Group Director, Strategy - AJO Consultant

Data Strategy & Personalisation

• Partner with analytics and data engineering teams to design and implement data-driven decisioning frameworks that power intelligent journey orchestration
• Lead the strategy for dynamic content, offer decisioning, and real-time personalisation across channels
• Define performance measurement frameworks — identifying the right KPIs, monitoring journey performance, and driving continuous optimisation
• Provide senior-level recommendations on attribution modelling and journey analytics to demonstrate ROI

Practice Development & Thought Leadership

• Develop proprietary frameworks, methodologies, and toolkits that strengthen VML's AJO and marketing automation offering
• Contribute to external thought leadership — representing VML at industry events, producing written content, and shaping market positioning
• Identify opportunities to expand and evolve VML's Adobe practice in response to product developments and market demand
• Stay ahead of Adobe product roadmap developments and translate emerging capabilities into client opportunities

Team Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of AJO consultants and marketing automation specialists
• Set clear expectations, provide regular feedback, and create development pathways that retain and grow top talent
• Foster a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and continuous learning within the team
• Collaborate cross-functionally with strategy, experience design, data, and delivery leads to ensure cohesive programme execution

Business Development & Growth

• Support and lead new business pitches and proposals for marketing automation and Adobe Experience Cloud opportunities
• Identify and develop organic growth opportunities within existing client accounts
• Contribute to commercial scoping and solution design for new engagements, ensuring technical feasibility and delivery confidence
• Build and maintain senior client relationships that position VML as a long-term strategic partner

What You'll Bring

Essential Experience

• 8+ years of experience in enterprise marketing automation, martech consulting, or related disciplines
• Demonstrated senior-level expertise in Adobe Journey Optimizer and Adobe Experience Platform
• Proven track record of leading and delivering complex, multi-channel customer journey programmes for enterprise clients
• Strong understanding of data architecture, API integrations, and marketing technology ecosystems
• Experience operating as a senior client advisor — with the presence, credibility, and communication skills to engage at VP and C-suite level
• Proficiency in SQL, JSON, and scripting languages, with a working knowledge of HTML, CSS, and email development standards
• Deep understanding of privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA) and their strategic implications for journey orchestration
• Proven ability to lead, develop, and inspire teams in a fast-paced consultancy or agency environment

Nice to Have

• Adobe Journey Optimizer Certification and/or additional Adobe Experience Cloud certifications
• Experience across the broader Adobe Experience Cloud suite — including Target, Analytics, Campaign, and AEP/RTCDP
• Background in CDP platforms and real-time data orchestration
• Experience with agile delivery methodologies and enterprise programme governance
• Track record of contributing to practice development, thought leadership, or business development at a senior level
• Experience with REST APIs, web services integration, and broader martech stack architecture
• Previous experience at a leading consultancy, systems integrator, or digital agency serving enterprise clients

What Makes This Role Unique

This is a rare opportunity to operate at the intersection of strategic leadership and deep technical specialism. You will be:

• Shaping how enterprise clients think about customer journey orchestration — not just executing against a brief
• Leading a specialist practice that is growing rapidly, with real influence over its direction and capability
• Working at the forefront of Adobe's product evolution — with early access to roadmap developments and co-innovation opportunities
• Playing a central role in VML's position as a leading Adobe partner — your work will directly influence how we win, deliver, and grow

Who You'll Work With

You will collaborate closely with:

• Senior client stakeholders — VP, Director, and C-suite technology and marketing leads
• VML strategy, data, and experience design leads — ensuring technical and creative workstreams are aligned
• Marketing automation consultants and AJO specialists — providing leadership, direction, and quality oversight
• Adobe account and product teams — maintaining a close partnership and staying ahead of platform developments
• VML business development and growth teams — contributing to pitches, proposals, and client expansion conversations

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers. VML is a WPP agency (NYSE: WPP). For more information, please visit  www.vml.com, and follow along on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X. When you click "Submit Application", this will send any information you add below to VML. Before you do this, we think it's a good idea to read through our Recruitment Privacy Policy. California residents should read our California Recruitment Privacy Notice. This explains what we do with your personal data when you apply for a role with us, and, how you can update the information you have provided us with or how to remove it.