Operations 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.

Job Description

We are hiring an Operations Director to help shape the future of one of the world's most recognised snacking brands, leading the operational excellence and connectivity that powers one of Publicis Groupe's most important client partnerships. Sitting at the centre of a complex regional ecosystem, you'll bring together people, capabilities, and processes to drive impactful outcomes across multiple markets. This role combines leadership, client partnership, and transformation, creating the conditions for teams to do their best work and deliver exceptional results. If you enjoy building alignment, simplifying complexity, and driving meaningful change at scale, this is an exciting opportunity to make a lasting impact. 

Why This Role Is Special

• Work on one of the world's most iconic brand portfolios at significant regional scale.
• Play a key role in shaping a market-leading integrated agency model.
• Influence regional strategy, operations, and transformation initiatives.
• Lead talented teams while building strong partnerships with senior stakeholders.
• Help create new ways of working that deliver meaningful impact for both clients and teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the regional Operations function, ensuring consistent delivery, operational excellence, and high-quality outcomes across the Snacking portfolio.
• Drive improvements in ways of working, identifying opportunities to increase efficiency, collaboration, and effectiveness across markets and teams.
• Build strong connections across Publicis capabilities, agency partners, and market stakeholders to enable seamless, integrated delivery.
• Act as a senior partner to client and commercial leads, fostering trusted relationships and ensuring alignment on priorities and business objectives.
• Own key regional initiatives that strengthen market engagement, improve operational consistency, and support business transformation.
• Collaborate with global teams to deliver regional priorities, represent the ECE business, and contribute to broader strategic programmes.
• Lead, develop, and inspire a high-performing team, creating a culture of accountability, growth, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

 

• Experience leading operations, client services, transformation, or programme management initiatives within a complex business environment.
• Strong leadership capabilities with a track record of building engaged, high-performing teams.
• Excellent relationship-building skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate across diverse stakeholders and senior leadership groups.
• Strong organisational and project management skills, with the ability to balance multiple priorities and deliver results.
• A strategic thinker who can connect operational excellence with broader business and client objectives.
• A collaborative mindset, comfortable working across functions, markets, and disciplines to achieve shared goals.
• A proactive and adaptable approach, with a passion for solving problems, driving improvement, and creating positive change.

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.