Job Description

Position Summary

The Associate Digital Director, Digital Transformation is part of the APAC regional team working in an integrated agency model for Johnson & Johnson (Consumer, Self Care, DCL Divisions), J3. The team is based centrally out of the Singapore Hub, and supports all 12 markets in the APAC region.

This role primarily focuses on acceleration & application of J&J's vision and ambition for digital and data/tech transformation in APAC, demonstrated through capability building and communication & marketing fundamentals across their portfolio of nearly 70 brands. Although the role is an integrated role, there is a key emphasis on Precision, Connected Commerce and Data/Tech, and for Japan, India, China, North Asia and Southeast Asia.

Working closely with the J3 APAC business leaders and in consultation with the Precision Lead from Reprise (IPG Mediabrands' search and performance agency) the role is responsible for helping to drive and deliver thought leadership, capability development, innovation initiatives, strategic planning, best practice implementation and regional operational excellence across all facets of digital.

We are looking for an individual with the right balance of strategic thinking and operational experience, someone who can not only drive digital and data/tech thought leadership, capability and innovation but can also operationalise the deliverables in regional franchise/campaign planning and in local market teams.

The ideal candidate will have had experience in strategic planning, implementation and measurement across channels, both digital and offline. This is a hands-on role; it will involve developing thought leadership and capability for key APAC markets in the form of strategic framework application & leading acceleration projects in market in partnership with global/regional team members. It will also involve ensuring strategy and best practice implementation as well as delivering on operational excellence in collaboration with local markets.

The ideal candidate will provide exceptional service to the J&J regional clients, be a person with natural advisory ability who demonstrates quality, timely delivery, attention to detail and professionalism in all aspects of work undertaken and overseen.

Key Responsibilities

In this role, you will be responsible for:

Client and Account Leadership

• Drive client leadership and engagement with senior as well as middle management client stakeholders to deliver excellence in the areas of media and communications strategy, media innovation and media operations (media planning and buying).
• Demonstrate strong knowledge of media developments in APAC, and demonstrate capability in building relationships with key media partners in the marketplace to look for new opportunities and drive innovation
• Strong communication, writing and presenting skills are a pre-requisite

Regional Stewardship

• Working in partnership with global/regional team members to develop thought leadership, capability development and innovation initiatives across Precision, Connected Commerce and Data/Tech Activation.
• Collaborating with local market teams to ensure the delivery of strategy and best practice implementation, and support any operational requirements across the business operations
• Working in partnership with the regional client team to operationalise capability and best practices into regional franchise/campaign planning.
• Working in partnership with regional J&J clients to manage key global partners (Google, Facebook, Amazon) and implement JVP programmes, as well as proactively identify potential platforms in the region to partner with.

Team Leadership

• The candidate must have demonstrated experience and success leading diverse teams to achieve excellence in business outcomes.
• Apart from the integrated media team comprising of Integrated Media Managers, Integrated Media Planners the ideal candidate must be able to lead cross functional teams comprising of Specialist Business Units in the areas of Performance, Programmatic, Social and Content, Data and Analytics and be able drive collaboration between teams.
• The desired outcome is to elevate UM's product delivery to deliver business outcome for our clients, drive innovation and build recognition for the agency with clients and for the industry.

Media Operations

• The ideal candidate should have a strong foundational understanding of media across offline and online, in order to lead teams to deliver excellence in media operations. This includes:
• The ability to review and analyse data to story-tell and present coherent strategies for media recommendations. This includes but is not limited to data from 3rd party syndication research panels such as Global Web Index, YouGov, Euromonitor and platforms such as Google, Facebook, proprietary agency tools and research from clients
• Awareness of the developments on media on a global and local context to drive opportunities for innovation and business growth
• Strong understanding of media operational processes from planning to implementation and reporting. This basic understanding is needed to lead team members in their executions of daily work as part of overall ambition to deliver operational excellence

New Business Development

• The candidate will be expected to work on new business opportunities as part of UM APAC's ambitions to scale the business in the region. It is highly preferable that this candidate has experience working on media pitches and an understanding of its fast-paced requirements, strong organisational skillsets and the ability manage the pressure alongside on-going account responsibilities is a must

Desired Skills & Experience

Skills & Qualifications

• 5-7+ years' experience in strategy, planning, executing and managing integrated campaigns
• Experience in precision planning and activation, and addressable content implementation is necessary, along with a sound understanding of the Google and Facebook data and tech stacks. Prior experience with regional platforms like LINE, Lazada, Shopee, etc, is an advantage.
• Ability to create bespoke solutions best suited to meet desired objectives through the full marketing funnel. Prior experience in the CPG and/or Retail category is an advantage.
• Experience in a media agency or an in-house digital marketing department is a must. Prior experience in a regional role managing multiple markets is an advantage.
• Excellent track record in building client relationships through consultancy and advisory of digital media strategy and tactics.
• Able to put together powerpoint presentations, has dynamic presentation skills with the ability to clearly link digital strategies to clients' business ambitions and deliverables.
• Able to build strong relationships with key media vendors with the ability to obtain access to betas, thought leadership, category/consumer insights etc.
• Collaborative team player with strong communication and stakeholder management skills.

Our Desired Qualities

• Strong influencer without having direct authority, particularly with key client stakeholders and global/regional/local market team members.
• Is a confident, articulate communicator, able to give the client confidence of being at the forefront of digital marketing.
• Has an ability to think strategically to address the clients' business ambitions and help solve a range of client problems.
• Is able to advise clients and local markets on tactical or implementational requirements.
• Is progressive in nature, thinks outside for the bigger picture and has the desire to seek new ideas and/or new ways of thinking.
• Is able to articulate agency services in a way that clients' needs are met and value added.
• Works well in a team, collaborating with and supporting various team dynamics.
• Holds themselves and others to high standards of output.
• Self-starter who can work autonomously and remain composed under pressure

About Us

A full-service media agency, UM strives to Futureproof our clients' businesses through our relentless pursuit of better science, art and outcomes. Founded in 1999, UM is made up of entrepreneurially-minded strategists, planners, researchers, investment experts, decision scientists, account executives, and content and activation specialists-over 4,800 employees across 130 offices in over 100 countries around the world. A part of IPG Mediabrands, UM's global headquarters are in New York, with six additional US offices in Birmingham, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, and San Francisco. UM's vision to Futureproof our clients for today, tomorrow, and beyond wouldn't be possible without our Better People.

UM's culture is an inclusive one, where people belong and are encouraged to bring their full selves to the office, and where personal and professional growth are a priority of every member of the team. UM's Executive Leadership Team is dedicated to building a culture that permeates every element of the company, from work flexibility, to career planning and regular talent reviews, to an active culture club. They proudly uphold the following values:

Courage: Our courage to take risks drives our ability to set new industry standards.

Curiosity: Our relentless curiosity drives relentless innovation.

Commitment: Our commitment to uncovering better opportunities for our clients and our community is at the heart of everything we do.

Community: We pride ourselves on fostering a community where everyone can belong while actively giving back to the communities in which we live.

Caring: We care about being a diverse agency where everyone feels motivated and supported.

Candor: Our candor through open and constructive dialogue ensures better outcomes for our people and our clients.

As a company, UM is constantly pushing to improve, under their Better Science, Better Art, Better Outcomes banner, striving to set the bar in the ever-evolving media landscape. Their efforts have yielded a number of new business wins recently including Aetna, American Express, Columbia Sportswear, Gallo Wine, Henkel, and Quicken Loans.