Associate Director, Client Operations

Publicis Groupe, the world's largest communications group, is transforming by integrating data, creativity, and technology. Publicis Media seeks an Associate Director, Client Operations for a bespoke agency team supporting an iconic brand. This pivotal role involves leading client operations specialists, optimizing processes, and managing finances. The Associate Director will act as a primary liaison, build strong client relationships, ensure compliance, and deliver actionable reports, contributing to a global marketing transformation program within the Power of One model.

Must Have

• Lead and mentor a team of client operations specialists
• Drive operational excellence by optimizing processes
• Oversee financial management, including budgeting, forecasting, and compliance
• Act as the primary liaison for client operations
• Build strong relationships with client stakeholders and internal teams
• Ensure adherence to governance, compliance, and data policies
• Deliver clear and actionable reporting to senior leadership and clients
• Solid experience at Senior Manager level or above in agency or client operations
• Strong understanding of both traditional and digital media, including brand and performance media
• Proven ability to manage stakeholders and deliver solutions with a consultative approach
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to interrogate processes and develop more efficient ways of working
• Knowledge of MediaOcean applications (Prisma)
• High aptitude for technology and willingness to learn new platforms

Good to Have

• Familiarity with project management tools and methodologies

Perks & Benefits

• Pension
• Life Assurance
• Private Medical Plan
• Income Protection Plan
• 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

Company description

Publicis Groupe, known for its world-renowned creativity, best in class technology, digital and consulting expertise, is the world’s largest communications group in the world. With more than 108,000 people in over 100 countries, the Groupe has four Solution hubs: Creative with Publicis Communications, Media with Publicis Media, Digital business transformation with Publicis Sapient, and Health & Wellbeing with Publicis Health.

Since 2014 and the acquisition of Sapient, Publicis Groupe has undergone a profound transformation by scaling a new model connecting data, creativity and technology. We continued on that journey with the 2019 acquisition of Epsilon and most recently the announcement of our market-leading investment in AI. We are driving towards a future where being smart, at scale, with the best Identity product in the market, will help deliver better outcomes for our clients.

Publicis Media is one of the four solutions hubs of Publicis Groupe present in more than 100 countries with over 23,000 employees worldwide. Alongside our global agency brands (Zenith, Starcom, Spark), the “Power of One” model gathers all the capabilities of the Groupe under one roof, putting clients at the core of the organisation.

Overview

Publicis Groupe is seeking an experienced Associate Director, Client Operations to join our bespoke agency team supporting one of the world’s most iconic brands across Snacking, Petcare, and Food & Nutrition. This is a unique opportunity to play a pivotal role in a global marketing transformation program, helping future-proof the client’s business while working within our Power of One model—bringing together media, data & tech, production, social, influencer, and commerce to deliver integrated, end-to-end solutions.

You’ll be part of a global network spanning 70+ markets, collaborating with senior stakeholders and contributing to innovative solutions that shape the future of marketing operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of client operations specialists, fostering collaboration and accountability.
• Drive operational excellence by optimizing processes and implementing best practices for workflow management.
• Oversee financial management, including budgeting, forecasting, and compliance with reporting standards.
• Act as the primary liaison for client operations, ensuring seamless integration across media, data, tech, and creative teams.
• Build strong relationships with client stakeholders and internal teams to deliver cohesive, high-quality outputs.
• Ensure adherence to governance, compliance, and data policies while mitigating operational risks.
• Deliver clear and actionable reporting to senior leadership and clients, highlighting performance insights and improvements.

Qualifications

• Solid experience at Senior Manager level or above in agency or client operations.
• Strong understanding of both traditional and digital media, including brand and performance media.
• Proven ability to manage stakeholders and deliver solutions with a consultative approach.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the confidence to challenge constructively.
• Ability to interrogate processes and develop more efficient ways of working.
• Knowledge of MediaOcean applications (Prisma) is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with project management tools and methodologies is a plus.
• High aptitude for technology and willingness to learn new platforms.

Additional information

Publicis Groupe 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.

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).