Data Programme Director

Why we're hiring:

WPP is at the forefront of the marketing and advertising industry's largest transformation. Our Global CIO is leading a significant evolution of our Enterprise Technology capabilities, bringing together over 2,500 technology professionals into an integrated global team. This team will play a crucial role in enabling the ongoing transformation of our agencies and functions.

The Data Programme will transform WPP’s data platforms and ways of working, positioning the group as a top-quartile technology company. It aims to modernise WPPs data infrastructure, enabling operational excellence, unlocking innovation, and supporting sustainable value creation by focussing on integration and standardisation of data, strengthening data governance, and supporting AI and analytics capabilities. 

A dedicated Programme Director is needed to orchestrate the people side of this transformation, ensuring that new ways of working are adopted, benefits are realised, and change fatigue is minimised. 

The Programme Director is accountable for the overall success of a programme, ensuring delivery of strategic outcomes and benefits realisation. This role provides leadership, governance, and direction across multiple projects and workstreams, aligning them to organisational objectives and stakeholder expectations.  Key responsibilities include: 

• Strategic Leadership: Define and maintain the programme vision, objectives, and roadmap, ensuring alignment with business strategy. 

• Governance & Assurance: Establish robust governance frameworks, manage risks, and ensure compliance with organisational standards. 

• Benefits Realisation: Drive delivery of measurable business benefits, tracking progress against agreed KPIs and outcomes. 

• Stakeholder Engagement: Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders, sponsors, and delivery teams to secure commitment and resolve issues. 

• Resource & Financial Management: Oversee programme budgets, resource allocation, and vendor management to optimise cost and value. 

• Change & Adoption: Ensure readiness and adoption of new capabilities, minimising disruption and embedding change effectively. 

WPP is embarking on a major 3-year Transformation to simplify, modernise, and unify its technology platforms across the group. This change is critical to: 

• Enable cost-effective transformation and operational efficiency 

• Accelerate adoption of AI, data, and digital platforms 

• Ensure consistent delivery of value and benefits across all agencies and markets 
• Minimise disruption and maximise engagement during large-scale change 

What you'll be doing:

• Develop the global vision and roadmap for the programme 

• Build strong relationships with leaders to influence and drive collaboration  

• Establish and lead transformation programmes across WPP Enterprise Technology 

• Ensure deliverables are of the highest quality with clearly articulated scope and quantifiable business benefits 

• Be accountable for programme definition, planning, orchestration, and delivery 

• Identify, define and manage all aspects of the programme’s projects. Including, but not limited to, the overall programme project plan, execution, resource management, risk and issue tracking, quality, governance, change management, risk management, communications and budget 

• Coordinate dependencies, including those with projects, suppliers and stakeholders outside of the programme 

• Creates visibility across teams to mitigate coordination challenges (with Service Owners and Providers as applicable) 

• Develop and maintain programme risk management plans. Coordinates programme risk identification, qualification, response development and control 

• Work closely with the PMOs to ensure the programme is reported on accurately 

• With PMOs, run stage gates for each project in the programme 

• Acts as liaison between stakeholders, sponsors and steering committee and manages these relationships 

• Conduct financial analyses on programme alternatives including cost/benefit analysis, to determine programme feasibility and direction 

• Develop and compose business cases to support the justification of programme investment 

• Manage third party suppliers/partners to contract commitments  

• Performance manage project management staff and provide coaching and feedback to support their professional growth. 

• Ensure the programme projects use Strategy and Transformation delivery standards and tools (Transformation Delivery Framework, and Wrike) 

• Supporting the PPM Centre of Excellence by identifying and championing areas where improvements may benefit project performance 

• Share activities and lessons learnt across PM community 

What you'll need:

• Exceptional comms skills, able to simplify complex programme detail into exec level insight. 

• Ability to build trusted relationships with senior sponsors, delivery teams, and external partners. 

• Skilled in managing change impacts, driving adoption, and minimising business disruption. 

• Experience overseeing change management, including communications, training, and readiness. 

• Ability to ensure new processes, technologies, and capabilities are embedded and sustained. 

• Comfortable addressing change fatigue, capability gaps, and resistance points. 

• Strong understanding of relevant enterprise technologies. 

• Ability to balance technical constraints, architectural requirements, and business needs. 

• Highly organised, resilient, and comfortable operating in ambiguous or evolving environments. 

• Strong problem solver with ability to make clear decisions under pressure. 

• Inclusive, people centred leader who motivates high performing teams. 

Who you are: