Biddable Associate Director

BRAND: Starcom
Job Function: Media Trading
Location: London, United Kingdom
Experience Level: Specialist
Workplace Type: Hybrid

Company description

APEX is Publicis Media's growth and solutions hub, created to solve complex problems and drive meaningful business outcomes for clients across all media. As the principal investment arm of Publicis Media, we take on investment risk to deliver guaranteed performance and unlock growth in an increasingly complex media landscape.

Our solutions redefine what inventory media means by enabling outcomes across the entire marketing funnel, spanning both traditional and digital channels. This includes TV, radio, print, and cinema, alongside online video, display, out-of-home, audio, social, and retail media. By combining strategic investment, exclusive partnerships, and advanced activation capabilities, APEX helps brands plan and deliver media with greater confidence, clarity, and impact.

APEX partners with Publicis Media agencies and their clients in the UK and worldwide. Our team operates as a collaborative, specialist hub, supporting agencies to deliver smarter solutions for their clients while providing individuals the opportunity to build, innovate, and grow their careers within one of Publicis Media's most progressive and commercially focused teams.

Overview

What will you be doing?

APEX Digital | Publicis Media

Are you ready to lead at the forefront of biddable innovation?

APEX Digital is Publicis Media's Biddable Centre of Excellence, where trading excellence meets data-driven strategy to deliver Guaranteed Outcomes for some of the world's most ambitious brands. We operate across the full marketing funnel, driving measurable performance and sustainable growth at scale.

We're looking for a Biddable Lead to play a pivotal role across Paid Social and Programmatic, with an initial focus on Paid Social activation, innovation, and leadership. This is a high-impact position working across a broad portfolio of APEX clients spanning Starcom, Zenith, Spark, and Digitas.

If you thrive in a fast-moving environment where performance, people leadership, and product innovation intersect - this is your stage.

Responsibilities

•Lead the Biddable engagement strategy across agency hubs, with an initial focus on Paid Social delivery and innovation.

•Manage and develop a team of Biddable Account Managers, ensuring high-quality, consistent client delivery.

•Own performance, pacing and profitability across your client portfolio.

•Own the Paid Social training and upskilling programme, ensuring the team is fully competent and confident across Social platforms.

•Act as the senior point of contact for agency stakeholders, providing strategic guidance and escalation support.

•Champion the APEX value proposition and Paid Social best practice across agencies and clients.

•Build strong internal, agency and platform partnerships, embedding a culture of optimisation and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

What are we looking for?

•Extensive hands-on experience in Paid Social, with Meta and TikTok essential; experience across DSP platforms desirable (DV360, The Trade Desk, Amazon DSP).

•Strong understanding of biddable media KPIs, optimisation levers, measurement frameworks and attribution methodologies.

•Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate data into clear, actionable insights.

•Confident and credible communicator, able to present performance, insights and recommendations clearly to clients and senior stakeholders.

•Proven experience managing, mentoring and developing teams, fostering a supportive, high-performance culture.

•Strong Excel proficiency, with experience using data to manage pacing, performance and commercial outcomes.

•A genuine interest in the digital marketing landscape, with curiosity for emerging biddable technologies, platforms and automation opportunities.

Additional information

Publicis Media has fantastic benefits on offer to all of our employees. In addition to the classics, Pension, Life Assurance, Private Medical and Income Protection Planswe also offer;

• WORK YOUR WORLD opportunity to work anywhere in the world, where there is a Publicis office, for up to 6 weeks a year.
• REFLECTION DAYS - Two additional days of paid leave to step away from your usual day-to-day work and create time to focus on your well-being and self-care.
• HELP@HAND BENEFITS 24/7 helpline to support you on a personal and professional level. Access to remote GPs, mental health support and CBT. Wellbeing content and lifestyle coaching.
• FAMILY FRIENDLY POLICIES We provide 26 weeks of full pay for the following family milestones: Maternity. Adoption, Surrogacy and Shared Parental Leave.
• FLEXIBLE WORKING, BANK HOLIDAY SWAP & BIRTHDAY DAY OFF You are entitled to an additional day off for your birthday, from your first day of employment.
• GREAT LOCAL DISCOUNTS This includes membership discounts with Soho Friends, local restaurants and retailers in Westfield White City and Television Centre.

Full details of our benefits will be shared when you join us!

Publicis Groupe operates a hybrid working pattern with full time employees being office-based three days during the working week.

We are supportive of all candidates and are committed to providing a fair assessment process. If you have any circumstances (such as neurodiversity, physical or mental impairments or a medical condition) that may affect your assessment, please inform your Talent Acquisition Partner. We will discuss possible adjustments to ensure fairness. Rest assured, disclosing this information will not impact your treatment in our process.

Please make sure you check out the Publicis Career Page which showcases our Inclusive Benefits and our EAG's (Employee Action Groups).