Senior Manager, Staffing Strategist

Role Summary:

The Senior Manager, Staffing Strategist drives efficiency across a portfolio of accounts by strategically resourcing staff across multiple APAC markets. This regional role collaborates with client operations, discipline leads, finance, senior leadership, talent teams, and other resource managers to plan, schedule, and allocate resources for successful delivery. It includes oversight of resourcing across various APAC countries, with specific guidance and support for the Malaysia-based team, ensuring alignment with regional strategies and best practices.

Skills and Experience

What you will do:

Demand

• Align to a book of business, agency, and/or accounts.
• Advise client teams on fulfilment timelines, roles, and staff plan recommendations.
• Own and ensure data accuracy for Workforce Planning.
• Understand and pivot between fulfilment channels (Talent Acquisition/Contracting/Resource Management) to align with client strategies.

Supply

• Collaborate with client teams to maintain accurate Staff Plans.
• Assemble and optimize the best possible team for clients.

Fulfilment

• Ensure fulfilment of staff plans across internal and external supply.
• Simplify client team interactions by aggregating needs between Resource Management and Talent Acquisition (including contract & offshore).

Execution & Monitoring

• Act as a central point of contact for client teams, clarifying staffing requirements.
• Continuously refine staffing fulfilment to enhance efficiency, minimize bottlenecks, and improve client experience.
• Monitor fulfilment progress, ensuring alignment with client needs and strategic goals.
• Utilize data and analytics to measure effectiveness and optimize staffing levels.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with APAC team leads to assess staffing needs and develop resource plans for high-quality, timely delivery.
• Collaborate with client and discipline leadership to intake, prioritize, and allocate resources for new and existing business across the region.
• Monitor regional resourcing bandwidth and optimize utilization across multiple countries.
• Produce timely, accurate reports for regional/global stakeholders: utilization, billability, staffing plans, capacity, trends, forecasts, and timesheet compliance.
• Enable cross-market resource sharing within APAC and globally with other Resource Managers.
• Provide ongoing guidance to the Malaysia team to strengthen local resourcing practices and ensure regional/global alignment.
• Quarterly evaluate processes/structures to identify operational efficiency opportunities across markets.
• Conduct regular check-ins with resource and client managers to align staffing plans and address delivery challenges.
• Escalate key issues to stakeholders: staffing changes/rotations, retention/employee relations, workflow shifts, and projected hiring needs.
• Partner with Recruitment to identify gaps and initiate hiring/contractor requests when internal resources are insufficient.
• Maintain confidentiality regarding staffing decisions and internal movements.
• Support career development initiatives and facilitate internal mobility discussions across the region.

What you will need:

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

• Deep understanding of client needs, expectations, and staff plans.
• Expertise in Resource Management, Workforce Planning, and staffing solutions to advise client teams.
• Ability to maintain data accuracy for Workforce Planning and use analytics for data-driven decisions.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information.
• Experience in managing, setting expectations, and communicating with senior stakeholders.

IMPACT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

• Crucial role in advising on fulfilment timelines and staff planning for effective client outcomes.
• Strategic recommendations to enhance client outcomes.
• Drive efficiency and reduce bottlenecks in the staff fulfilment process.

AUTONOMY AND MANAGEMENT

• High degree of autonomy in decision-making to align staffing with client needs.
• Serve as a central point of contact for client teams, ensuring clear communication with internal/external partners.
• Ability to collaborate, influence, and guide cross-functional teams towards effective staffing solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to resolve cross-functional conflicts and promote teamwork.

INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY

• Act as a trusted advisor, offering creative solutions to complex staffing challenges.
• Simplify client team interactions and facilitate clear communication between RM and TA functions.

About You
You are highly organized, process-driven, and proactive, with a collaborative and solution-oriented mindset, comfortable operating regionally across diverse markets.

Key Qualifications and Skills:

• 5–7 years of Resource Management experience.
• Agency environment experience, ideally supporting digital campaign delivery.
• Proven ability to effectively manage resources across multiple markets, including reporting utilization and resolving staffing conflicts.
• Comfortable with data: interpret metrics, identify trends, and translate insights into actionable plans.
• Strong experience working across APAC markets; experience supporting/guiding regional teams is highly valued.
• Strong communication skills to build relationships across all seniorities and geographies.
• Confident in conflict resolution and problem-solving.
• Ability to motivate and develop team members while maintaining delivery focus.
• Strong work ethic and ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure.
• Exceptional attention to detail, with a practical and resourceful approach.

Life at WPP Media & Benefits 

Our passion for shaping the next era of media includes investing in our employees to help them do their best work, and we’re just as committed to employee growth as we are to responsible media investment. WPP Media employees can tap into the global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, grow their networks, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising. We have a variety of employee resource groups and host frequent in-office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. Our benefits include competitive medical, group retirement plans, vision, and dental insurance, significant paid time off, preferential partner discounts, and employee mental health awareness days.   

WPP Media is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular 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. 

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

Please read our Privacy Notice (https://www.wppmedia.com/pages/privacy-policy) for more information on how we process the information you provide. 

While we appreciate all applications received, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.  

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