Managing Director

Job Description Who We Are At VML, we are a beacon of innovation and growth in an ever-evolving world. Our heritage is built upon a century of combined expertise, where creativity meets technology, and diverse perspectives ignite inspiration. With the merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, we have forged a new path as a growth partner that is part creative agency, part consultancy, and part technology powerhouse. Our global family now encompasses over 30,000 employees across 150+ offices in 64 markets, each contributing to a culture that values connection, belonging, and the power of differences. Our expertise spans the entire customer journey, offering deep insights in communications, commerce, consultancy, CRM, CX, data, production, and technology. We deliver end-to-end solutions that result in revolutionary work. Roles And Responsibilities Run the Performance Hub as a business. The focus is to expand Salesforce across international markets for WPP's key automotive client, centralise and improve systems and ways of working, and manage the hub commercially (billings, utilization, margin, headcount). Role is to set one operating standard across markets, connect CRM with media and platform, and drive a simple rhythm: ship, learn, scale. Analytics is oversight only; the focus is Salesforce, operations, and outcomes. Salesforce proliferation and CRM delivery - Expand SFMC/CRM adoption across 10+ International Markets using a single, standard blueprint (environments, data flows, consent, channels, QA). - Industrialize multi-market journeys (email, WhatsApp, SMS, push) with reusable components, release trains and clear SLAs. - Enforce readiness gates (brief audience content QA approval deploy measure) and resolve escalations quickly. - Lift throughout while maintaining deliverability and quality. Centralization and ways of working - Design and enforce a One International Markets Operating Standard: RACI, sprint rituals, intake, QA, change control. - Centralize tooling (JIRA/Confluence, templates, QA scripts, dashboards) and reduce bespoke market set-ups. - Tie CRM to media and platform (audience hand-offs, UTM discipline, tagging, pixel/catalogue hygiene) to improve conversion. P&L, Commercials and People - Own the unit P&L: forecast billings and margin, manage rate cards and change orders, track utilisation and recoveries weekly. - Plan capacity and hiring; balance bench and surge; select vendors and keep contracts tight. - Line-manage senior leads; set career paths, performance standards and retention plans. Experimentation and Standardization - Run a clear experiment backlog (triggers, send-time, creative variants, landing-page flows, SFMC components). - Convert winning tests into standards: document, train, templatize, roll out; retire legacy approaches. Analytics and digital platform oversight (light) - Ensure essential reporting exists (journey health, deliverability, site-to-lead, lead-to-booking, CAC). - Partner with data analytics for deeper work; use insights to drive action without building pipelines yourself. Governance and cadence - SOW compliance and firm change control to protect scope and margin. - Quarterly business review with WPP IMG leadership covering performance, risks, hiring and roadmap. Stakeholders - Client CRM and Platform leads, market CMOs, IT/Data owners. - Internal CRM Ops Lead, Platform Ops, Media Lead, Marketing Science, Finance, HR. - Partners Salesforce, gateways, QA tools, content production. Skills And Competencies - 15+ years in CRM/Mar Tech with 5+ years leading Salesforce/SFMC delivery at regional scale. - Proven ownership of a P&L or large book of business in an agency/consultancy (billings, utilization, pricing, margin). - Built and led centralized delivery hubs serving multiple markets; strong change management. - Track record integrating CRM with media and platform to move commercial results. - Comfortable making firm trade-offs on speed, scope and quality, and enforcing process. - Familiarity with Adobe Analytics, tag management, consent frameworks, and basic data pipelines. - Experience consolidating legacy stacks into a standard model. 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. For more information, please visit our website, and follow VML on our social channels via Instagram,LinkedIn, andX. When you click Submit Application, this will send any information you add below to VML. Before you do this, we think it's a good idea to read through our Recruitment Privacy Policy. California residents should read our California Recruitment Privacy Notice. This explains what we do with your personal data when you apply for a role with us, and, how you can update the information you have provided us with or how to remove it.