Client Partner

About WPP Media

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 our pioneering agentic 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.

For more information, visit wppmedia.com.

About EssenceMediacom

A Leading WPP Media Brand, EssenceMediacom is a new breed of media agency. Grounded in analytics & insights and powered by data & technology, we believe in the power of media and creative to drive breakthroughs for the world’s best brands. We help clients understand the modern marketing paradox and discover the breakthroughs brands need to win with their consumers. We are designed for the new communications economy — built on data & technology, built for people & algorithms, built around diverse schools of thought, built to test & learn at scale, and, crucially, built to evolve.

Overview of the role

As a Client Partner you are responsible for managing a portfolio of clients and the broader Client leadership team within that mix. Your core responsibility will be to understand your clients business implicitly across all aspects of its operation. This is not limited to just media & advertising.

You will work with the client team to unearth & develop business challenges into solutions that will drive their business forward. You will be curious, passionate, enthusiastic and ultimately indispensable to the client and their business. The Client leadership team are an extension of the client team not a transactional resource.

Client Partners are the gatekeepers of the client’s experience when working with EssenceMediacom.

Overview of Client Leadership

Client leadership is predicated on building true partnerships with our clients by immersing our people deeper within their business than ever before. By expanding our horizons, and further interrogating our client’s business challenges, we can unlock the potential to deliver Breakthrough thinking for our clients.

Role responsibilties

When thinking about Product, this role’s responsibility is to:

• Promote the breakthrough process and oversee the creation of unique and insightful channel strategies that meet the client needs

• Take accountability for delivery of all auditing requirements

• Identify opportunities where SBU's can contribute and add value to clients business

• Engage SBU's and ensure presentations on offering to client

When thinking about Client, this role’s responsibility is to:

• Contribute to driving the EssenceMediacom Vision

• Oversee the complete end to end process of the breakthrough process in conjunction with broader EM disciplines

• Create and lead action plans that continually improve performance evaluation scores (e.g. TRR, third party or client-owned reviews) resolve client and partner agency issues

• Create and manage resource plans that support EM’S service delivery

• Build/Maintain strong client relationships through best in class servicing

• Ensures a high level of face to face interaction

• Understands the client’s business, category and market trends.

• Ensures team are delivering timely and accurate reporting requirements.

• Accountability to client KPI's, deliverables and value delivery.

• Works with I&A/S&P/SBU collaboratively to ensure delivery of all metrics.

• Conducts regular quarterly performance reviews with clients

When thinking about Commercial, this role’s responsibility is to:

• Ensure delivery of all key client contract commitments; including but not limited to scopes of work to ensure ongoing profitability for the business

• Identify, create and convert strategically relevant revenue opportunities for EM’S diversified services

• Accurately forecast revenue and billings

• Accurately manage the client’s and EM’S financial process (e.g. ensure that any 90+ day debt is minimised)

• Lead new business pitches as required

When thinking about People, this role’s responsibility is to:

• Ensure regular 1:1 time with all direct reports

• Assess flight risks/ contingency plans

• Take steps to reduce recruitment spend in your team & improve retention by proactively developing plans for internal team movement & making fair, equitable reward decisions

• Maintain an overview of the status of the team (knowing what role is vacant, who is ready for promotion, etc) and keep Talent abreast of developing issues

• Ensure relevant information cascaded by management is communicated in such a way the team understand context/ relevance for them

• Role model effective communication skills/ practices.

• Ensure Directors are following onboarding process for 100% of all new hires within the team, including assessment of the 90 day plan

Measuring success

• Product – Strong understanding and implementation of the EM Breakthrough planning process

• People – Net promoter score, retention rate

• Client - TRR / Vantage scores

• Commercial – Revenue and profitability

The experience you will need to perform this role

Your Experience:

• Proven client leaderships experience

• Proven experience in managing a large team with a success through others approach

• Portrays self as a confident leader by gaining respect of senior client stakeholders and junior team members

• Ability to easily manage difficult conversations

• An expert understanding of the core principles of great client servicing (listening; acting; leading; anticipating)

• An expert understanding of the media landscape and the media agency process

• Have the ability to receive and give constructive criticism or feedback to external stakeholders and key client contacts

The Skills:

• Is curious about the client’s business - ask questions and request access to all business related information

• Does everything in the context of the clients business and thinks about outcomes linked to KPI’s

• Puts the clients’ interests first and focuses on business outcomes

• Provides ideas without being asked

• Has a point of view, always

• Develops long term meaningful relationships rather than transactional ones

• Collaborates with other agency partners

• Is agile and adaptable to change

• Is the person they turn to when they don’t know who to talk to

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