Company Description
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.
Overview
Haleon is a world-leading consumer health company with a purpose to deliver better everyday health with humanity. It has leading brands like Panadol, Voltaren, Centrum and Sensodyne. You will be responsible for making a real difference in our clients' business—and our own.
The Group Activation Director (GAD) is the senior strategic lead responsible for overseeing the end-to-end activation of Haleon's digital campaigns across markets. Reporting into senior leadership and managing the Digital Operations Director, the GAD ensures that approved media plans are translated into compliant, effective, and scalable execution strategies across platforms and teams.
This role sets the strategic and operational direction for the digital activation team, leads framework governance, and acts as the primary client and partner interface for all things activation related. The GAD ensures activation plans are operationally feasible, compliant, and optimised for performance, while maintaining accountability for KPI delivery and partnership value realisation through the activation team.
The GAD plays a consultative role in planning, guides implementation feasibility, and ensures high-performance delivery through clear frameworks and operational leadership.
Responsibilities
* Client Brief Response & Implementation Planning
* Provide strategic oversight and operational enablement for all Haleon digital activation efforts across programmatic, search, social, and video.
* Manage and mentor the Digital Operations Director and other senior activation team members.
* Ensure all campaigns are aligned with Haleon's strategic goals and global frameworks.
* Lead the activation team in delivering consistent, high-quality execution all digital channels.
* Consult with the strategy team on budget allocation, channel roles, and implementation feasibility to ensure plans are both strategically aligned and operationally executable.
* Client & Stakeholder Management
* Act as the primary client contact for campaign activation-related matters.
* Lead client brief discussions, ensuring translation of strategic plans into actionable execution.
* Represent the activation function in senior stakeholder meetings, QBRs, and annual planning sessions.
* Own escalation pathways for all campaign execution issues and resolution strategies.
* Implementation planning
* Guide the creation of activation plans that align with budget, platform capabilities, and strategic goals.
* Enforce global Haleon and Publicis frameworks (taxonomy, naming conventions, privacy compliance, tagging, etc.).
* Approve any deviations from standard frameworks and maintain rationale documentation.
* Collaborate with planning and strategy leads to validate implementation feasibility.
* Campaign Oversight and KPI Accountability
* Oversee delivery pacing, performance monitoring, and in-flight optimisation strategies.
* Ensure team adherence to SLAs, go-live deadlines, and platform-specific build accuracy.
* Approve QA protocols, testing methodologies, and performance benchmarks for activation.
* Escalate structural issues that impact KPI delivery to planning or senior leadership.
* Global Framework Implementation & Governance
* Apply and enforce global Haleon/Publicis frameworks: audience taxonomy, naming conventions, tagging, brand safety, privacy compliance, and measurement templates.
* Maintain compliance logs and approve any permitted exclusions with documented rationale.
* Campaign Activation & Quality Assurance
* Oversee the activation team in delivering accurate platform builds, trafficking, and QA across DV360, CM360, Meta, TikTok, YouTube, and other relevant platforms.
* Ensure on-time go-live and adherence to SLAs, with escalation management for any operational risks.
* Manage a robust test & learn framework and communicate progress to all appropriate stakeholders regularly
* In-flight Management & KPI Delivery
* Monitor pacing and performance across all channels, ensuring delivery KPIs (pacing, viewability, completion rates, CPA/ROAS) are met within plan constraints.
* Drive optimisation strategies through the team and escalate structural performance risks to Planning/Strategy.
Qualifications
* Strong experience in digital marketing and activation leadership.
* Proven ability to manage high-performing teams and direct operational excellence.
* Deep expertise in campaign activation, compliance frameworks, and stakeholder management.
* Comfortable leading partner relationships, client engagements, and strategic reviews.
* Strong understanding of global digital platform ecosystems (DV360, Meta, SA360, CM360, etc.).
Additional Information
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
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:
* 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.
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