Business Director

Company description With a history that dates back over 80 years, Starcom is a global communications planning and media leader. We are an agency still grounded in our founding principle that people are at the centre of all we do. Each day, we apply this belief to harness the transformative power of data and technology to inspire and move people and business forward. With more than 7,000 employees in over 100 offices around the world, we are the flagship Publicis Media agency that uses our ‘Power of One’ business model, with teams that span multiple disciplines across clients such as Aldi, P&G, Primark, Samsung, Stellantis, and Visa. We place a huge focus on our People, and have driven flagship D&I and L&D programmes within Publicis Media; our goal is to help every individual reach their fullest potential, and we encourage everyone to make “Brave Plays” in how they approach their work and their own career development. As a result, we have an exceptionally energised and committed talent base, all of us proud of our welcoming and supportive culture, as evidenced by our recognition as one of Campaign’s Best Places to Work for five years in a row, Media Week's Agency of the Year 2025 and one of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2025. Overview We are hiring a Business Director to lead Media Planning across Pet Nutrition Europe within OneMars, our bespoke agency model for Mars. This is an opportunity to shape how regional media strategy comes to life across some of Mars’ best-known petcare brands, including Pedigree, Whiskas and Sheba. You’ll bring together specialists across media, strategy, data, technology, commerce, influencer and production to turn ambitious thinking into brilliant work across European markets. As a senior client partner and people leader, you’ll have real scope to influence the direction of the team, strengthen client relationships and help drive the next stage of growth. Responsibilities What you'll be doing: Lead Media Planning across Pet Nutrition Europe, translating regional strategy into clear, market-ready plans and ensuring consistently strong delivery across brands and markets. Build trusted partnerships with senior Mars stakeholders, understanding their business priorities and turning them into actionable media and marketing recommendations. Bring teams and capabilities together, connecting strategy, activation, analytics, production, influencer, retail media and commerce to create joined-up solutions. Shape the vision for the Media Planning team, working closely with the Client Partner and regional and local teams to create effective ways of working across the OneMars model. Lead and develop a talented team, including three Account Directors, providing clear direction, coaching and opportunities for people to grow. Drive commercial and operational excellence, overseeing budgets, resources, scope and delivery while identifying opportunities to deepen the partnership and create additional value. Lead transformation and continuous improvement, helping teams adopt new tools, technology, measurement approaches and ways of working that improve effectiveness for Mars. Qualifications Skills we're looking for: Experience leading teams and bringing people together to deliver complex, large-scale programmes or client work. Strong media planning and integrated strategic experience, alongside a good understanding of digital media and how activation connects to wider strategy. A track record of building trusted relationships with senior clients and stakeholders and communicating confidently at leadership level. Experience working across multiple markets, with an appreciation of how regional strategy needs to flex for different local opportunities and requirements. Commercial awareness, with experience managing budgets, resources and scope and identifying opportunities to create additional client value. The ability to connect the bigger strategic picture with the detail required to turn plans into effective delivery, measurement and actionable recommendations. A collaborative and inclusive leadership approach, with a commitment to developing others, sharing knowledge and creating an environment where different perspectives can contribute. Additional information Starcom offers a wide range of benefits to support our employees. Full details are shared when you join, but highlights include core benefits such as Pension, Life Assurance, and Private Medical cover, alongside enhanced policies like Reflection Days and Shared Parental Leave. You’ll also have access to a range of additional initiatives, including: 📖 Please check out the Publicis Career Page which showcases our Inclusive Benefits and our EAG’s (Employee Action Groups). Publicis Groupe works primarily from the office or our clients' office four days per week. At Starcom, we are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, and do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion or belief, disability, age, citizenship, relationship status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic. We are committed to providing a fair, accessible, and inclusive recruitment process. If you have any access needs - for example, related to disability, neurodivergence, or a health condition - please let us know. We’ll work with you to ensure the process works for you. Sharing this information will never impact your application. Guided by our values, we listen with empathy, uplift each other, take responsibility, and embrace change - building a culture where everyone feels seen, respected, and genuinely included.
What you'll be doing: Lead Media Planning across Pet Nutrition Europe, translating regional strategy into clear, market-ready plans and ensuring consistently strong delivery across brands and markets. Build trusted partnerships with senior Mars stakeholders, understanding their business priorities and turning them into actionable media and marketing recommendations. Bring teams and capabilities together, connecting strategy, activation, analytics, production, influencer, retail media and commerce to create joined-up solutions. Shape the vision for the Media Planning team, working closely with the Client Partner and regional and local teams to create effective ways of working across the OneMars model. Lead and develop a talented team, including three Account Directors, providing clear direction, coaching and opportunities for people to grow. Drive commercial and operational excellence, overseeing budgets, resources, scope and delivery while identifying opportunities to deepen the partnership and create additional value. Lead transformation and continuous improvement, helping teams adopt new tools, technology, measurement approaches and ways of working that improve effectiveness for Mars.
Skills we're looking for: Experience leading teams and bringing people together to deliver complex, large-scale programmes or client work. Strong media planning and integrated strategic experience, alongside a good understanding of digital media and how activation connects to wider strategy. A track record of building trusted relationships with senior clients and stakeholders and communicating confidently at leadership level. Experience working across multiple markets, with an appreciation of how regional strategy needs to flex for different local opportunities and requirements. Commercial awareness, with experience managing budgets, resources and scope and identifying opportunities to create additional client value. The ability to connect the bigger strategic picture with the detail required to turn plans into effective delivery, measurement and actionable recommendations. A collaborative and inclusive leadership approach, with a commitment to developing others, sharing knowledge and creating an environment where different perspectives can contribute.