Group Director Strategy

Who We Are:

At VML, we are a beacon of innovation and growth in an ever-evolving world. Our heritage is built upon a century of combined expertise, where creativity meets technology, and diverse perspectives ignite inspiration. With the merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, we have forged a new path as a growth partner that is part creative agency, part consultancy, and part technology powerhouse. 

Our global family now encompasses over 30,000 employees across 150+ offices in 64 markets, each contributing to a culture that values connection, belonging, and the power of differences.  Our expertise spans the entire customer journey, offering deep insights in communications, commerce, consultancy, CRM, CX, data, production, and technology. We deliver end-to-end solutions that result in revolutionary work. 

 ABOUT US 

The WPP l Ford team is an essential part of a larger, dynamic agency ecosystem that serves Ford Motor Company and its many diverse units around the world. The WPP l Ford team is the global marketing partner providing WPP’s depth and breadth of expertise across Communications, Experience, Commerce & Technology. Our offering leverages WPP agencies’s strategic area of expertise with VML leading Brand & Customer Experience; Mindshare in Media; GTB in Precision Retail Marketing; Makerhouse in Brand Design & Production; Zubi & UWG in Multicultural; and H+K in Corporate Communications/Public Relations, among other key WPP specialists.  As such, WPP l Ford team members often work in a highly collaborative environment, with direct exposure across virtually every discipline of modern marketing.  

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY 

This is an exciting opportunity to join and lead the team dedicated to WPP’s critically important client, Ford Motor Company as we look to identify a strategic and creative thought-leader. The Group Director, Strategy serves as the lead strategist responsible for the critical business units within WPP l Ford: Ford Pro and Ford Credit. Excellent business strategy and analytics experience is necessary to ensure a data-driven foundation of business and consumer insights. Strong omnichannel communications and business strategy background, with exposure to mass, digital and social, is essential to expertly guide deliver. 

 Reporting directly to the North American head of brand experience, this role + the senior strategy leads must lead greater contribution to the global strategy community. 

RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Strategy lead across both Ford Pro and Ford Credit business units, including data-centric conquesting work across multiple nameplates. 

• Ford Pro: Lead all aspects of the growing b2b segment, including brand platform, journey to electrification, comms strategy and proactive innovation. 

• Ford Credit: Lead all owner and prospect communications and strategy across all lines of business. 

• Collaborate with marketing science to lead conquesting and retention projects, including business opportunity assessment and audience planning. 

• Confidently lead, persuade and motivate our talent, senior clients, and partners, thorugh experience and curiosity. 

• Provide strong initiative and compelling thought leadership and proactive creativity/innovation, leveraging WPP’s resources (and others as necessary) to address the short and long term strategy needs for Ford. 

• Lead integrated strategic deliverables that leverage a depth of experience in business planning, brand planning, market research and leadership of creative development across all channels and experiences. 

• Deliver strategic outputs that include research, briefs, positioning, journeys, competitive analysis and content strategy. 

• Create an environment of agile working and disruptive thinking. 

• Apply informed, data and fact-driven views of how diverse insights drive brand platforms, cross-channel campaign executions—especially in the current context of media fragmentation, technology proliferation, consumer empowerment, data privacy and globalization 
• Leverage the strength and depth of North American strategy group to apply expertise into the global network