Managing Partner

Managing Partner

Department                           Leadership                                     

Reporting To                         Managing Director - Brisbane & Perth

Location                                Brisbane

VML

At VML, we are a beacon of innovation and growth in an ever-evolving world. Our heritage is built upon a century of combined expertise, where creativity meets technology, and diverse perspectives ignite inspiration. With the merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, we have forged a new path as a growth partner that is part creative agency, part consultancy, and part technology powerhouse.

YOUR ROLE IN A NUTSHELL

The Managing Partner drives the implementation of the VML AU/NZ vision in the Brisbane office with a keen focus on growth. Specifically, commercial growth, client growth, and cultural growth

The Managing Partner works with the Regional ELT and leadership peers to execute the strategic plan, drive revenue, and deliver commercial opportunities and management, advocates for and develops talent, and ensures the office is delivering world-class, innovative, brand-led, potentially award-winning BX and CX work for all clients. They balance the growth initiatives - identifying, pitching, and winning new work - with nurturing existing client relationships. In order to deliver positive impact to clients, the Managing Partner must attract, retain, engage and inspire employees, and champion operational excellence to deliver success. While not responsible for driving the operations and the profitability of the office, the Managing Partner is expected to collaborate with the office’s functional leads to ensure appropriate resource alignment against existing and new client relationships and to contribute to delivering the office’s strategic and financial objectives. The Managing Partner should embody VML’s values and via their own high performance, promote VML as a desirable place to work and an agency to watch.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

VML Fundamentals

• Champion the VML vision and ensure it drives the Brisbane office culture and delivers on high degrees of employee engagement.
• Set the tone of the office with high energy, optimism, and a hunger for results.
• Ensure business teams are properly managing relationships, resources, and utilization to ensure successful, profitable delivery of Connected Brand solutions.
• Lead development of bespoke products, sales methodologies, and cross functional partnerships.
• Lead key internal processes such as training, talent scoping/banking, marketing, and coaching.
• Contributes across all service lines and fully understands the fundamentals of each deliverable.
• Be an active industry member and promote VML in a professional manner at all times.
• Support HR and the resource director to determine appropriate workforce planning to deliver to client needs, with a particular focus on account service.
• Oversee knowledge sharing of such approaches internally and across other VML offices.
• Day-to-Day leadership of the Brisbane Team, with the Managing Director.

People and Team

• Partner with the MD to establish Brisbane office initiatives to address opportunities and challenges particularly relating to culture, resource planning and collaboration while being mindful of the broader regional context.
• Partner with MD, Resource Director, and HR to identify and implement a workforce plan, to include recruiting, onboarding, and employee retention and talent attraction strategies.
• Partner with the Perth MP to drive connectivity and growth between the two offices.
• Champions, embraces, utilises, and coaches others on how to bring the Connected Brand vision to life, alongside other tools to identify business opportunities and solve clients’ business challenges. Ensures direct reports, as applicable, are exposed to these processes and know how to use them.
• Provides training and support in business development skills so that team members embrace a universal way of working and a high standard of output.
• Fosters communication and cohesion between internal teams and functions.
• Facilitates and ensures a share-of-voice for wider team members across multiple functions and ensures appropriate direct client connections.
• Responsible for individual performance management of direct reports, including setting objectives and ongoing check-in for progress – be a champion of Small Improvements and career planning.
• Responsible for identifying and supporting ideas, and coaching team members to achieve their assigned roles, that will achieve agreed upon revenue targets and agreed-upon growth.

Client Relationships

• Oversee VML Brisbane’s most senior client relationships for the office to ensure that client satisfaction, team satisfaction and client profitability remain high.
• Provide key client leadership for major clients and ensure presence/visibility with key clients.
• Be a trusted advisor for executive-level clients on issues inside and outside the scope of current work.
• May serve as Client Leader for key projects for existing as well as new clients.
• Ensures breakthrough solutions are grounded within commercial/business situation.
• Co-own, together with account service leads/PM’s, overall development, and profitability of accounts.
• Be accountable to identify client needs, develop strategies, and gain buy-in from clients.
• Leverage VML capabilities and pursue partnerships to deliver leading edge strategy recommendations.
• Establish proper communications and impact expectations for client relationships to achieve high client and team satisfaction standard

New Business Development

• Identify, lead, pitch, and win new business.
• Represent VML by being a strong and active WPP citizen and drive partnership opportunities across the group.
• Collaborate with cross-regional new business pitch teams to identify and deliver path to win.
• Identify, oversee, and deliver innovative and impactful solutions for new and existing clients.
• Champion global and regional initiatives and new go-to-market approaches, incorporating into internal training, pitches, and work.
• Identifies potential new clients.
• Actively grow and develop client relationships.
• Develop proposals, pitch materials, and lead new business pitches.
• Develop and monetise capability / practice area offerings.
• Elevate and broaden the perception of VML, its capabilities, and offerings.
• Grow existing and new client relationships to ensure year-on-year revenue growth.

Project/Financial Management

• Champions best-in-class project and financial management for all projects, engagements, and growth opportunities.
• Manage and maintain the appropriate mix of talent for each client relationship.
• Champions the financial process. Partners with Finance to ensure that the office is delivering against budget and maximizing efficiency.
• Pays close attention to and is responsible for realisation and utilisation for all projects.
• Proactively and continually monitors the business and raises challenges in a timely fashion.
• Demonstrates an understanding of and commitment to targets, budget allocations, and profitability.
• Ensures project teams are informed and behaviour demonstrates an understanding of targets, budget allocations, and profitability

What you will contribute to:

• The P&L of the Brisbane office.
• Operations strategy, planning and rollout.
• Business innovation.
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REQUIRED EXPERIENCE/SKILLS/CAPABILITIES

• 10 - 15 years of Marketing experience with a multi-national company.
• 8 - 10 year’s experience in a Services’ company (branding consultancy, advertising agency, business consultancy) with leadership experience in leadership.
• Proven ability to pitch and win work, including ability to pull together a pitch team and approach.
• Broadly experienced generalist with significant leadership and decision-making experience.
• Collaborative leadership experience with multiple peers.
• Proven ability to initiate and implement strategic recommendations and new ideas.
• Responsibility for meeting financial goals, namely agreed revenue targets.
• Organisationally savvy and experienced with local/regional/global model.
• Client focused and service orientated.
• Strategic agility.
• Conceptual thinker.
• Powerful communicator – exceptional presentation skills and written communication skills.
• Comfort around higher management – executive c-suite presence and polish.
• Resilient and proven ability to forge meaningful, constructive relationships with peers.
• Drive for results – able to pitch, close and build business.
• Developer of direct reports and others.
• Flexibility and patience to deal with ambiguity and changing priorities.
• Financial agility – able to deliver against established financial goals and metrics.
• Ability to establish and manage to a vision and purpose

VML AUNZ Highlights

There are many things that make VML an awesome place to work, but we think these are worth a special mention:

·       Summer Days – 5 paid afternoons off each year during daylight savings time

·       Birthday Leave – a paid day off to celebrate your Birthday each year.

·       Loyalty Leave – a paid day off each year to celebrate your work anniversary.

·       Employee Assistance Program access and 24/7 support.

·       LinkedIn Learning access for all employees

·       Foundation Day – the anniversary of our establishment where every employee works together to give back to the community.

·       PerkSPACE – a dedicated platform for employee benefits that helps you save, grow, and generally makes your life easier.

This role is part-time negotiable.  VML an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, colour, religion, sex, gender, identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.