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WPP

Client Investment Manager

Posted 4 Days Ago
Be an Early Applicant
In-Office
Chicago, IL, USA
60K-140K Annually
Mid level
In-Office
Chicago, IL, USA
60K-140K Annually
Mid level
Manage and negotiate media buys across assigned clients, oversee budgets, vendor RFPs and campaign setup, provide marketplace insights and pricing benchmarks, mentor junior investment staff, ensure adherence to KPIs, brand safety, and buy integrity.
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About WPP Media

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. With exceptional talent, trusted data and intelligence, and world-class partnerships – all united by our pioneering agentic marketing platform, WPP Open – we help clients navigate change, capture opportunity, and deliver transformational growth. 

WPP Media is WPP's AI-driven media operating unit, bringing together media, data, and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation at scale. Connected through WPP Open and powered by Open Intelligence, clients see exactly where, how, and why their media investment is working.

For more information, visit wppmedia.com.

The Client Investment Manager oversees the spend and negotiations across their assigned clients. You are responsible for negotiating, managing and executing media buys associated with one or more assigned accounts. You will provide strategic market insights, trends and pricing benchmarks, oversight and management of spending across major vendors, identify new innovations and opportunities, while monitoring client budgets and adherence to KPIs. You also provide leadership and development tools for all junior investment team members.
Skills and Experience

  • Marketplace Analysis
  • Take lead role in analyzing current and future marketplace conditions and pricing. 
  • Oversee creation and presentation of buying strategies, competitive spending analyses. 
  • Demonstrate working knowledge of marketplace trends, news, and innovations. Centrally manage all investment aspects of a campaign – negotiations, rate tracking, planning costs, benchmarking, allocations/tactical plans, budget management, buy set up, delivery, billing, etc. of assigned account(s) 
  • Collaborates with peer-set across SEM, Social and Programmatic teams to ensure consistency while informing holistic investment strategies 
  • Ensure best practices are applied to all digital channels for brand safety/suitability, optimization and adherence to KPIs and inventory quality. 
  • Oversee vendor RFP process – partner selection, RFP submissions, etc. 
  • Negotiate digital programs and rates for clients 
  • Demonstrate better pricing, efficiencies, and impact by consolidating buys across sites, Agency and GroupM 
  • Coordinate and consolidate media spending across clients for sites/publishers by placement (display, video, social, search and programmatic)
  • Own portfolio/client roll ups 
  • Approve all partners on tactical buys 
  • Approve all campaign set up in buying systems 
  • Meet with partners on an ongoing basis and provide updates and/or recommendations 
  • Keep current on marketplace innovations, ad models, and technologies and bring first looks to client(s) 
  • Investigate, interpret, understand, and provide marketplace condition updates 
  • Establish investment best practices (intelligence/arbitrage), spend trends, benchmarking, and set market 
  • Enforce key investment tenets around KPIs 
  • Ensure all media activity adheres to client and GroupM best practices in the areas of accountability and brand safety 
  • Forecast and provide Ad serving, Ad Verification, Viewability and Rich Media estimates 
  • Be proactive in following up on client team requests with a key awareness of client deadlines 
  • Ensure compliance and maintenance of all buy platform management, databases, etc. activities 
  • Handle issue resolution, recommend process improvements, and oversee client budget 
  • Create POVs 
  • Actively participate in department projects/ committees 
  • Work with junior team members to manage upfront and scatter budgets. 
  • Negotiate multi-platform deals when appropriate. 
  • Take an active role in or supervise the negotiation with vendors for price, programming mix, added value and promotions. 
  • Ensure that all buy schedules are ordered properly. 
  • Establish day to day workload, timelines and procedures for junior buying staff. 
  • Manage workload of all junior staff, ensuring stewardship of all buys, content screenings, brand allocations, commercial positioning, etc. 
  • Ensure that all account maintenance functions are performed accurately and on a timely basis. 
  • Oversee post-buy examination to ensure buy integrity, meeting of goals, rotation requirements. 
  • Responsible for hiring and development of junior team members. 
  • Maintain in-depth knowledge of media research and tools. 
  • Represent agency with the highest possible level of professionalism to both your account and vendors. 
  • Ensure highest level of innovation delivered for all campaigns. 
  • Play key role in training and mentoring of junior staff. 
  • Teach and play a role in developing media school curriculum. 
  • Keep current with industry news by reading trades, agency publications.

  • Bachelor’s degree in advertising, marketing, business administration, and communications; OR equivalent professional work experience.
  • 4+ years of prior media investment experience desired.
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with media, technology, analytics and GroupM teams as well as media and technology publishers 
  • Foster camaraderie within the Investment team and with all key stakeholders they support 
  • Educate media teams on the media planning/investment process 
  • Provide guidance to team members and nurture/promote team environment 
  • Train employees on tools and best practices 
  • Ability to work in a team environment that promotes collaboration 
  • Adept at communicating effectively across all levels 
  • Be capable of working successfully within a team as well as independently 
  • Thorough understanding of the media landscape and fast-moving trends 
  • Strong quantitative and analytical/results-oriented skills 
  • Solid negotiation skills and tactics 
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills 
  • Ability to multi-task, work successfully with teams, and work under pressure 
  • Excellent time-management and follow-through skills 
  • Advanced proficiency in Excel with intermediate PowerPoint and Word skills 
  • Mastery of buying systems within MediaOcean 
  • Strong understanding of interactive research tools such as Nielsen Net-Ratings, AdRelevance, @Plan and ComScore Media Metrix

The base salary range for this position at the time of this posting is indicated below. Individual compensation varies based on job-related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications. We offer a competitive benefits package, go to https://mybenefits.wpp.com/public/welcome for more details.

US Pay Range
$60,000$140,000 USD

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