The Digital Production Director is accountable for digital delivery excellence across our set of global clients who are looking for innovative experiential marketing solutions. Responsible for overseeing the agency’s digital operations, digital production function and the programme management of the GPJ Lab, our innovation practice.
Our digital offerings span a wide range of contexts, channels and purposes; from live-events to virtual events, from screen based content to VR experiences, AR storytelling, drone games and even snow machines. To maintain our position at the forefront of change requires us to deliver technology based experiences which raise the bar for our industry, meeting an ever growing client demand by championing purposeful & exciting work.
The Digital Production Director will form a key part of the next phase of this work stream, helping us to build a world class experiential technology offering, by combining experience and practicality with a passion for digital channels and for the exciting potential of technology for experiences and helping to make The Lab a commercially viable, revenue generator for the agency.
They will devise, implement and manage processes which drive efficiency and eliminate risk from technical digital delivery. The conduit between GPJ and our digital development suppliers, vetting their capabilities from a position of expertise and experience, negotiating rates and ensuring processes work for us, them and our clients.
Manage our team of freelance and permanent digital production experts, helping mentor and support them whilst they deliver the agencies digital work. Knowing the tools for delivery and owning the detail across digital projects is essential, pitching in to help ensure the delivery happens as it should.
Key Responsibilities
- Represent technical, digital expertise at the agency – understanding the delivery process for a variety of platforms and technologies within a live environment is essential.
- Build and maintain the GPJ digital supplier roster, vetting suppliers, building relationships, defining ways of working and negotiating rates.
- Work with the operations team, creative services and Integrated Production services to refine ways of working. Build relationships across departments and contribute to a collaborative and respectful working environment.
- Oversee digital project management process – oversight of digital work with ultimate responsibility for delivery.
- Help us define and realise the vision for our evolving Lab offering in collaboration with the Creative Technology Director. Collaborate with creative and strategy to help build a market leading innovation offering.
- Ensure that the Lab is an integral and well understood part of the agency’s culture and output.
- Be responsible for digital operations in the UK – manage the digital production and creative technology resource planning.
- Help us to fulfill the agency’s promise of ‘flawless delivery’ by being committed to making tech reliable as well as beautiful.
- Be a trusted stakeholder with agency staff and clients – strive to demystify technology and make its application tangible.
- Be part of the EMEA digital operations team – build relationships with internal digital department leads in Europe, Middle East and India.
- Be a point of escalation for any digital initiatives which are in need of support / intervention.
- Be a knowledgeable client partner – happy to have challenging conversations in support of your team.
About you
- You build trust through your evident digital technical expertise and experience of different technologies – you know exactly what questions to ask and where to find the answer.
- You build respect through doing. You pitch in when necessary, you guide the team, but also give them autonomy and space where it’s due.
- Motivated by producing work which is cutting edge and of great quality.
- Our culture is not one which responds to big egos, you’re happy working with all members of the team on all manner of projects, sometimes in challenging situations. You are a team player with a ‘let’s get this done’ attitude.
Background, Skills and Experience
- Experience of the live environment / experiential delivery and its specific pressures.
- Demonstrable experience leading digital programme work, overseeing multiple work streams and team members.
- At least 8+ years working in an agency environment.
- Experience being client facing with often complex global brand organisations, understanding of how to pitch & run projects, including managing client expectations and stakeholders.
- Experience of being accountable for the commercial success of digital programmes and large scale project budgets.
