General Manager, Strategic Planning
Description
TEAM SELECT
General Manager, Strategic Planning
As General Manager, you will be one of the most senior faces of Team Select to our client, ESTEE LAUDER. You will be tasked with leading one of the category teams designing solutions for our client across awareness, engagement and performance media.
You’ll be responsible end-to-end for our product delivery including everything from strategy to media planning to implementation to buying quality to delivering brilliant best-in-class service for the client. Our expectation is for you to also stretch beyond the media function to become the WPP Concierge bringing the best of WPP and all its products and services to the client. In short, you are THE talent in charge when it comes to your category. When it comes to your category you never say “this is someone else’s job”.
You do this built on two key pillars – your deep understanding of the client’s business including but not limited to all aspects of marketing; and your passionate belief in and deep knowledge of the services offered by WPP. To be successful in this role you need to be able to demonstrate both.
THREE BEST THINGS ABOUT THE ROLE
- China is the fastest growing, scaled market in the world. For our client it is a globally critical-to-win market. The eyes of the world, at GroupM and WPP are upon this account and your performance. A brilliant solution delivered here is celebrated not just in China, but globally.
- Unite China is bespoke solution developed for one of the industry’s elite marketing organizations, Unilever. Unite China has been designed to deliver a true agency of the future, leveraging the best that WPP has to offer across all specialist functions. You simply won’t find a greater toolbox with which to develop your capabilities anywhere else in the world.
- The remit encompasses literally every aspect of the consumer journey, providing a complete opportunity to design and deliver brilliance across quite literally every touchpoint that exists in China, with a client that is fully leaned into driving the industry forward.
MEASURES OF SUCCESS
IN THREE MONTHS:
- Mapped out the critical relationships for you with the client across all key stakeholders, including brands, corporate functions like Media, CMI and Digital Hub, as well as across TEAM SELECT and the ESTEE LAUDER media teams in other parts of the world in WPP.
- Deeply understood the critical challenges of your category and mapped out critical client deliverables. In short, quickly understood what the basics are where you should not drop the ball and developed the understanding to plan for the delivery of long-term strategic delight on your category.
- Built a clear way of working with your team and clients, articulating all deliverables, timelines and the objectives and key results required to operate effectively
- Demonstrated that you are a hands-on team leader who is building an understanding across media channels of what is needed on the business
IN SIX MONTHS:
- The day to day on the account is running at ZERO errors. The basics are not what is under discussion with the client with plans and campaigns going out like clockwork.
- You are seen as someone who has a passionate and deep understanding about the category you work on and sought out as the expert on the category by both client and UNITE stakeholders.
- You have a strong working relationship with your colleagues across functions in the TEAM SELECT and you are sought out by the regional and global teams that work on ESTEE LAUDER in WPP increasingly as a source of sound advice.
- You are able to articulate a strategic and innovative roadmap for your category identifying clearly what are the new things you will bring to the client to deliver delight.
IN TWELVE MONTHS:
- The base KPIs around planning and buying for your category have been delivered.
- The client assessment of your team’s delivery on the business is seen as rock solid.
- You are the embodiment of a senior WPP Concierge who ably bringing in relevant capabilities within WPP to your category.
- You are seen by the TEAM SELECT Leadership as someone who is a key player of their extended marketing organization.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ROLE
- Build and nurture senior client relationships where you act as a trusted advisor on steering the client’s marketing investment to effectively deliver their business goals. The foundation of this will be your unmatched understanding of the key issues on the client’s business.
- Ensure that TEAM SELECT are delivering world class service to our clients and contractual targets and commitments are being met to the client’s satisfaction across all departments and teams working on the business.
- Set forth a vision for your team (both direct reports and other TEAM SELECT stakeholders) on what needs to be delivered on the business and empower and inspire them to make it a reality.
- Develop a deep understanding of what TEAM SELECT and WPP can offer its clients and the full extent of our capabilities, tools and frameworks across the communication development process.
- Work closely and collaboratively with global, regional, and national managers and specialist teams within WPP to identify opportunities for business growth and then sell-in and deliver solutions that leverage consolidated WPP strengths and result in ideas that move our client’s business forward.
- Consistently grow the talent pool within TEAM SELECT by identifying the star performers on your team and mentoring them as well as helping those under-performing overcome the barriers that stand in their way to effective performance.
CRITICAL COMPETENCIES YOU NEED TO DEMONSTRAT
- You must be a team leader with an ability to effectively work with multiple stakeholders at the client’s end (marketing, media, CMI, Digital Hub, Finance etc…), across advertising and marketing agencies, within and outside WPP.
- You must have an in-depth understanding of traditional and new communication channels and how they interrelate. As well as an understanding of the brand and demand tensions on your client’s business
- You must have excellent written and verbal communication skills with evolved present-to-persuade and facilitation skills.
- Have the ability to demonstrate a depth of understanding of the industry, the client’s business and brands as well as changes to consumer and media in senior level client conversations.
- Understand the business principles and key issues for our industry and how to manage not just commercial and financial deliveries but also display softer skills on talent management and retention and product skills that help you drive and deliver quality work
- Collaboration and accountability are critical for this role
About SELECT China powered by GroupM
Founded in 2021, SELECT China powered by GroupM is WPP’s custom-built, integrated agency of the future developed for one of the world’s leading marketing organizations, Estée Lauder Companies.
Our diverse team of over 160 experts across marketing disciplines draws upon each member’s deep experience, diverse perspective, and specialist knowledge to create breakthroughs that fast-track brand and business growth in China. Our bespoke approach puts dual emphasis on IMPROVEMENT, i.e., best-in-class implementation powered by enterprise technology, tools and bespoke client solutions, and INNOVATION, namely breakthrough opportunities identified through cross-discipline ideation workshops and innovation hackathons.
Our people are our competitive strength, and we respect and nurture their individual talent, interest and potential. GroupM is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture. Join us and thrive by creating the new together.