Mediabrands Change Manager

About Us

IPG Mediabrands is the media and marketing solutions division of Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). Mediabrands manages approximately $40 billion in marketing investment globally on behalf of its clients and provides strategic services and solutions across its award-winning, full-service agency networks UM, Initiative and Mediahub and through its innovative marketing specialist companies Kinesso, Magna, Orion, Rapport and Mediabrands Content Studio. Mediabrands clients include many of the world’s most recognizable and iconic brands from a broad portfolio of industry sectors. The company employs more than 13,000 marketing experts in more than 130 countries representing the full diversity of humanity. For more information, please visit our website: www.ipgmediabrands.com. 

Role Description

The pace of change in the media landscape is accelerating and we need to accelerate our transformation to exceed our clients’, colleagues’ and wider stakeholders’ needs. An ambitious agenda is being devised, driven through a UK focus on “local vitality” and a broader global-IPG aspiration to drive standardisation, automation and excellence across the shared activities we do. 

You will have responsibility for working with the UK Transformation Team, and broader UK Leadership, to: 

• Shape, own and drive the macro change journey and messaging for Mediabrands UK, thinking about the best way to lead and inspire our talent across our agencies as well as our central Operations and functions. Importantly, how we harness and communicate our changes to our clients will be key. 

• Support specific strategic initiatives, and ensure they tie into, and move the dial on, the broader macro strategies devised. This includes key strategic programmes, key communication set pieces and specifically agency support where the impact may be felt greatest. 

Our ideal candidate will be able to think strategically but where possible, drive day to day activity through their relationships within the organisation. They will need to think creatively about how to package, land and drive adoption through our people, and have a relentless focus on measuring impact, with a view to “doubling down” or changing course as required. 

A sound grasp of change management techniques is a “must”, although the ability to flex and apply these techniques in a way that works for Mediabrands and the agencies within will be key. Success in this role will be able to drive a consistent message at a macro level which articulates the direction, in a simple and understandable way, whilst also being able to understand specific organisation, client and agency needs to best prepare, deliver and adopt the changes coming. 

You will be a key figure in the central UK Transformation team, where your ability to input into the broader Transformation activity will be sought and valued.

Role & Responsibilities

• Leads Change Management & Communications for UK Transformation effort including: 

• Change Management & Communications Strategy and Approach 

• Stakeholder Impact Assessment 

• Change Management Plan 

• Communications Plan 

• Training Plans 

• Adoption Plan 

• Develops overarching message platforms for all content related to the programme 

• Manages the internal communications for the programme, including stakeholder and employee communications 

• Ensures execution of activities within Change Management & Communications Plans, for example: 

• Development and maintenance of project engagement deck(s) 

• Helping to plan, prepare for, and facilitate (if needed) stakeholder engagement sessions/meetings 

• Crafting and supporting distribution of communications to various stakeholder groups including agencies 

• Development of training content 

• Conducts ongoing health check of Change Management workstream (e.g., status reporting, risks and issue management, dependency tracking) 

• Conducts impact assessments on agency, MB and clients, to understand implications of changes, developing intervention plans to ensure a smooth change experience 

• Works as part of the UK transformation team, partnering with Internal Communications, agency representatives and global colleagues to ensure messaging is aligned, and reviewed and approved by accountable parties and engagement activities are coordinated with other enterprise-wide activities (in UK and Globally, if needed) 

• Establish and maintain a change champion network, utilising time and resource effectively to maximise adoption and success 

• Ensures all internal communications share a unified, on-brand look and feel that reflect the business priorities and strategy 

• Uncovers issues proactively, identifies trends and concerns within the UK Transformation team, crafts strategic communication plans to shape current thinking 

• Advises the Transformation Team and UK leadership on sequencing for communication cascades, counsels programme leadership on message, approach and style for planned communications based on deep knowledge of internal communications channels and opportunities across the business. 

• Acts on behalf of Internal Communications at transformation meetings and brings up underlying concerns, trends and potential issues within team • Develops measurement frameworks to gauge communications success 

• Day to day management and interaction with global communications and Change champions

Key stakeholders

• Agency Teams

• Media Operations

• Finance, HR and IT

• Global Capability Centre (GCC)

• IPG Mediabrands Global

• UK Transformation Programme/Project Team

Desired skills & experience

• A record of planning and managing change across programmes and projects within large, complex organisations 

• Working knowledge with change management tools and techniques 

• Ability to create a compelling change narrative in support of the programme 

• A track record of stakeholder engagement at varying levels

• Understanding of change artefacts, including comms plans, change approaches, business readiness documents, adoption trackers, KPI dashboards, etc

• Significant experience in helping to prepare for, assess impact and measure success of significant change

• Experience in operating in a media group or a complex, multifaceted organisation 

• Flexible and adaptable; able to manage ambiguity and uncertainty

• Excellent communication skills and collaborative working style; able to adapt communication and engagement styles according to the audience

• Ability to influence others and move toward a common vision or goal 

• Organized with a natural inclination for planning strategy and tactics