Activation Director

At Spark Foundry we bring HEAT to brands, Higher Engagement, Affinity and Transaction. Engagement with consumers, customers and stakeholders, affinity with brands, and transactions, that materially impact our client’s businesses. Spark is uniquely positioned to deliver HEAT because we have an aligned set of beliefs that guide how we navigate a changing media landscape, a structure that is designed for total accountability and a repeatable methodology to bake continuous improvement into everything we do.

In order to bring this vision to life, we seek alignment around key values from our talent. Diverse thinkers with diverse thinking—what we call Allsorts—are essential to tackle challenges through the lens of different disciplines and perspectives. To succeed at Spark, you must thrive on the belief that great ideas are only great if they work. It’s not enough to be new, cool, or interesting; our solutions must drive business results. You need to embrace both the art and the evidence—right and left brain, imagination and activation, insight and technology in the pursuit of big ideas that are forensically measured. If you are motivated by these values, we welcome you to apply to become a Sparkie.

We're looking for an Activation Director to lead across a diverse portfolio and drive investment excellence across offline and non-biddable digital channels. This is an opportunity to oversee media investment across a rich and varied patch, to develop a talented team, and play a key role in delivering innovative, commercially impactful campaigns for some of Australia's most recognised brands.

This is a highly visible role that combines commercial responsibility, client partnership, team leadership and excellence in media investment. You'll have significant autonomy to manage your client patch, build strategic relationships and identify opportunities that drive stronger business outcomes for clients.

You'll lead the delivery of robust governance, reporting and investment standards across a portfolio that includes globally audited FMCG clients. Success in the role requires confidence navigating audit requirements, performance frameworks and complex stakeholder discussions.

Leveraging deep industry relationships and market credibility, you'll unlock new opportunities with Australia's leading media partners, creating competitive advantage, driving commercial value and delivering innovative solutions that help clients exceed their objectives.

If you’re an established Activation or Investment Director looking for a new challenge (and a wonderfully supportive team!), or a Senior Investment Manager / Associate Activation Director ready for a step up, in this role, you'll be empowered to make decisions, influence investment strategies and contribute to a high-performing team making exciting work!

What key accountabilities does this role have?

• Lead media investment and activation activity across a portfolio of clients, ensuring campaigns deliver against business objectives, buying KPIs and audited performance measures
• Build trusted relationships with clients and stakeholders, and act as a strategic adviser on investment opportunities, market trends and performance outcomes.
• Drive commercial value through strong negotiation, trading and partnership opportunities across TV, BVOD, radio, streaming, out-of-home and digital media channels.
• Identify opportunities for innovation, efficiency and growth, introducing test-and-learn initiatives that create measurable impact for clients.
• Lead client audits, trading reviews and performance conversations, ensuring transparency, accountability and exceptional results.
• Mentor, coach and develop a team of media investment professionals, fostering a culture of collaboration, learning and continuous improvement.
• Strengthen partnerships with media owners and internal teams to deliver seamless, integrated client solutions.
• Oversee workflow, governance, forecasting and reporting processes to drive operational excellence across the team.
• Contribute to agency-wide initiatives and support the ongoing evolution of Spark Foundry's activation and investment capabilities.
• Coach and support junior team members, fostering a culture of learning, accountability and continuous improvement.

What are the key skills and requirements for this role?

• 5+ years’ experience in media investment, activation or trading within a media agency environment.
• Proven experience managing and developing high-performing teams.
• Strong experience managing complex client portfolios and senior stakeholder relationships.
• Experience working with audited clients, value-based buying models and commercial accountability frameworks.
• Deep understanding of the Australian media landscape, including TV, BVOD, radio, streaming, out-of-home and digital media channels.
• Strong negotiation skills with the ability to influence outcomes and deliver commercial value.
• Excellent communication, presentation and relationship-building skills.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.  
• A resilient, adaptable and collaborative approach, with a passion for mentoring others and delivering exceptional client outcomes.
• A client‑first mindset, with clear, professional communication skills.

What does life at Spark look like?

We offer progressive flexible working options to everyone at all levels – It’s not a policy. It’s behaviour led and reinforced through our values. Mental health and wellbeing is something we take seriously – It’s championed by our own people internally and is a regular conversation. We have a lot of fun – Even in this virtual world, we are constantly looking at reinventing how we connect with each other.

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Publicis Groupe benefits: Be a part of the Publicis Groupe family, recent winner of the Employer of Choice Awards and one of the world's most progressive and dynamic modern communications businesses. You can learn more about us at www.publicisgroupeanz.com.

Enjoy all the perks that come with our network offering:

• A comprehensive Wholeself program supporting physical, mindful, and financial wellbeing.
• A creative, lively, and rewarding office environment where people love working with each other, supported by our Publicis Liberté flexibility approach — "working your way with us."
• Access to our Global AI Platform Marcel, connecting Publicis Groupe employees with opportunities for career mobility and collaboration across our global network.
• Extensive Learning & Development opportunities including more than 15,000 learning programs via our online learning platform, Marcel Classes.
• A culture of open feedback and support to reach your goals through our Career Conversations program.
• A committed Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion strategy driven through our Viva Women, Égalité, enABLE, EmbRACE, and Écologique committees.
• Leave benefits including Birthday Leave, Flexible Public Holidays, and an additional 5 days of leave after 2 years of service.
• Work Your World program enabling employees the flexibility to work from anywhere in the world for up to 6 weeks per year.
• Parental leave policy with up to 18 weeks based on tenure, paid primary carer leave, secondary carer swap, and Cub Care leave.
• Access to counsellors, psychologists, and professionals through Sonder, an all-in-one digital wellbeing technology platform designed to support psychological, medical & safety needs.
• A workplace that stands together to provide a more open, supportive, and recovery-forward culture for all employees with life-threatening illnesses. Read more about our Working With Cancer Pledge: https://workingwithcancerpledge.com/
• Proud partners of Diversity Council Australia, Pride in Diversity, Family Friendly Workplaces, Supply Nation, and the Australian Disability Network.

If you don't tick every box in this ad, please don't rule yourself out. Research suggests that women and other people in underrepresented groups tend to only apply if they meet every requirement. We focus on hiring people who share our values of inclusion, collaboration, adaptability, fearlessness, and integrity rather than ticking boxes — so if this role resonates with you, please apply.

Diversity. Inclusion. Equity. More than just words; these are part of our DNA. At Publicis Groupe, we are committed to the inclusion and recognition of all people regardless of race, age, culture, ability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, and religious affiliation. We believe that to deliver the best solutions to our clients, our people need to reflect the diverse communities in which our clients operate. We value diversity and the skills, knowledge, and experience that difference brings to our culture and solutions.

Uniqueness is powerful; without it, we wouldn't be where we are today. So be you — we like it that way.

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for people with disability or those that require additional support throughout the application process. If you need any assistance or adjustments, please contact us via [email protected]; your personal information will be kept confidential.