EMEA Associate Director, CAM (UK-1205)

About Us

Initiative unlocks business growth for the world’s most ambitious brands. We believe in the power of media to reshape our industry and orchestrate a brand’s entire consumer experience, by balancing both what unites people and what makes them different.

When brands unite people in culture, they build Fame, and when brands connect individuals to their unique journeys, they build customer Flow.

Media responsibility is at the forefront of everything we do, whether it’s creating media plans that reflect the diversity of our communities, promote brand safety, and foster sustainability.

Our agency celebrates diversity in an inclusive environment where all of our 6,000+ strong talent across 90+ markets feel seen, heard, and valued. Our vision is to create not only a better media company, but also a better media industry, and maybe even a better world.

OUR COMPANY

Initiative celebrates diversity in an inclusive environment where all of our 6,000+ strong talent across 90+ markets feel seen, heard, and valued. Our vision is to create not only a better media company, but also a better media industry, and maybe even a better world.

We believe in the power of media to reshape our industry and orchestrate a brand’s entire consumer experience, by balancing both what unites people and what makes them different. When brands unite people in culture, they build Fame, and when brands connect individuals to their unique journeys, they build customer Flow. Media responsibility is at the forefront of everything we do, whether it’s creating media plans that reflect the diversity of our communities, promote brand safety, and foster sustainability.

Our agency celebrates diversity in an inclusive environment where all of our 6,000+ strong talent across 90+ markets feel seen, heard, and valued. Our vision is to create not only a better media company, but also a better media industry, and maybe even a better world.

We make a promise to our people that we double down on seeing, celebrating & elevating all the things that make you, uniquely you. And just as we do for our brands and clients, we connect our people to the journeys that matter in building a meaningful career.

There are four I’s in Initiative and these represent our core values and behaviors.

➢ INDIVID[YOU]ALITY – you bring your genuine and unique self to and into the work, every day.

➢ INSTINCT – you’re tuned in and armed with intelligence; you have a bias for action – shit happens whe n you’re around.

➢ IMAGINATION – your ability to imagine and bring to life the ideas, solutions, and the future of Initiative, makes us THE create media agency in the world.

➢ IMPACT! – you care deeply about the impact you have on our clients, their customers, our community, the media landscape and our world at large.

DISCIPLINE OVERVIEW: COMMUNICATIONS DESIGN

Communications design is the discipline and practice of crafting how a brand idea will be delivered through communications across an owned, earned and paid ecosystem in order to achieve a desired behavioral outcome.

Initiative’s Communications Design team is creating the future of planning. Borrowing skills from User Experi ence, Digital, Public Relations and Content, these media professionals are responsible for curating how people connect and participate with brands through culturally rich ideas. Instead of considering the experience of a brand in components (media / channel planning), Communications Designers think about brand experience in totality (ecosystem planning) ensuring every encounter is useful and impactful.

The Communications Design team dynamically brings brands to life through their actions. They:

• Are experts in consumer and communications behavior, and how changes in behaviors are creating new opportunities for connection

• Lead the creation of the dynamic ecosystem approach to deliver a strategy

• Work with partners (media, creative, technology, platforms, Specialty Business Units) to curate how a brand should connect within culture

• Lead the identification of the right audiences to address how to meet business goals, and guide the quantification of connection encounters holistically
• Champion innovative, forward thinking activities that help brands create value with their audience .

ROLE OVERVIEW: EMEA ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS DESIGN

The Associate Director, Communications Design, supports their Line Manager in their mission to deliver business-appropriate, best-in-class solutions for Initiative clients. You partner with the integrated Initiative team and across Mediabrands SBUs to ensure brilliant strategy, design, flawless execution and most importantly, delivery on KPIs and business results for your client.

You are the day-to-day contact and lynchpin for the client and the internal team. You will ensure everything is operating smoothly, accurately, and on deadline. Your daily insights will keep your Line Manager ahead of the game with your category expertise, status updates and proactive guidance. You have excellent knowledge of your clients’ business and are an authority on Initiative and the SBUs to your clients, colleagues and staff. You identify challenges and opportunities, both internally and externally, and seek solutions that achieve the client’s goals.

