Associate Director, Data Strategy at WPP Media in New York City, NY

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. About Wavemaker Wavemaker, part of WPP, positively provokes growth for clients by reshaping consumer decision-making and experiences through media, content, and technology. Our name is both our mission and our method. We do our best work for brave brands and people who relish being challenged to go further and faster, together. The Role We're looking for a sharp, curious, and strategically minded Associate Director, Data Strategy to join Wavemaker's Data Strategy team in the US. This is a pivotal, client-facing role at the intersection of audience strategy, data activation, and media technology. You'll help set the foundations for intelligent, audience-led media planning — defining how data assets are identified, built, governed, and activated to drive measurable client outcomes. You'll work across a dynamic mix of internal teams, external partners, and clients, bringing clarity and structure to complex data challenges. If you're someone who gets genuinely excited about the evolving data landscape, loves translating technical complexity into client-ready storytelling, and wants to be part of building something meaningful with WPP's Open platform — this role is for you. What You'll Do Data & Audience Strategy Define audience frameworks across foundational, enrichment, and activation layers; identify the right signals and data sources to answer real business questions Develop audience strategies and insights, overseeing the translation of audience logic into activation in partnership with planning, activation, and analytics teams Assess client data maturity, identify gaps, and surface enrichment opportunities to improve addressability, measurement, and outcomes Support privacy-safe data collaboration and clean room strategies (e.g., InfoSum), translating client business questions into compliant use cases for audience insights and activation Stay ahead of industry trends and provide thought leadership that positions WPP Media as a leading voice in data strategy Audience Development, Governance & Enablement Build, taxonomize, and syndicate audiences across relevant platforms — ensuring audience definitions, dependencies, and usage guidance are clear and repeatable Analyze and present audience-level reporting (e.g., overlaps, correlations, affinity/indexing) within DMP/CDP platforms to inform planning and optimization Proactively monitor audience onboarding and syndication health (e.g., match rates), communicating risks and remediation paths to reduce data loss Own audience integration documentation and operational guidance to enable consistent cross-functional execution WPP Open Platform & Technology Adoption Become a deep product expert on WPP Open and our broader suite of data tools and platforms Support the growth of the WPP Open platform by driving adoption of our data assets and capabilities with clients and internal teams Clearly communicate technical capabilities to both internal stakeholders and external audiences Collaboration & Stakeholder Management Build strong, trusted relationships across media, analytics, technology, and commercial teams in a matrixed environment Manage a high volume of tasks and priorities with confidence and clarity Develop and maintain strong partnerships with external data vendors and technology partners What You'll Bring Significant experience in data strategy, audience strategy, martech/adtech, or a closely related field — ideally within a media agency, consultancy, or platform environment Demonstrated ability to develop audience-first strategies using 1P/2P/3P data and translate strategy into activation-ready audience logic Experience creating audience insights and reporting within audience management platforms (e.g., DMP/CDP) Familiarity with identity, data onboarding/syndication concepts, and operational metrics like match rates Working knowledge of the adtech/martech ecosystem and how platforms support data strategy execution Familiarity with audience modeling approaches including lookalikes, propensity models, value-based segmentation, and suppression Strong client-facing communication skills — able to make complex concepts clear for both technical and non-technical audiences A genuine curiosity and commitment to continuous learning in a fast-moving industry Preferred: Experience driving platform adoption in a SaaS/PaaS environment and supporting enablement programs Experience designing data strategies for large, complex, multi-brand, or multinational advertisers (CPG a plus) Familiarity with the GroupM/WPP ecosystem, data platforms, and ways of working Life at WPP Media & Benefits Our passion for shaping the next era of media includes investing in our people to help them do their best work. WPP Media employees can tap into the global WPP Media and WPP networks to pursue their passions, grow their networks, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising. We host frequent in-office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating milestones. Our benefits include 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 are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers. We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. 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 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. 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 $75,000—$180,000 USD Please read our Privacy Noticefor more information on how we process the information you provide.