Group Director, Strategy - AJO 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 serve as a senior strategic and technical leader within VML's Marketing Automation practice, with a specialist focus on Adobe Journey Optimizer (AJO) and the broader Adobe Experience Cloud ecosystem.

This role goes beyond platform execution. As a Group Director, you will own the strategic vision for how clients orchestrate customer experiences at scale, lead enterprise-level engagements, and act as a trusted advisor to senior client stakeholders. You will bring both the technical depth to govern complex implementations and the leadership presence to shape how our practice grows.

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

The Impact You'll Make

• Define and lead the strategic direction of AJO and marketing automation engagements across VML's enterprise client portfolio

• Serve as the senior technical and strategic authority on Adobe Journey Optimizer, influencing how clients invest in and scale their customer journey programmes

• Drive practice development — building frameworks, methodologies, and points of view that differentiate VML's Adobe offering

• Grow and develop a high-performing team of consultants and specialists

• Contribute to business development — supporting pitches, scoping engagements, and identifying growth opportunities within existing accounts

Core Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Client Advisory

• Lead the end-to-end strategic design and governance of enterprise customer journey programmes within Adobe Journey Optimizer

• Act as the most senior AJO voice in client engagements — advising VP, Director, and C-suite stakeholders on platform strategy, investment priorities, and roadmap decisions

• Translate complex business objectives into scalable, data-driven journey architectures that deliver measurable commercial outcomes

• Develop and present executive-level recommendations on journey orchestration strategy, platform governance, and capability maturity

Technical Governance & Architecture

• Define and enforce journey governance frameworks that ensure compliance with industry regulations, data privacy requirements, and platform best practices

• Oversee the configuration and optimisation of Adobe Journey Optimizer, including journey design, decisioning rules, and real-time profile management

• Lead the design of real-time customer profiles, segmentation strategies, and schema architecture within Adobe Experience Platform

• Establish and maintain technical standards for data flows, API integrations, and cross-platform connectivity across the Adobe ecosystem

• Ensure scalable, well-documented technical architecture across all client implementations

Data Strategy & Personalisation

• Partner with analytics and data engineering teams to design and implement data-driven decisioning frameworks that power intelligent journey orchestration

• Lead the strategy for dynamic content, offer decisioning, and real-time personalisation across channels

• Define performance measurement frameworks — identifying the right KPIs, monitoring journey performance, and driving continuous optimisation

• Provide senior-level recommendations on attribution modelling and journey analytics to demonstrate ROI

Practice Development & Thought Leadership

• Develop proprietary frameworks, methodologies, and toolkits that strengthen VML's AJO and marketing automation offering

• Contribute to external thought leadership — representing VML at industry events, producing written content, and shaping market positioning

• Identify opportunities to expand and evolve VML's Adobe practice in response to product developments and market demand

• Stay ahead of Adobe product roadmap developments and translate emerging capabilities into client opportunities

Team Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of AJO consultants and marketing automation specialists

• Set clear expectations, provide regular feedback, and create development pathways that retain and grow top talent

• Foster a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and continuous learning within the team

• Collaborate cross-functionally with strategy, experience design, data, and delivery leads to ensure cohesive programme execution

Business Development & Growth

• Support and lead new business pitches and proposals for marketing automation and Adobe Experience Cloud opportunities

• Identify and develop organic growth opportunities within existing client accounts

• Contribute to commercial scoping and solution design for new engagements, ensuring technical feasibility and delivery confidence

• Build and maintain senior client relationships that position VML as a long-term strategic partner

What You'll Bring

Essential Experience

• 8+ years of experience in enterprise marketing automation, martech consulting, or related disciplines

• Demonstrated senior-level expertise in Adobe Journey Optimizer and Adobe Experience Platform

• Proven track record of leading and delivering complex, multi-channel customer journey programmes for enterprise clients

• Strong understanding of data architecture, API integrations, and marketing technology ecosystems

• Experience operating as a senior client advisor — with the presence, credibility, and communication skills to engage at VP and C-suite level

• Proficiency in SQL, JSON, and scripting languages, with a working knowledge of HTML, CSS, and email development standards

• Deep understanding of privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA) and their strategic implications for journey orchestration

• Proven ability to lead, develop, and inspire teams in a fast-paced consultancy or agency environment

Nice to Have

• Adobe Journey Optimizer Certification and/or additional Adobe Experience Cloud certifications

• Experience across the broader Adobe Experience Cloud suite — including Target, Analytics, Campaign, and AEP/RTCDP

• Background in CDP platforms and real-time data orchestration

• Experience with agile delivery methodologies and enterprise programme governance

• Track record of contributing to practice development, thought leadership, or business development at a senior level

• Experience with REST APIs, web services integration, and broader martech stack architecture

• 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 operate at the intersection of strategic leadership and deep technical specialism. You will be:

• Shaping how enterprise clients think about customer journey orchestration — not just executing against a brief

• Leading a specialist practice that is growing rapidly, with real influence over its direction and capability

• Working at the forefront of Adobe's product evolution — with early access to roadmap developments and co-innovation opportunities

• Playing a central role in VML's position as a leading Adobe partner — your work will directly influence how we win, deliver, and grow

Who You'll Work With

You will collaborate closely with:

• Senior client stakeholders — VP, Director, and C-suite technology and marketing leads

• VML strategy, data, and experience design leads — ensuring technical and creative workstreams are aligned

• Marketing automation consultants and AJO specialists — providing leadership, direction, and quality oversight

• Adobe account and product teams — maintaining a close partnership and staying ahead of platform developments

• 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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