Wavemaker | Manager

Overview of job

Wavemaker is an agency of GroupM, the world’s largest media investment company and is a part of WPP. In fact, we are responsible for one in every three ads you see globally. We are currently looking for a Manager- Buying

At GroupM APAC, our people are our strength, which is why fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion is important to us.

Reporting of the role

This role reports to Buying Head 

3 best things about the job:

• Strategic thinking and investment strategies across leading brands and various categories.

• An entrepreneurial spirit in outlook to firm up new trading currencies, independence in brokering and managing the deals for a key cluster with full accountability controls
• The opportunity to work on one of the biggest accounts of India. Would be on a different pedestal if successful on these accounts.

Measure Of Success:
In three months:

• Complete knowledge of the cluster that you are leading along with the unit’s processes
• Meeting day to day client requirements
• Completely hands-on with the deal structuring, how to approach negotiations, standard SOPs for the clients and the Unit
• Start doing deals on some of the channels
• You would have started building relationships with the key decision-makers within the current pipeline

In six months:

• Set the overall vision of the cluster that you would be leading and the buying product/function – with clear annual strategies agreed, implemented and tracked on a regular basis
• Set goals for self and the team keeping the account realities and individual development needs in the respective cluster
• Customized training requirements for the team
• Build-in an array of best practices on the account
• Collaborate and contribute towards the goals of the unit

In 12 months:

• Set the standard for all processes that pertain to implementation and investment within the cluster and the team
• Inspired and motivated the team to deliver high-performance output by providing regular and constructive feedback
• Maintained a positive, motivating and inspiring team culture

 What your day job looks like at Wavemaker:

• Day to day campaign/deal management across clients:- Deal Construction (existing and new channels identified) , execution (managing MGs and pushing for upgrades) and post analysis
• Managing Execution :- Planned Vs Actual Spot execution – Escalate to seniors as and when required 
• Sponsorship Evaluations :-Post negotiation reconciliation and ensure smooth execution of all integrations/sponsorship
• Timely reports management
• Identifying opportunities for brand/client and keep sharing the recommendation with proper eval
• Delivering on agreed Buying KPIs across clients

What you’ll bring:

• Willingness to learn and drive to succeed
• Solid understanding of all media channels and with knowledge of strengths and weaknesses of each channel
• First-class negotiation skills – delivery of a balanced approach to the marketplace
• Well networked in the market
• Extremely flexible attitude and an ability to read between the lines
• Quick turnaround time & sharp analytical skills
• Ability to work well under pressure. Able to handle tough situations with clients, auditors, internal stakeholders & media owners.
• A passion for all things media, with a strong understanding of industry trends in media
• A strong commercial negotiator - able to gauge good value for our clients and influence senior people within large media companies to deliver it
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills – both written and verbal.
• Proven ability to motivate and develop staff and delegate effectively

Minimum qualifications:

• Grad/PG degree majoring in marketing or media preferred
• Experience in understanding a commercial business
• 4+ yrs years of experience in media buying/planning
• Client Management experience
• Excellent presentation skills
• Strong communication skills
• Willingness to be hands-on and a team player

More about Wavemaker                                           

We believe there always is a better way to grow. We positively provoke growth for our clients by reshaping consumer decision-making and experiences through media, content and technology. The Wavemaker way is globally consistent. Fueled by the world’s most powerful consumer data, we understand where and how marketing can intervene decisively to help brands win more sales.

Our name is our mission and our method. To make waves, you need to be provocative, even fearless. We do our best work for brave brands and people who want to be challenged to go further and faster. We know it’s not easy, but if it’s in you, we will get it out of you.

Our 7,600 people across 90 markets provoke growth for some of the world’s leading brands and businesses. Our attitude of Positive Provocation is enabled by:

• deep knowledge we have of our clients’ business
• confidence to challenge what’s gone before
• the support to go further than we thought possible

We are a part of GroupM, WPP’s global media investment management company. Discover more on wavemakerglobal.com, Twitter and LinkedIn 

About India

2020 brought opportunities for brands to innovate because of which we saw an evolving media stack. The growth of digital is set to soar high because of changing consumer habits. With approximately 500 million smartphone users, low-priced data plans, 45 to 50 million e-commerce shoppers, approximately 60 OTT offerings and a young population, India is a mobile-first internet market. It is also one of the top 10 ad spend markets in the world and is set to climb the ranks. Global big tech corporations have made considerable investments in top e-commerce/retail ventures and Indian start-ups, blurring the lines between social media, e-commerce and mobile payments, resulting in disruption on an unimaginable scale.

At GroupM India, there’s never a dull moment between juggling client requests, managing vendor partners and having fun with your team. We believe in tackling challenges head-on and getting things done.

GroupM is an equal opportunity employer. We view everyone as an individual and we understand that inclusion is more than just diversity – it’s about belonging. We celebrate the fact that everyone is unique and that’s what makes us so good at what we do. We pride ourselves on being a company that embraces difference and truly represents the global clients we work with.