WPP Media | Client Director

About the Role 

You will be the client lead and trusted advisor for an international client brand - accountable for client relationship, team leadership and delivery of top class media strategy & planning.  

You are a people leader, media expert and growth driver. In an AI driven era where consumers are changing the way they discover and interact with brands, you will navigate our media delivery from traditional paid media planning to an orchestrated practice of paid, owned and earned. You will understand and drive the balance between brand voice and trust creator voice in this market. 

You have knowledge and experience of the media landscape in Japan, and can confidently navigate vendor and partner relationships, including negotiating the best deals for our clients. 

What You'll Own 

Account Team Leadership 

• Serve as the senior relationship owner one or more strategic accounts, operating as a trusted partner to key client stakeholders
• Lead account planning cycles — annual, quarterly, and in-flight — translating client business objectives into channel-agnostic media strategy
• Oversee delivery excellence across paid channels (programmatic, search, social, data/analytics), ensuring executional quality and commercial accountability
• Drive retention and organic growth by identifying upsell and cross-sell opportunities, maintaining rigorous commercial hygiene on scopes and fees
• Build and coach a high-performing account team; set the bar on client communication, presentation standards, and ways of working 

Campaign Activation Leadership 

• Partner directly with channel leads (programmatic, search, social, data) to ensure activation is aligned to strategy — not just executing against a plan, but interrogating it
• Hold ownership of integrated performance reporting; lead QBRs with strategic framing, not just dashboards
• Drive the adoption of measurement frameworks, audience strategy, and emerging capabilities (AI-driven planning, clean room data, identity solutions) across your client portfolio
• Act as the escalation point for activation issues; resolve with speed, communicate with clarity 

New Business & Client Growth 

• Support the agency's new business pipeline as a senior contributor — leading pitch strategy, narrative development, and live presentation on priority pursuits
• Develop and maintain prospect relationships in collaboration with the client vice president and leadership team
• Identify organic growth opportunities within the existing client base for WMS; own the development of proactive briefs and thought leadership that create commercial moments
• Represent the agency externally at industry events, client offsites, and partner forums 

What Success Looks Like 

90 days: Deep client immersion; relationship mapping complete; activation audit underway; first pitch contribution delivered. 

6 months: Clear account growth plans in place; at least one organic upsell progressed; activation and reporting cadence running at full health. 

12 months: Measurable revenue growth across portfolio; track record on new business; a team that performs and a client base that advocates for the agency. 

Who You Are 

• 10–12 years in media, advertising, or marketing services — with genuine breadth across account management, channel activation, and business development
• Commercially sharp: you understand fee structures, scopes, extraction rates, and how agencies make money — and you protect margin without compromising the relationship
• Activation-literate: you don't need to be a platform technician, but you can hold your own in a programmatic strategy conversation, a paid social planning session, or a search efficiency review
• Exceptional communicator and presenter — equally credible in a client townhall and a pitch theater
• Proven people leader — you build followership, not just structure
• Effectively bilingual