Media Operations Manager

BRAND: Publicis Groupe
Job Function: Operations
Location: London, United Kingdom
Experience Level: Intermediate
Workplace Type: Hybrid

Company description

We help brands make BOLD MOVES

Nowadays, brands want rapid, spectacular growth and they expect media to deliver it.

Clients used to give us media briefs that said "deliver 80% awareness" or "give me an impactful Christmas campaign."

Now we hear

"Take me from 4th to 1st in my category"

"Help me grow 10% in a market declining 10%"

"Make me the most loved brand in my industry"

These are huge asks of media, that can't be met through tweaking the media plan of two years ago.

Decades of advertising research prove that without a big change, large brands stay large and small brands stay small.

This is why Zenith help brands make BOLD MOVES.

Bold moves are big, brave changes to media strategy, delivering more impact for brands and more value for consumers.

Bold moves are backed up with a solid forecast - they are a better path to growth.

Bold moves build a partnership - we believe in this approach so much we link our growth to your success.

Bold Moves bring bigger ROI

This approach works for our clients, our people and consumers - it's why we are recognised as the UK's best media agency.

Our Commitment
At Zenith UK, we believe that fostering an inclusive culture where all talent can thrive makes our company stronger. It enables a greater idea exchange, which fosters innovation and creativity, and enriches our perspective.We are committed to Publicis Groupe's wide variety of talent engagement and inclusion programming, and encourage our people to take an active role in continuing to drive positive change within our agency.

Overview

This Operations Manager position will sit in the APEX Operations team which is the heartbeat of Apex, managing £200m of offline and digital client billings annually and ensuring all processes are compliant, efficient, and run smoothly for all stakeholders

Currently, we are a team of fifteen led by the Operations Director, supported by the Associate Director and Operations Managers across three agency patches (Zenith, Starcom, and Spark). In 2025, we are introducing a fourth agency patch to support the growth in Global billings, increasing the team to twenty

As APEX Operations, we engage with the UK's leading agency brands including Spark, Starcom, Zenith, Zenith International and Digitas, supporting their offline activations across AV, OOH, cinema and audio and monthly digital reconciliations.

• You will be working with a diverse portfolio of exciting clients across all categories such as Disney, Adobe etc.
• You will support accounts that plan and buy media from UK agencies.
• You will have close collaboration with various stakeholders across the business, key to successful and efficient operations, including investment teams, OOH trading, Apex digital strategy/programmatic and finance teams.
• From an offline viewpoint, you will be partnering with some of the biggest media owners in the market, including ITV, Sky, Channel 4, Global, Bauer, DCM, JCDecaux and Clear Channel.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and mentor 3-4 junior team members within senior exec/exec roles, setting a standard of professional integrity and cultivating a positive team culture.
• Lead team status meetings to enhance communication, idea generation, and innovation, ensuring a collaborative team environment.
• Serve as the primary contact for agency teams and media owners, driving inventory opportunities forward.
• Assess individual team member's motivations and capabilities, collaborating with the Associate Operations Director to implement tailored responsibilities, training plans, and KPIs.
• Enhance the team's prioritisation skills and ensure the timely delivery of tasks, conducting quality checks, and offering guidance for improvement.
• Assume responsibility for team outputs by ensuring accurate offline and digital campaign reporting, reviewing financial metrics, and supporting regular forecast and reporting updates.

Qualifications

• Possess a deep understanding of the media landscape, coupled with excellent math and numeracy skills.
• Proficient in advanced Microsoft Office Excel and Media Ocean applications, skilled in filtering, tables, pivot tables, lookups, and Prisma.
• Capable of working with large datasets, showing methods for tracking progress, changes, and differences effectively.
• Detail-oriented with a strong ability to ensure quality work, conducting thorough checks on both personal and team outputs.
• Results-oriented, with a focus on solutions and process improvements, whether through automation or other innovations.
• Highly organised with exceptional project management skills, capable of prioritizing tasks in a fast-paced environment while fostering strong internal and external relationships.

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 Plans we 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).

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