All Careers

SVP Business Operations

Wunderman Thompson

Department: Operations

Location: London, United Kingdom

Who we are:

At Wunderman Thompson we exist to inspire growth for ambitious brands. Part creative agency, part consultancy and part technology company, our experts provide end-to-end capabilities at a global scale to deliver inspiration across the entire brand and customer experience.

We are 20,000 strong in 90 markets around the world; our people bring together creative storytelling, diverse perspectives, inclusive thinking, and highly specialized vertical capabilities to drive growth for our clients. We offer deep expertise across the entire customer journey, including communications, commerce, consultancy, CRM, CX, data, production, and technology.

About Commerce & Technology:

Our commerce and technology division houses strategic consultants, creative and technical architects and skilled developers and operators that together help some of the world’s leading organisations to deliver outstanding digital experiences across all major routes to market worldwide: marketplaces, online retailers, D2C, B2B and social platforms. With over 4,200 experts in 55 operational centres across 34 countries, our capabilities span the entire buying journey from customer acquisition, through engagement, to conversion and loyalty, driving multi-channel growth for world-leading brands. 

We work with some of the most exciting brands such as The Coca-Cola Company, EY, Bosch, Unilever, Ford, DFS, Mercedes-Benz, Johnson & Johnson, Nestlé, Sainsbury’s, Selfridges, Shell and Tiffany & Co. We’ve built over 500 platforms for brands and retailers and generate in excess of $29bn annually for our clients and work with over 50 strategic partners including Adobe, SAP, Salesforce, HCL, Shopify, Sitecore, BigCommerce, commerce tools and Acquia.

Who we're looking for:

We are looking for an SVP of Business Operations to join our team. As the SVP Business Operations, you will play a critical role in helping manage Wunderman Thompson Commerce and Technology business’ operations in EMEA. Our operating processes and business systems help drive both financial and non-financial performance.

The business operates principally from the UK and Poland but has development centres across the globe the key ones for EMEA also include Portugal, South Africa, Hungary, India and China. In this role, you will own the implementation and roll out of any new systems to ensure the smooth functioning of the business. The key system to be aligned on is the PPM/PSA system and the connection to the wider systems environment e.g. HR and finance systems. The role will also be key in helping set up any new development centres and integrating any new acquisitions into the business.

What you'll be doing:

You will lead the business operations team, the IT team and the data and analytics team and you will be joining during an exciting time for business as we bring our different operating companies under common processes and systems setting the foundations for our ambitious growth plans in Europe. 

Business Operations provide the tools and internal processes for:

  • Resource and capacity planning.
  • Project management.
  • Project financials
  • Management reporting.

IT

  • Service management
  • Cybersecurity management
  • Company policies
  • Alignment with WPP group IT

Data and Analytics

  • Strategic direction for data lake / data warehouse
  • Lead the ingestion of new data sources.
  • Own reporting and analytics in PowerBI. 

You will alongside the Finance and People team support the;

  • Growth and client team
  • PMO/delivery team
  • Resourcing team
  • Commercial team•    
  • Champion best practices and procedures, and support evolution where necessary.
  • Review how departments work together to reach company goals. 
  • Collaborate with the broader WPP organisation on common tooling and processes.
  • Manage and execute projects as needed to meet the changing business environment.

What you'll need:

  • Ideal applicants will have worked in a similar SVP or COO role in a professional services organisation, with backgrounds that include some aspects of business systems analysis, design and evaluating tools and technology, project management, reporting and analytics.
  • Proven experience managing operating processes and business systems across complex organisations ideally across different geographies.
  • Ability to manage relationships with senior and board level stakeholders. 
  • Ability to present technical solutions to non-technical stakeholders.
  • Able to demonstrate where they have identified opportunities for improvement & transformation and the value they added where they implemented these changes in previous organisations.
  • Experience managing 3rd party vendors / outsourced resource.
  • Experience with rolling out change initiatives including technology and systems across multi-disciplinary/multi country teams.
  • Knowledge of teams such as Sales, PMO, HR/people, resourcing and commercial teams
  • Experience in bringing together cross-functional teams.
  • Legal/Compliance - to have knowledge to ensure we are building & maintaining processes & implementing systems that are compliant.
  • Commercial mindset, experience working in a similar business model.
  • You will have a strong goal-orientated mindset and outstanding organisational abilities.
  • You are also dynamic, proactive and driven, with strong interpersonal and communication skills.
  • Ability to inspire mentor and motivate team to achieve productivity and engagement.
  • Strong planning and process skills.
  • Collaborative mindset plus a willingness to roll up your sleeves and dig into the tactical alongside the strategic.

 If you know some of this, even better:

  • Experience of PPM / PSA systems particularly the Atlassian products including Tempo Planner, Tempo Timesheets and Tempo Budgets.

#LI-GP1

At Wunderman Thompson, we are committed to actively building a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcomed, valued and heard, and is treated with dignity and respect.  As leaders and creative partners across industries, it is our responsibility to cultivate an environment reflective of our greatest asset; our people. We believe that this commitment inspires growth and delivers equitable outcomes for everyone as well as the clients and communities we serve.

Wunderman Thompson is a WPP agency.  For more information, please visit our website and follow Wunderman Thompson on our social channels via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.  

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When you click the "Submit Application" button below, this will send any information you add below to Wunderman Thompson. Before you do this, we think it's a good idea to read through our Recruitment Privacy Policy. California residents should read our California Recruitment Privacy Notice. This explains what we do with your personal data when you apply for a role with us, and, how you can update the information you have provided us with or how to remove it.

When you click the "Submit Application" button above, this will send any information you add below to Wunderman Thompson. Before you do this, we think it's a good idea to read through our Recruitment Privacy Policy. California residents should read our California Recruitment Privacy Notice. This explains what we do with your personal data when you apply for a role with us, and, how you can update the information you have provided us with or how to remove it.