In this role, you are responsible for the management of junior team members including appraisals, goal setting and performance management, ensuring that the next generation of brilliant communications designers are effectively supported, trained and developed.

As a leader, you are a strong and nurturing manager, able to ensure your support design talent are able to produce high quality inputs that result in an effective, culturally resonant, highly connected solution s .

THE CLIENTS :

This role services two Amazon LOBs - Amazon Web Services (AWS) 80% and Amazon Ads 20%.

Initiative has worked with Amazon Web Services (AWS) Brand on offline activity (TV, VOD, Cinema and OOH) since 2016. In 2022 Initiative became the Agency of Record for AWS Digital globally. AWS Brand online activity is included within this scope.

The growth in Amazon Ads over the last few years has led to a big increase in strategic guidance, media planning & mu lti-channel execution requirements. Although digital planning & execution is mainly centralised out of the US, there are still specialist local digital and offline requirements across key countries in Euro pe. This is a vital role to ensure that all countries in the region are adhering to operational excellence & Global best practice on this client.

We continue to enjoy a brilliant working relationship with both clients & have some of the best TRR scores in the Agency.

This role (Associate Director, Comms Design) is to oversee and continue to drive the relationship between AWS Brand /Amazon Ads and Initiative on an EMEA scale, ensuring quality is being delivered across the board. The account teams in-country are nothing but brilliant, working as a collective team and helping to drive the AWS Brand /Amazon Ads business es forward. Bringing a sense of togetherness & collaboration across all country teams is vital. 

The Associate Director, Comms Design, will lead co-ordination, orchestration of requests, manage timelines and onboard new countries in EMEA . This role will serve as primary POC for the AWS Brand EMEA client , significantly reducing time spent liaising with each local country team. This role will report into the Global Director, Client Advice & Management . For Amazon Ads, this role will serve as a primary POC for the Amazon Ads US team where a majority of the planning & execution is centralised. There will be a dotted line into the Head of Expansion, Europe for this LOB.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Client

• Lead and strengthen the EMEA client relationship , becoming a trusted operational partner who understand s their challenges, build ing rapport, and act ing as the consistent voice of the agency across all teams . Lead weekly status calls capturing all the movements across the region in relation to planning, activation and SLAs .

• Leading co-ordination, orchestration of requests managing timelines across the EMEA region working closely with AWS Brand & Amazon Ads to provide best practice responses & ensuring both digital and offline outputs across regions and countries are aligned to a clear, consistent output .

• Manage strategic alignment EMEA market briefs , ensuring that campaign planning responses are consistent and insight-led — while also responding to client needs for more cohesive, efficient cross-geo planning and media execution.

• Lead Think Big / Innovation brie f process , including the collation of the brief, co-ordination with media vendors, managing timelines and keep local country teams abreast of developments.

• Become an expert in Interact as well as making sure local country teams are using the full Interact process i nto client planning cycle , providing full suite of consoles that can be used at this stage . For example, utilising the platform to pull cross channel audience data to establish appropriate cross- channel splits and weightings for each market aligned to clients goals . A s an expert, to also identify what other consoles can provide and what can be unlocked with data provided.
• Note: Interact is IPG’s end-to-end marketing platform – no expectation to have had previous experience with this tool.

Internal

• Design and implement scalable EMEA processes to support campaign planning, launch tracking, SLAs, and reporting — reducing inconsistencies across regions and improving operational efficiency across digital and offline workstreams.

• Align cross-functional channel teams and cross-market EMEA teams , ensuring consistent execution of strategy, standardisation of deliverables (e.g. naming conventions, reporting formats), and strong internal coordination between teams regionally .

• Ensure clear, consistent communication across EMEA teams , keeping l ine management and team members informed of key developments, shifts in client priorities, and internal or external changes that may impact delivery or strategy.

• Lead offline onboarding for new EMEA countries and Initiative teams , ensuring smooth integration through clear process standardisation, consistent documentation, and alignment with global ways of working.
• Support & help coach more junior members of the Global AWS Brand team & the Amazon Ads planning / execution teams across Europe , ensuring operational excellence & best practice is adhered to throughout.

