Associate Director, Data Engineering, UK

3743 - Associate Director, Data Engineering, UK

Role Summary and Impact

DTA is WPP’s global data products and technology arm. We’re on a mission to transform marketing by building the fastest, most connected data platform that bridges marketing strategy to scaled activation.

We work with agencies and clients to transform the value of data by bringing together technology, data and analytics capabilities. We deliver this through the Open Media Studio, an AI-enabled media and data platform for the next era of advertising.

We’re endlessly curious. Our team of thinkers, builders, creators and problem solvers are over 1,000 strong, across 20 markets around the world.

About WPP Media BI & Data Management

As the central hub for BI and data engineering, our team of 30+ specialists is responsible for the integrity, flow, and accessibility of data across the entire WPP Media ecosystem. By bridging technical data engineering with advanced BI reporting, we provide the robust foundation that powers WPP Media’s platform and drives growth at scale.

As Associate Director, Engineering you will be joining the BI & Data Management division of WPP Media’s Data, Technology and Analytics team.

This role involves leading client projects and overseeing the strategic development of solutions that aggregate diverse data sources into a single, unified view. You will act as a subject matter expert and strategic for our Measure data platform – a unified system for data connection, ingestion, transformation, and reporting – built on a robust technology stack including Adverity, GCP, and PowerBI.

You will be responsible for the strategic design and delivery of robust, scalable data engineering solutions that power critical insights and analytics for our diverse client base.

You will be responsible for establishing best practices, quality assurance processes and ways of working that ensure the reporting solutions we deliver are consistently accurate and meeting the needs of our clients. Your core focus will be on partnering with our clients to deeply understand their strategic objectives and challenges. You will also be responsible for fostering a high-performing and collaborative team culture between your direct report, the WPP 650 BI team, and the wider business.

Key Responsibilities

• In partnership with others in the BI & DM team, design, build, and implement robust data engineering solutions and data pipelines, high standards for data quality, reliability, and performance.
• Serve as senior technical liaison and strategic partner to planning teams, client stakeholders, and cross-functional departments, translating business specifications into precise technical requirements for implementation.
• Design and enforce robust validation and auditing processes to ensure the highest levels of data integrity, consistency, and reliability across all platforms.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of data pipelines and data models to power dashboarding solutions delivered via the Measure platform, taking ownership of advanced data model design, dashboard deployment strategies, innovation, and change management.
• Lead initiatives to identify, evaluate, and integrate new data sources and technologies to enhance the Measure platform's capabilities and drive continuous improvement.
• Mentor and guide your direct reports on BI best practices, advanced data modeling, Power BI development, data governance, and effective client engagement.

Skills and Experience

At WPP Media, we believe in the power of our culture and our people. It’s what elevates us to deliver exceptional experiences for both our clients and each other. In this role it will be critical to embrace WPP & WPP Media’s shared core values:

Essential

• Experience in designing, architecting, and implementing complex data integration strategies, transforming disparate datasets into unified, high-value data models for advanced analytics and visualization.
• Extensive experience with cloud data platforms, specifically Google Cloud Platform (GCP) services.
• High proficiency in SQL for data manipulation, transformation, and analysis, with an emphasis on optimization and best practices.
• Demonstrated experience in designing, building, and maintaining complex and scalable data pipelines (ETL/ELT).
• Experience with data transformation tools like dbt.
• Experience working with data ingestion tools like Adverity.
• Deep understanding and practical application of data modeling techniques.
• Extensive experience working with digital marketing, media campaign data, ad serving technologies, and/or web analytics data, with the ability to guide a team in this domain.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong strategic thinking, project management, and problem-solving abilities, with a focus on delivering impactful, high-quality solutions.

Desirable:

• Experience working with dashboarding tools (PowerBi preferred)
• Proficiency in a scripting language like Python.
• Exposure to CI/CD practices for data pipelines.
• Experience with project management tools such as Jira and Confluence.
• Basic understanding of data governance principles.

Life at WPP Media & Benefits

Our passion for shaping the next era of media is powered by our commitment to Be Extraordinary, investing in our employees to inspire transformational creativity. We also Lead Optimistically, firmly believing in and Championing Growth and Development for every individual. This commitment allows WPP Media employees to leverage the extensive global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, build vital professional connections, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising.

We Create an Open environment built on trust and respect, where everyone feels they belong and has opportunities to progress. This inclusive culture is fostered through a variety of employee resource groups and frequent in-office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. Our comprehensive benefits package reflects this commitment, including competitive medical, group retirement plans, vision, and dental insurance, significant paid time off, preferential partner discounts, and employee mental health awareness days.

WPP Media is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection in this open and supportive environment. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process. Please note that while our philosophy is the same across WPP, benefits may vary by office/country.

Please note this is a UK based role and requires individuals to have the right to work in this location

Please read our Privacy Notice (https://www.wppmedia.com/pages/privacy-policy) for more information on how we process the information you provide.

While we appreciate all applications received, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.