Activation Director - Performance

Company Description

As part of Publicis Groupe, we unleash the power of creativity, data, and media to deliver personalized experiences at scale. We have one of the most robust data sets in the industry and world-class marketplace connections and buying scale. You can’t escape it.

Our moment is as complex as it’s ever been. An era of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it that’s always whizzing, scrolling, streaming by. And it’s not slowing down.

Yet instead of staying connected — moving people with real human insight — marketers feel even more disconnected. Frantically optimizing with only the next few minutes in mind. Trying to solve this ever-evolving puzzle with a short-term focus.

Instead of pioneering an ever-expanding universe . . .

. . . And all the creative solutions that await us.

At Starcom, it’s never scared us when the kaleidoscope of marketing added another shiny mirror. We’ve seen this as an opportunity since Leo Burnett first reached his hands to the stars. To move the brands we support every day by truly knowing the real people who support them. Responsibly unlocking possibilities across new channels, new technologies, new data opportunities, and beyond.

It’s our opportunity to pioneer the next new world for your business. And to prove that media . . . is always the message. We know the next ten years will look a lot different. So will the ten after that. That’s where our expertise comes in to explore and decipher it all alongside you. Our people help you navigate what’s next, moving your business forward to the future by moving your customers forward today.

These days it’s no longer what you shout from the mountaintops. It takes true insight to move people at the human level — in a powerful, lasting way.

Because how you move people moves your business for good

Job Description

#LI-

The Role

The Activation Director plays a critical leadership role, driving activation excellence across the agency and client portfolio. This role is accountable for ensuring high-quality execution, optimisation and governance across all activation disciplines, delivering strong ROI and measurable business outcomes.You will lead the activation craft end-to-end – from workflow and quality control through to commercial delivery – ensuring campaigns consistently meet or exceed agreed KPIs and client expectations. Working closely with senior leadership, planning teams and product partners, you will shape activation strategy, drive innovation, and build capability across the business.

Responsibilities

What you’ll be doing

Client Leadership

• Provide senior thought leadership and activation expertise, guiding clients through emerging trends and opportunities
• Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders and establish effective ways of working
• Lead presentations on market insights, activation innovation and performance trends
• Act as an escalation point for client and media-related challenges, ensuring timely resolution
• Identify opportunities to integrate broader agency capabilities to solve client challenges

People & Culture

• Lead, inspire and develop a high-performing activation team
• Set standards for operational excellence and craft delivery across the agency
• Drive capability uplift through coaching, training and structured development plans
• Foster a positive, collaborative and growth-oriented team culture

Campaign Activation

• Own the quality and performance of activation output across the client portfolio
• Ensure delivery meets or exceeds digital benchmarks, KPIs and business objectives
• Provide strategic direction across planning and implementation
• Drive a test-and-learn mindset across emerging platforms, products and channels

Product & Innovation

• Develop best-in-class frameworks, playbooks and operational standards
• Bring market-leading thinking into activation strategy and execution
• Identify and integrate new capabilities, tools and technologies to enhance outcomes

Commercial & Governance

• Hold accountability for campaign delivery against contractual and commercial KPIs
• Oversee forecasting, invoicing accuracy and financial management standards
• Support investment strategies, negotiation frameworks and audit processes
• Ensure robust reporting, governance and compliance across campaigns

Partnerships

• Build strong relationships with media owners, platforms and partners
• Ensure clear briefing, collaboration and feedback loops to optimise delivery

Qualifications

What you bring

• Deep expertise across activation disciplines (Search, Social, Programmatic, AdOps)
• Strong understanding of the Australian media landscape
• Ability to translate performance data into actionable strategy and client impact
• Proven experience leading and developing high-performing teams
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills at senior levels
• Commercial acumen including forecasting, governance and KPI delivery
• High attention to operational excellence, quality control and process improvement
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills

Additional Information

Publicis Groupe benefits: Be a part of the Publicis Groupe family, recent winner of the Employer of Choice Awards and one of the world's most progressive and dynamic modern communications businesses. You can learn more about us at www.publicisgroupeanz.com.

Enjoy all the perks that come with our network offering

• A comprehensive Wholeself program supporting physical, mindful, and financial wellbeing.
• A creative, lively, and rewarding office environment where people love working with each other, supported by our Publicis Liberté flexibility approach — "working your way with us."
• Access to our Global AI Platform Marcel, connecting Publicis Groupe employees with opportunities for career mobility and collaboration across our global network.
• Extensive Learning & Development opportunities including more than 15,000 learning programs via our online learning platform, Marcel Classes.
• A culture of open feedback and support to reach your goals through our Career Conversations program.
• A committed Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion strategy driven through our Viva Women, Égalité, enABLE, EmbRACE, and Écologique committees.
• Leave benefits including Birthday Leave, Flexible Public Holidays, and an additional 5 days of leave after 2 years of service.
• Work Your World program enabling employees the flexibility to work from anywhere in the world for up to 6 weeks per year.
• Parental leave policy with up to 18 weeks based on tenure, paid primary carer leave, secondary carer swap, and Cub Care leave.
• Access to counsellors, psychologists, and professionals through Sonder, an all-in-one digital wellbeing technology platform designed to support psychological, medical & safety needs.
• A workplace that stands together to provide a more open, supportive, and recovery-forward culture for all employees with life-threatening illnesses. Read more about our Working With Cancer Pledge: https://workingwithcancerpledge.com/
• Proud partners of Diversity Council Australia, Pride in Diversity, Family Friendly Workplaces, Supply Nation, and the Australian Disability Network.

If you don't tick every box in this ad, please don't rule yourself out. Research suggests that women and other people in underrepresented groups tend to only apply if they meet every requirement. We focus on hiring people who share our values of inclusion, collaboration, adaptability, fearlessness, and integrity rather than ticking boxes — so if this role resonates with you, please apply.

Diversity. Inclusion. Equity. More than just words; these are part of our DNA. At Publicis Groupe, we are committed to the inclusion and recognition of all people regardless of race, age, culture, ability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, and religious affiliation. We believe that to deliver the best solutions to our clients, our people need to reflect the diverse communities in which our clients operate. We value diversity and the skills, knowledge, and experience that difference brings to our culture and solutions.

Uniqueness is powerful; without it, we wouldn't be where we are today. So be you — we like it that way.

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for people with disability or those that require additional support throughout the application process. If you need any assistance or adjustments, please contact us via recruitmentpublicisgroupe.com; your personal information will be kept confidential.