---
title: 'Performance Strategy Lead at WPP Media'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/performance-strategy-lead-wpp-media-johannesburg-fhkszqw4eym1'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-05'
---

# Performance Strategy Lead at WPP Media

- **Company:** WPP Media
- **Location:** Johannesburg, South Africa
- **Posted:** 2026-10-13
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-05
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/wppmedia/jobs/5450609008

## Job description

## 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.

Job Title: Performance Strategy Lead

Reporting To: Client Partner

Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

## Role Overview

The Performance Strategy Lead is responsible for driving measurable business growth through best-in-class biddable and performance marketing strategies. This role leads a multidisciplinary team across search, paid social, and programmatic display, ensuring all activity is accountable to clear commercial outcomes.

As a key client contact, you will play a pivotal role in rebuilding client confidence in our digital offerings and overarching strategy. You will work in close partnership with the client, acting as a trusted advisor to deeply understand their business and guide them through the hands-on implementation and continuous optimization of performance strategies.

The role is fundamentally results-driven, with a focus on conversion, revenue growth, efficiency, and continuous optimisation through structured test-and-learn frameworks.

## Key Responsibilities

- Client Relationship & Strategic Trust
- Serve as a key client contact, establishing strong, trust-based relationships with senior stakeholders.
- Act as the lead architect in rebuilding and strengthening client confidence in our agency’s digital offerings, strategic capabilities, and execution.
- Work in close collaboration with the client to co-design, implement, and optimize robust performance strategies that align with their business realities.
- Demystify complex digital concepts, translating performance data into clear, strategic business narratives that demonstrate tangible value.
- Performance Strategy & Growth Delivery
- Develop and lead lower-funnel performance strategies across search, social, and display channels.
- Define clear performance KPIs aligned to client business outcomes (e.g. ROAS, CPA, LTV, revenue growth).
- Build scalable portfolio strategies that balance short-term efficiency with long-term growth.
- Translate business objectives into channel-level activation frameworks.
- Test & Learn Excellence
- Own a structured experimentation roadmap across all performance channels.
- Implement rigorous testing methodologies (A/B, incrementality, geo-testing, creative testing).
- Drive a culture of continuous optimisation and learning across the team.
- Translate test results into actionable strategic recommendations.
- Biddable & Performance Channel Leadership
- Oversee executional excellence across:
- Paid Search
- Paid Social
- Programmatic Display
- Ensure adoption of platform best practices, automation, and AI-driven optimisation tools.
- Maintain strong relationships with media partners and tech platforms.
- Data, Measurement & Attribution
- Define measurement frameworks that accurately capture performance impact.
- Champion advanced attribution models (multi-touch, incrementality, MMM where applicable).
- Partner with data and analytics teams to unlock deeper performance insights.
- Ensure consistent reporting that links media performance to business outcomes.
- Commercial Accountability
- Own performance forecasting, budget allocation, and investment strategy.
- Identify growth opportunities and areas of inefficiency across the portfolio.
- Drive revenue growth through media effectiveness and optimisation.

## Key Skills & Experience

- Proven track record in client-facing roles, with a demonstrated ability to manage senior stakeholders, manage complex client dynamics, and rebuild trust/confidence.
- Experience working closely with clients on the end-to-end implementation and ongoing optimization of digital performance strategies.
- Deep expertise across performance channels (search, social, programmatic).
- Strong commercial acumen and ability to link media to business outcomes.
- Advanced knowledge of measurement frameworks and attribution model
- Strong analytical mindset with a passion for experimentation.
- Ability to operate at both strategic and hands-on levels.

Please read our [Privacy Notice](https://www.wppmedia.com/pages/privacy-policy#:~:text=WPP%20Media%20Privacy%20Notice%20for%20Recruitment) for more information on how we process the information you provide.

