Group Activation Director

Company Description

At Spark Foundry we bring HEAT to brands, Higher Engagement, Affinity and Transaction. Engagement with consumers, customers and stakeholders, affinity with brands, and transactions, that materially impact our client’s businesses. Spark is uniquely positioned to deliver HEAT because we have an aligned set of beliefs that guide how we navigate a changing media landscape, a structure that is designed for total accountability and a repeatable methodology to bake continuous improvement into everything we do.In order to bring this vision to life, we seek alignment around key values from our talent. Diverse thinkers with diverse thinking—what we call Allsorts—are essential to tackle challenges through the lens of different disciplines and perspectives. To succeed at Spark, you must thrive on the belief that great ideas are only great if they work. It’s not enough to be new, cool, or interesting; our solutions must drive business results. You need to embrace both the art and the evidence—right and left brain, imagination and activation, insight and technology in the pursuit of big ideas that are forensically measured. If you are motivated by these values, we welcome you to apply to become a Sparkie.

Job Description

We're looking for a Group Activation Director to lead a high performing activation team and play a pivotal role in shaping investment strategy across a portfolio of leading national brands. This is an opportunity for an experienced media investment leader who thrives on developing people, building strong stakeholder relationships and driving exceptional commercial outcomes.

Why You'll Love This Role

• Lead a talented team of media professionals across multiple investment portfolios.
• Operate as a senior leader and trusted advisor to both agency and client stakeholders.
• Manage significant investment budgets across channels including BVOD, Digital Audio, Digital, Programmatic, Influencer, TV and Out of Home.
• Influence broader agency initiatives and grow beyond a media craft specialist into a future agency leader.
• Work alongside some of the best talent in the industry backed by the scale, innovation and opportunities of Publicis Groupe.

The Opportunity

As Group Activation Director, you'll partner closely with senior agency leadership to drive investment excellence, commercial performance and team development. You'll lead negotiation strategies, oversee activation delivery, strengthen senior stakeholder relationships and ensure your team consistently delivers outstanding results.

You'll also play a key role in developing future leaders, mentoring senior team members and helping shape the direction of Spark Foundry's activation offering.

What You'll Be Doing

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach and inspire a team of investment specialists and future leaders.
• Mentor senior team members and support career progression across the group.
• Identify resourcing, capability and development opportunities before challenges arise.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performing and inclusive team environment.

Client & Commercial Leadership

• Build trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders.
• Act as the escalation point for complex investment and activation challenges.
• Provide strategic guidance that drives strong business outcomes and client growth.
• Champion innovative approaches and emerging opportunities across the media landscape.

Investment & Trading Excellence

• Lead large-scale media negotiations and investment strategies.
• Ensure commercial benchmarks, trading agreements and performance targets are achieved.
• Partner closely with specialist teams to deliver integrated, cross-channel solutions.
• Continuously seek opportunities to improve effectiveness, efficiency and value.

Agency Growth

• Contribute to agency-wide initiatives and new business opportunities.
• Help shape investment products, processes and best practice across the business.
• Build strong market relationships and elevate Spark Foundry's profile within the industry.

What We're Looking For

You may be an existing Group Activation Director, Investment Director or a senior media investment leader ready for your next challenge.

You'll bring

• Extensive media investment and team leadership experience.
• Experience leading and developing high-performing teams.
• Strong commercial acumen and negotiation expertise.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Deep understanding of the Australian media landscape across traditional and digital channels.
• Confidence influencing senior decision-makers and navigating complex environments.
• A passion for mentoring others and helping people grow their careers.

What Makes You Successful

We're looking for someone who is

• Adaptable, resilient and comfortable operating in fast-paced environments.
• Commercially minded with a strong focus on delivering results.
• A collaborative leader who builds trust and brings people together.
• Curious, forward-thinking and excited by industry change.
• A positive role model who leads with integrity and accountability.

#LI-FD1

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 recruitment@publicisgroupe.com; your personal information will be kept confidential.