Commercial

• Ensure over delivery of all agreed-upon performance KPI’s
• Seek out opportunities to grow existing business and drive organic growth across group of accounts, through Initiative’s services as well as those of Mediabrands’ and IPG partner agencies

New Business

• Contributor to new business as required

Prioritization:

• 50% Client

• 40% Internal

• 5% Commercial

• 5% New Business

Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s):

Client

• Client Satisfaction Score / Client Health Rating (targeting sustained or improved scores YoY)

• Frequency and quality of engagement with AWS Brand EMEA client & Amazon Ads US team (e.g. regular strategic check-ins, closing feedback loops, visibility at key targets, Interact updates) reducing back-and-forth and increased clarity in campaign briefs and media plans

• Operational efficiency - Reduction in feedback delays or turnaround time from EMEA markets. Process adoption (e.g. use of global trackers, onboarding frameworks, or reporting standards across teams)

• Contribute to the development of breakthrough, award-winning work that elevates the client's brand and achieves exceptional results.

Internal

• Foster collaboration among different disciplines within the agency to create more effective and efficient workflows.

• Contribute to streamlining processes and improving the overall quality of work produced by the team.

• Ensure consistency across local EMEA markets (e.g., standardized reporting, naming conventions, documentation use).

• Successfully onboard a number of new EMEA markets with offline processes.

• Mentor and develop direct report, providing guidance, support, and opportunities for growth.

• Demonstrate proficiency in using agency tools and adhering to established work processes.

Commercial

• Work with EMEA country teams to provide strategic investment guidance for AWS Brand & Amazon Ads EMEA across digital and offline.

• Collaborate with Line Manager to develop recommendations on understanding and improving billings, revenue, margins on managed clients

New Business

• Seek out opportunities to support at least one significant new business pitch over the assessment period

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Ability to help coach more junior members of the Global AWS Brand team

• Proven ability to develop and maintain strong professional relationships with clients, colleagues and vendors

• Experience in marketing, advertising, media, or integrated communications, ideally in an agency, consultancy, or global brand environment.

• Strong project management skills with the ability to drive initiatives from conception to completion in complex, fast-paced environments.

• Ability to work successfully within a team, handling multiple projects and meeting tight deadlines under pressure

• Confident leader and communicator — skilled at presenting ideas, packaging strategic opportunities, and influencing stakeholders at all levels.

• Strategic thinker with a hands-on, solutions-oriented approach and a passion for delivering impact through integrated planning and execution.

• Experience in utilising planning tools and interpreting audience data for strategic channel investment guidance

• Required PC proficiency and solid working knowledge of Microsoft Office (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)

Employee Transparency

At IPG Mediabrands, we celebrate differences and believe this makes us stronger. IPG Mediabrands are equal-opportunity employers committed to championing an inclusive culture that provides a sense of belonging for all our employees. We do not discriminate against any applicant based on age, disability, race, colour, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, belief, marital status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Please reach out to our Talent Inclusion Specialist Jess at [email protected]if you would like to have a confidential conversation regarding any adjustments that would ensure our recruitment process is accessible for you. Please note requesting a reasonable adjustment will not affect your application.

The Perks

We aim to provide all our people with a supportive and fun work environment where you can develop your full potential and benefit from the broad range of opportunities within the agency. When you join us, we want to make sure you feel valued – and that you are rewarded for your fantastic work. So, we also offer a range of benefits:

• Flexi–leave, with 25 days annual leave to be taken as minimum. In addition to your holiday entitlement, the office usually closes between Christmas & New Year
• Free breakfast and free lunch
• Early finish Fridays
• Core Hours (Mon-Thurs, flexible start/finish times)
• Retail discounts
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice car scheme
• Wellbeing programme, including Headspace & flu jabs
• Interest free season ticket loan
• Paid time off for Volunteering
• Group Income Protection
• Life Assurance
• Private Medical Insurance or Health Cash Plan (dependent on level)
• Group Personal Pension Plan with matched contributions from 3-6%
• Generous Parental Leave & Pay
• Independent mortgage advice
• Financial education
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Free eye tests
• Flexible benefits including Dental, Travel insurance, Cycle to Work, Gym Discounts and many more!