## About WPP Media

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: WPP Media is WPP's global media collective that combines AI, data, and creative to deliver intelligent growth for the world's leading brands.
- **Entity Type**: Division of Public Company (WPP plc – LSE: WPP, NYSE: WPP)
- **Headquarters**: New York, United States
- **Founded**: Not publicly available (parent WPP plc founded 1971; WPP Media formed as a unified media collective in recent years)
- **CEO**: Brian Lesser (CEO, WPP Media)

## Core Business
- **Industry**: Advertising Services, Media Planning & Buying, Marketing Technology
- **Target Customers**: B2B and B2C enterprise brands across all sectors; global clients include major Fortune 500 companies
- **Mission or Purpose Statement**: "Intelligent growth for the AI era" – helping brands harness data, AI, and media to drive measurable outcomes.

## Products & Services
- **Open Media Studio (OMS)**: An end-to-end media delivery platform integrated with WPP Open, enabling scaled creative, production, data, commerce, and personalized media execution. (SaaS/Platform)
- **Open Intelligence**: An AI-enabled data solution that unifies fragmented data across ecosystems into predictive marketing intelligence, supporting privacy-first activation. (Data & Analytics Platform)
- **Data and Technology Consulting**: Consulting services for data strategy, technology architecture, advanced analytics, audience insight, cloud integration, and platform adoption. (Service)
- **Media Management & Delivery**: Expert activation, smart investment, strategic partnerships, and proprietary media solutions powered by AI and advanced analytics for personalized advertising at global scale. (Service)
- **Service and Strategy**: Dedicated teams offering deep sector expertise, creative strategy, and business outcomes aligned with client goals. (Service)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed separately (parent WPP plc market cap approx. £8 billion as of July 2025)
- **Key Metric**: $65 billion in managed media annually (from wppmedia.com)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: WPP is publicly traded; works with hundreds of global brands including many Fortune 500 companies. Key technology partners include major cloud and AI providers.
- **Growth Signals**:
  - 40,000+ media experts worldwide
  - 160 offices across 80+ markets
  - 1,600+ active job postings (LinkedIn, July 2025) with +8.7% monthly job growth
  - Strong investment in AI-first capabilities and privacy-forward data unification

## Competitive Advantages
- **Scale**: One of the largest media buying organizations globally, managing $65B in media.
- **AI Integration**: End-to-end platform (OMS + Open Intelligence) deeply embedded with AI for predictive analytics, automation, and personalization.
- **Integrated Ecosystem**: Unique ability to unify media, data, creative, production, and commerce under one roof.
- **Global Reach**: 40k+ experts in 80+ markets providing local insights with global execution.
- **WPP Network**: Access to 100,000+ experts across WPP's integrated agency network.

## Strategic Focus
- **AI-Driven Growth**: Embedding AI across all capabilities to deliver smarter, faster, more measurable outcomes.
- **Privacy-First Data Unification**: Building Open Intelligence as a secure, cross-ecosystem data platform that respects consumer privacy.
- **Talent Development**: Investing in AI-enabled learning frameworks and internal mobility to future-proof skills.
- **Sustainability & Inclusion**: Part of WPP's broader commitment to building better futures for people, planet, clients, and communities.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Described as open, optimistic, and extraordinary – with emphasis on collaboration, innovation, and challenging the status quo.
- **Growth**: AI-enabled learning framework, cross-team mobility across WPP’s global network of 100k+ experts.
- **Work Environment**: Hybrid/office-based roles across 160 offices; global opportunities in 80+ markets.
- **Perks**: Competitive compensation, performance-based rewards, access to cutting-edge AI tools, and work with leading global brands.
- **Team**: Join a collective of 40k+ media experts, data scientists, technologists, and creatives.

## Sources
1. [wppmedia.com](https://www.wppmedia.com/)
2. [WPP Media Company Info](https://www.wppmedia.com/company-info)
3. [WPP Media Careers](https://www.wppmedia.com/careers)
4. [WPP Media – What We Do](https://www.wppmedia.com/what-we-do)
5. [WPP Media LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/wpp-media)
6. [WPP Media Greenhouse Careers](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/wppmedia)

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- [Performance Biddable Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/performance-biddable-specialist-wpp-media-johannesburg-7bd3jr58k78m) — Johannesburg, South Africa
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