Operations Associate Director

Company Description

Spark Foundry make up part of a thriving global media network and are part of the Publicis Groupe, one of the world’s leading communications groups. We are globally connected with over 8,000 employees in 110 offices across 70 countries.

Spark Foundry, the Acceleration Agency.

We help brands to identify, learn and respond to opportunities faster than the competition.

Every client has an area of their business they need to accelerate, from short‑term goals to long‑term transformation.

We’ve proven our approach during the most difficult year on record. Now we’re using it to provide a launchpad for their future.

Come be an accelerator with us.

• Planning
  : an approach that works in practice rather than theory, arming planners with the ability to create cutting edge campaigns
• Intelligence
  : a suite of tools that give definitive answers to big questions, and uncovers actionable insights about real people
• Trading
  : a model built on flexibility and trusted relationships, underpinned with bold guarantees
• Relationships
  : a culture of asking challenging questions to better understand the brief – we are not a ‘yes’ agency
• People
  : a strong history of recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds and accelerating their careers

We are diverse though our experience, people and the clients we look after - and we celebrate that diversity. Our people hold us accountable to our beliefs and via regular surveys and our grass roots D&I team, The Collective, and internal next generation board, Firestarters, we hold regular events and work continually towards generating ideas, initiatives and educating our people to ensure we are a diverse and inclusive agency.

As part of our dedication to create an inclusive and diverse workforce, Spark Foundry is committed to equal access to opportunity for people without regard to race, age, sex, disability, neurodiversity, sexual orientation, gender identity or religion.

At SPARK FOUNDRY, we’re obsessed with making media work harder — for consumers, for brands, and for the people behind the work. We’re looking for an Operations Associate Director to be the engine room of our business: a confident operator who loves turning moving parts into momentum, and manual processes into elegant, automated workflows.

If you thrive at the intersection of media, finance, governance, and project leadership, this role is built for you.

You’ll be the operational heartbeat of the MEU region — keeping teams aligned, reporting clean, processes scalable, and stakeholders confident.

• Be the primary point of contact for all MEU operational and market coordination queries, including best‑practice sharing.
• Lead monthly meetings, partnering with markets and internal teams to shape agendas and create meaningful content.
• Support the Strategy and Digital Ops teams, providing project management across key regional work streams.

• Identify friction in current workflows and drive automation that replaces manual tasks and lifts team efficiency.
• Refine and scale Ways of Working, templates, and governance to improve speed and quality across markets.

• Own Redmill, our media spend reporting tool — ensuring strong processes, data accuracy, and continuous improvement (e.g., JBP commitments).
• Support rollout and adoption of Growth OS planning tools across Tier 1 markets.
• Oversee MMM governance across 8 key markets, ensuring consistency, deadlines, and compliance.
• Manage competitive data and build a reliable competitive reporting rhythm.
• Deliver high‑quality client‑specific ad‑hoc reporting (category/brand spend, network needs, etc.).
• Assist the global ops lead with all regional reporting cycles (bi‑annual spend, AVBs, rebates).

• Oversee central financial tasks: track invoicing, manage scoped POs, and ensure billing aligns to commitments.
• Support the Client Lead with procurement relationship management, including quarterly FTE updates.

We’re looking for someone who is equal parts strategic operator,…