VP, Paid Search, UK

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 . 3392 - VP, Activation and Delivery, UK Role Summary and Impact The VP, Paid Search is accountable for leading a high-performing Paid Search team and shaping the strategic direction, delivery excellence, innovation agenda and commercial growth of the channel across a defined client portfolio and the wider MM&D UK business. This VP, Paid Search role will be part of the new Outcomes Activation & Delivery hub, a newly formed team bringing together key clients from across WPP Media focused on delivering measurable business outcome growth for clients. This is a senior leadership role that goes beyond day-to-day channel management. The VP will own Paid Search channel excellence for Outcomes Hub, translating client business challenges into progressive search strategies, and ensuring Paid Search is positioned as a strategic growth lever across performance, customer experience, commerce and broader media transformation. The role requires expert-level Paid Search knowledge, strong commercial judgement, confident client leadership and the ability to build narratives that connect platform innovation, automation, AI, data, measurement and audience behaviour to tangible business outcomes. It also requires a strong understanding of where Paid Search overlaps with Organic Search, Content, Digital PR, AI search environments, and the evolving Total Search proposition. The successful candidate will lead and nurture a thriving search community that is head and shoulders above the competition, consistently meeting the needs of clients while proactively identifying opportunities to surprise, delight and improve outcomes. They will ensure the team has access to the latest tools, training, resources and innovation opportunities, and will play an active role in shaping agency leadership, MM&D UK delivery initiatives, narratives and workstreams. Key Responsibilities Leadership, talent and community • Lead, motivate and develop a high-performing Paid Search team, creating a culture of accountability, curiosity, high standards and continuous improvement. • Line manage Directors and/or Associate Directors, ensuring every team member has clear objectives, regular performance conversations and meaningful development plans. • Identify talent gaps across the Paid Search team and work with HR and leadership to recruit, retain and grow talent aligned to the agency's values, client needs and future capability requirements. • Provide coaching, mentorship and professional development opportunities, helping teams build both technical depth and broader strategic confidence. • Evangelise best-in-class Paid Search delivery across the team, ensuring people understand what excellent work looks like and feel enabled to deliver it consistently. • Ensure the Paid Search team is equipped with the knowledge, skills and commercial understanding required to operate within a Total Search environment, including traditional SEO, Generative Search Optimisation (GSO), Commerce Search and Social Search, fostering greater collaboration, integration and client impact across disciplines. • Manage department resource levels effectively, balancing client demand, team wellbeing, delivery quality, profitability and growth opportunities. • Develop the global hub relationship, actively improving the range, complexity and quali