Head of Production and Client Partnership

Company Description

Within Publicis Groupe's Intelligent Creativity business, Publicis Production specializes in bringing creative ideas to life, and to consumers.Our 6,000-strong talent across 52 locations worldwide radically redefine content production by delivering Intelligent Content. Together, they leverage a 100-year history of craft excellence, the world's biggest studio network, and the industry's richest data through the power of agentic AI. Intuitively delivering through the world's first Intelligent Content agent, Marcel Make.The result? A production company that leads the way. A category-defining promise to the market with predictively performing content that unlocks unprecedented business growth. And a workplace with countless opportunities, at the forefront of innovation, AI and award-winning craft.

Overview

The Head of Production and Client Partnership will play a pivotal leadership role. The position will own the senior relationship with Publicis Groupe’s creative agencies while setting the creative ambition, production proposition and shared identity for UK Production.

This is a senior leadership role rather than a traditional client services position. It combines agency leadership, creative ambition and commercial accountability, ensuring Publicis Production UK delivers exceptional work, strengthens agency confidence and creates a compelling reason for clients and creative teams to choose its capabilities.

Working closely with the Executive Creative Director, Head of Operations, Finance Director, capability leads and demand teams, the Head of Production and Client Partnership will unite live action, studio and design, post-production, art buying and emerging AI capabilities under a clear and credible production proposition.

Responsibilities

Agency Leadership

• Own and develop senior relationships with Publicis Groupe’s creative agencies and their leadership teams.
• Act as the senior point of escalation and the primary production partner for agency Managing Directors and Executive Creative Directors.
• Translate agency feedback into clear commitments, accountable owners and measurable actions.
• Rebuild confidence in Publicis Production UK by demonstrating improved integration, responsiveness, quality and value.
• Represent the production function at senior level and make informed commitments on its behalf.

Creative and Craft Excellence

• Share accountability with the Executive Creative Director for the quality of work delivered by UK Production.
• Establish a clear ambition to produce creatively outstanding and award-winning work.
• Identify the briefs and opportunities that require additional senior attention, investment or protection.
• Ensure appropriate craft leadership, quality assurance and review processes are applied at critical stages of production.
• Build trust with creative teams by consistently delivering high-quality work against priority briefs.

Production Strategy and Positioning

• Own the internal and external positioning of Publicis Production UK in partnership with the senior leadership team.
• Develop a clear and compelling narrative centred on craft, creative excellence and modern production capability.
• Provide teams with clarity on the relationship between traditional craft, technology, automation and AI-enabled production.
• Partner with the senior leadership team to define how emerging tools can strengthen individual production disciplines while protecting the value of human creativity and specialist expertise.
• Ensure the production proposition is understood and consistently communicated across agencies, clients and internal teams.

Capability Leadership

• Create a shared identity, ambition and quality standard across live action, studio and design, post-production and art buying.
• Work alongside capability leaders while respecting their accountability for craft, talent, resourcing, quality and utilisation.
• Lead the transformation of the live action capability as an early priority.
• Review the development and direction of AI-enabled craft capabilities across production disciplines.
• Provide clear leadership on capability structure, senior talent and future skills requirements.

External Market and Industry Relationships

• Rebuild and lead the relationship with the Advertising Producers Association.
• Strengthen Publicis Production UK’s reputation across the wider production ecosystem.
• Define how the business partners with production companies, directors, freelance specialists and external suppliers.
• Establish clear principles governing where Publicis Production UK partners, competes or delivers internally.
• Use strong industry relationships to improve access to specialist talent and production capability.

Commercial Growth and New Business

• Develop a clear and commercially compelling proposition for Publicis Production UK’s services and capabilities.
• Define how capabilities are packaged, priced, evidenced and presented to agencies and clients.
• Build a strong portfolio of credentials, case studies and proof points.
• Support new-business opportunities alongside demand and client leads, bringing senior production and craft credibility into the process.
• Increase the volume of agency work awarded to UK Production through choice and confidence.
• Improve the conversion of briefs, internalisation of suitable work and overall commercial performance.
• Partner with Finance and Operations to strengthen the value-for-money proposition.
• Maintain an honest and commercially responsible position on when internal production offers the strongest solution and when an external approach is more appropriate.

Qualifications

• Significant senior leadership experience within an integrated production, creative agency, production company or comparable environment.
• Strong understanding of live action, design, studio, post-production and related craft disciplines.
• Proven ability to build trusted relationships with senior agency, creative and business leaders.
• A strong creative perspective, with the confidence and credibility to champion quality and influence the standard of work.
• Experience shaping and communicating a clear production or capability proposition.
• Strong commercial judgement, including the ability to balance creative ambition, client value and business performance.
• Experience leading organisational or operational transformation across complex, multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to unite distinct capabilities around a shared identity, ambition and set of standards.
• Strong knowledge of the external production market, including production companies, directors, freelance talent and specialist suppliers.
• Understanding of how AI, technology and automation are affecting creative production workflows.
• Ability to translate stakeholder feedback into clear actions, ownership and measurable progress.
• Strong influencing, negotiation and communication skills.
• Confidence operating in a matrixed organisation and collaborating with creative, operational, financial and commercial leaders.
• A decisive, credible and collaborative leadership style, with the ability to make difficult decisions while bringing teams and stakeholders on the journey.

Additional Information

Diversity and inclusion is a core part of who we are at Publicis Production. We’re committed to building an inclusive culture that encourages, celebrates and supports our wonderfully diverse employee group – whatever their age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability or ethnicity. Diversity and inclusion doesn’t just fuel our creativity and innovation, it brings us closer to our people and audiences. We will continue to strive to create a culture and environment where everyone feels empowered and more importantly comfortable enough to bring their full, authentic selves to work. We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for employees with disabilities and for candidates in our application process. If you need assistance or adjustment due to a disability, please contact us.