption, and ongoing governance

• Demonstrated ability to operate as a senior client advisor — with the presence, credibility, and communication skills to engage and influence at VP and C-suite level

• Experience leading and developing specialist teams within a fast-paced consultancy or agency environment

• Strong understanding of content supply chain strategy — and how DAM sits within the broader ecosystem of content creation, management, and activation

Technical Proficiency

• Expert-level knowledge of Adobe Experience Manager Assets — including configuration, workflow design, metadata schema management, access control, and platform architecture

• Hands-on experience with Adobe Dynamic Media — including setup, configuration, and optimisation of image, video, and viewer capabilities

• Working knowledge of Adobe Brand Portal — including configuration, taxonomy alignment, and distribution workflow design

• Familiarity with Adobe Sensei and AI-powered asset tagging capabilities within AEM Assets

• Understanding of AEM Assets integration patterns — including Creative Cloud Libraries, Workfront, Adobe Publish, and third-party DAM connectors

• Working knowledge of metadata standards and protocols — including XMP, IPTC, Dublin Core, and schema.org as they apply to digital asset management

• Familiarity with API-based integrations and asset delivery architectures — including CDN strategy, headless asset delivery, and programmatic asset access

Nice to Have

• Adobe Certified Expert — AEM Assets or equivalent certification

• Experience with Adobe Content Hub and the evolving AEM Assets as a Cloud Service architecture

• Background in creative operations strategy, content production, or brand management technology

• Familiarity with third-party DAM platforms — including Bynder, Canto, Aprimo, or Widen — and migration experience between platforms

• Understanding of digital rights management platforms and their integration with AEM Assets

• Experience with AI-driven asset intelligence — including auto-tagging, visual search, and content similarity capabilities

• Track record in practice development, thought leadership, or business development at a senior level

• Previous experience at a leading consultancy, systems integrator, or digital agency serving enterprise clients

What Makes This Role Unique

This is a rare opportunity to lead at the convergence of creative operations, content strategy, and enterprise technology. You will be:

• Defining how enterprise organisations think about their content and creative assets — not just implementing software, but shaping the operating models, governance frameworks, and strategic investments that underpin content effectiveness at scale

• Building and leading a specialist practice with genuine influence over its direction, methodology, and market positioning within one of Adobe's fastest-evolving product areas

• Working at the intersection of creativity and technology — in a role that values both the technical depth to govern complex DAM architectures and the strategic sensibility to understand what creative teams truly need

• Playing a central role in VML's growth as a leading Adobe AEM Assets partner — with real influence over how we win, deliver, and evolve our offering in this space

Who You'll Work With

You will collaborate closely with:

• Senior client stakeholders — C-suite, VP, and Director-level marketing, creative operations, brand, and technology leads

• VML creative operations, content strategy, and martech teams — ensuring DAM solutions integrate coherently with broader content and marketing technology programmes

• Adobe AEM Assets, Dynamic Media, and Brand Portal product and partner teams — maintaining a close working relationship to stay ahead of platform developments

• AEM Assets consultants and DAM specialists — providing leadership, technical direction, and quality oversight

• VML business development and growth teams — contributing to pitches, proposals, and client expansion conversations

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 an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

WPP (VML) 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.

VML is a WPP agency (NYSE: WPP). For more information, please visit  www.vml.com, and follow along on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

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