Group Activation Director

• Media Trading
• Sydney, Australia; Melbourne, Australia; Adelaide, Australia; Brisbane, Australia
• Spark Foundry
• Management
• Hybrid
• 8/26/2025
• 119370
• 25-8642

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.

to become a Sparkie.

Overview

The transformation you will experience:

The Group Activation Director works closely with the National Head of Investment in overseeing the Activation Team output and developing Spark's Activation product to drive a commercial advantage for both our clients and the agency, to assist business growth for both. They should demonstrate internal and client influence, commercial acumen and vision, and inspire their team to deliver a cohesive, proactive approach to investment solutions which helps our clients grow. The Group Activation Director is accountable for the output, development and mentoring of the Activation Director. This person should seek opportunities to develop innovative ways to invest their clients spend across all media and test emerging trading models in market. They should contribute positively to the agency's reputation in market through trade press contributions and general advocacy.

Your scope will include:

• Oversee annual media negotiations in consultation with Head on Investment for relevant group client portfolio
• Oversee major sponsorships and cross channel media partnerships including digital channels for group portfolio clients
• Negotiate agency wide trading positions across all media ensuring all benchmarks (client & internal), trading strategies & contractual agreements are met.
• Assist Activation Director in Client specific negotiations to ensure optimum outcome in line with or better than market / PMX benchmarking
• Work with National Head of Investment on developing Spark's Activation Product and ensuring that the wider team, our media partners and our clients comprehend our investment philosophy
• Develop and maintain senior client contact, at Marketing Director level and above.
• Develops relationships with their peers and with senior media owners, both to better service the client and with a view to creating new business opportunities.
• Have a high-level knowledge of clients' business and clients' pressures in order to guide the Spark Activation team to deliver optimum results possible
• Ongoing participation in the agency new business program, spearheading the Activation response for new business projects and response to briefs
• Help influence pitch pricing submissions for new business
• Escalation point where necessary to ensure issues are resolved in a fair and unbiased manner.
• Influence contributor in Directors WIP's to ensure the wider team are kept up to date and key initiatives are actioned
• Oversee Activation Directors to manage their teams in delivering top practice client service across the relevant portfolio of clients.

Work with Client Partner / Group Client Partner in 90day client plans to identify PMX opportunities within group of clients and ensure clients are presented with appropriate solutions where relevant

• Oversee team are using PMX's top practice briefing and negotiation process to ensure optimum outcomes can be achieved for both our clients and the agency
• Oversee workflow across group and maintain internal processes effectively to minimise error and increase efficiencies
• Identify and address any Activation team resource or development obstacles across group before problems arise and develop potential solutions
• Motivate team through personal influence.
• Act as a mentor to Activation Directors in the group, guiding them in influence and management, provide regular feedback, conduct formal reviews and set KPIs

What type of person will be successful in this role:

• Established experience in investment related roles spearheading teams
• Preferably a University degree or higher education qualifications
• Qualified across the following Office platforms: Word, PowerPoint and Excel
• Possess market and industry knowledge – historical and current.
• Possess strong financial management experience and business acumen.
• Strong existing senior media owner relationships
• Passionate about the media and advertising industry, possessing a broad comprehension of macro-economic influences, structural trends and current marketing science concepts.
• Confident and well versed in relationship-building, presentation and communication experience, able to guide and influence senior stakeholders.
• A strong director that is inspiring, collaborative and enjoys mentoring, motivating and developing their team.
• Passionate about new technology and the possibilities technology creates for client and agency solutions.
• A chief negotiator, able to resolve any issues in a fair and unbiased manner.
• Holds themselves and others to high standards of outputs
• Undertakes all tasks/responsibilities in a positive, friendly and enthusiastic manner

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

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:
• 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 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.

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 ; your personal information will be kept confidential.