Group Director, Marketing Effectiveness & Intelligence

Company: VML
Location: Costa Mesa
Posted on: April 1, 2026

Job Description:

Who We Are VML, part of WPP, is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and human first, award-winning work for blue chip client partners including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendys. The agency is recognized by the Forrester Wave™ Reports, as a Leader among Marketing Creative and Content Service Providers, Commerce Services, Global Digital Experience Services, Global Marketing Services and, most recently, Marketing Measurement & Optimization. In addition, VML’s specialist health network, VML Health, is one of the world’s largest and most awarded health agencies. VML’s global network is powered by 26,000 talented people across 55 markets, with principal offices in Kansas City, New York, Detroit, London, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, and Sydney. About WPP WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth Who we are looking for: We are seeking an exceptional and highly strategic Group Director, Marketing Effectiveness & Intelligence to lead our efforts in optimizing marketing performance and driving data-driven decision-making. This pivotal role will be deeply embedded within our client teams, acting as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to unlock the full potential of our marketing investments. The ideal candidate is a proactive self-starter with insatiable curiosity, comfortable navigating complex cross-functional environments, and possesses an extraordinary talent for transforming intricate data and insights into compelling narratives for C-Suite executives. You will be instrumental in shaping our marketing strategy by ensuring all efforts are measurable, optimized, and aligned with overarching business goals. What You’ll Do: Strategic Partnership & Client Embedding: Serve as the primary strategic partner for assigned client teams, fully embedded within their operations to intimately understand their business objectives, challenges, and marketing strategies from the ground up. Proactively identify opportunities for marketing optimization, efficiency gains, and incremental growth through rigorous data analysis and strategic insights. Foster strong relationships with marketing leaders and other key stakeholders within the client team, building trust and influencing strategic direction. Marketing Performance Analysis & Measurement: Evangelize and implement measurement hierarchy frameworks, KPIs, and attribution models to assess the effectiveness and ROI of all marketing activities across various channels (e.g., digital, traditional, content, brand). Utilize advanced analytical techniques and tools to deeply analyze marketing performance data, identifying trends, correlations, causal relationships, and future opportunities. Oversee the generation of regular performance reports, dashboards, and ad-hoc analyses, ensuring accuracy, relevance, and actionability for all levels of stakeholders. Insights Generation & Narrative Development: Translate complex data sets and analytical findings into clear, concise, and compelling strategic insights that drive actionable recommendations. Expertly craft and deliver data and insights narratives to C-Suite executives and senior leadership, simplifying complexity and demonstrating tangible business impact to influence critical strategic decisions, budget allocations, and long-term strategy. Develop visually impactful presentations and storytelling techniques that resonate with diverse audiences, from technical teams to executive boards. Cross-Functional Collaboration & Leadership: Confidently collaborate and influence across diverse cross-functional teams, including Marketing, Sales, Product, Finance, and Data Science, fostering a culture of data-driven decision-making and shared accountability. Champion the use of marketing effectiveness insights to inform budget allocation, campaign optimization, audience targeting, and overall marketing strategy. Potentially mentor and guide junior team members within the ME&I department, fostering a culture of continuous learning, analytical excellence, and professional growth. Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Stay abreast of industry best practices, emerging technologies, and advancements in marketing analytics, measurement, and effectiveness methodologies (e.g., AI/ML applications in marketing). Lead initiatives to improve data quality, infrastructure, and analytical processes, ensuring scalability and reliability. What youll need: Bachelors degree in Marketing, Business, Statistics, Economics, Data Science, or a related quantitative field. Masters degree (MBA, MS) preferred. 10 years of progressive experience in marketing analytics, marketing effectiveness, business intelligence, or a similar data-intensive role, with at least 3-5 years in a leadership or group director capacity. Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing comprehensive marketing measurement frameworks, including multi-touch attribution modeling, ROI analysis, MMM (Marketing Mix Modeling), and LTV (Customer Lifetime Value) calculations. Proven ability to operate as a highly effective self-starter, taking initiative, proactively identifying problems, and driving projects independently from conception to completion with minimal oversight. Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with a strong ability to interpret complex data, identify key insights, and formulate actionable, strategic recommendations. A high degree of curiosity, a natural inclination to ask "why," and a passion for uncovering deep insights that drive significant business growth and innovation. Proficiency with advanced analytics tools and platforms (e.g., SQL, Python/R for statistical analysis, Google Analytics 4, Adobe Analytics, marketing automation platforms, CRM data like Salesforce, CDP experience). Expertise in data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Looker Studio) for creating impactful, executive-level dashboards and reports. Superior communication, presentation, and storytelling skills, with a proven track record of successfully influencing, engaging, and gaining buy-in from C-Suite and senior executive stakeholders. Strong understanding of various marketing channels (digital, social, offline, email, content), their respective strategies, and measurement challenges. Desired Skills & Attributes: Experience in a client-facing or internal consultancy role, demonstrating exceptional stakeholder management, negotiation, and advisory skills. Deep understanding of statistical modeling, machine learning concepts, and their practical application to solve complex marketing challenges. Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic, and often ambiguous environment, adapting quickly to changing priorities and new challenges. A truly collaborative spirit with a strong ability to build trust, foster positive relationships, and work effectively across diverse functional teams and levels of the organization. Strategic thinker with the innate ability to connect granular, detailed analysis to broader business objectives and organizational goals. The base salary range for this position at the time of this posting is indicated below. Individual compensation varies based on job-related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications. We offer a competitive benefits package $100,000—$230,000 USD We believe the best work happens when were together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. Thats 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. WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. 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.

Keywords: VML, Yorba Linda , Group Director, Marketing Effectiveness & Intelligence, PR / Public Relations , Costa Mesa, California