Head of Media

About Thompson Spencer

Thompson Spencer is an award-winning independent agency and we are rather unique. We believe that in this modern world, connection between brands and people starts in social and spreads outwards to the masses through data-led media planning and smart creative.

Our purpose is to create connections that build communities and shape culture, and we deliver this with our seven connected specialists under one roof. From creative and media to social analytics and influencer marketing, it is the connection between all of them that matters. Brands can no longer be static. They need to move with people, culture and conversation, creating a universe of connected experiences.

The brands that move win. The brands that stand still are forgotten, and we are the connectors between brand, creative, media, social and tech. We call this the Golden Thread.

The Role

The Head of Media is a member of the Senior Leadership Team and leads our Media division. It is a role with real scope: you will shape where the division goes next, lead a talented team and grow a business that is built to last.

This is also a role for someone who wants to be first. We want TSG Media to be known across New Zealand and Australia as the agency that gets there before anyone else: first to test new platforms, formats, data partnerships and AI-led ways of working, and first to turn them into real results for clients.

You will lead the division alongside our Managing Partner, Strategy. They champion the standard of the thinking, you champion growth and delivery, and together clients get work that is world class and a partnership they can count on.

You will work closely with our Commercial Director on pricing, trading and supplier partnerships, and with our Head of Operations and People on building and growing the team.

Key Responsibilities

Innovation

• Keep the division ahead of the curve by tracking emerging platforms, formats, ad tech and AI, and turning them into client opportunities before the market catches up
• Build TSG's reputation for being first to market, with a steady pipeline of media firsts: new partnerships, pilots and launches that get the industry talking
• Run a test-and-learn programme with dedicated budget and clear measures of success, so innovation is part of how we work, not a one-off
• Bring first-look opportunities to clients proactively, co-creating with media owners and technology partners
• Champion AI and automation across planning, buying and optimisation
• Turn our firsts into case studies, award entries and industry thought leadership, so the market knows where it happened first

Client Partnership

• Be a trusted advisor to our key clients, bringing fresh thinking and new opportunities to every relationship
• Lead or co-lead media and full-service pitches
• Lead commercial conversations with clients openly and early, so the team can stay focused on great work
• Grow and broaden the division's client base
• Partner with Client Services to keep relationships strong and healthy

The Team

• Lead, inspire and develop our discipline leads and specialists across Media Strategy and Planning, Performance, SEO and Data & Analytics
• Hire brilliant people and build a team shaped for where the business is going
• Give every person clarity on what great looks like and a plan to grow
• Co-lead the evolution of our performance team into an AI-agent hybrid model
• Grow the next generation of leaders within the division
• Look after the team's wellbeing and workload, so great work is sustainable

Growth and Performance

• Own the division's P&L and grow it with intent
• Keep clear visibility of how the division is tracking through regular forecasting and margin reviews
• Spot risks and opportunities early and bring a point of view on what to do
• Build the divisional budget and contribute to agency-wide planning
• Invest wisely across people, tools and partners

Commercial and Trading (with our Commercial Director)

• Set and champion the pricing and margin principles that keep our deals healthy
• Manage our supplier partnerships and trading model in a way that is fair and transparent to clients
• Lead annual supplier negotiations, building partnerships that get better every year
• Shape client deal packages that are commercially sound and easy to stand behind

How We Work

• Make sure the division is well resourced, bringing in extra support when it is needed
• Keep client scopes clear, current and properly resourced
• Deliver a great client experience from onboarding onwards
• Keep billing accurate and seamless
• Keep improving how we work, removing friction so the team spends more time on what matters

Your Skills and Experience

You will bring significant senior agency-side media experience, and:

• Experience owning and growing a divisional or business-unit P&L
• Strong media trading and supplier partnership experience
• A track record of leading, inspiring and developing a team of discipline leads or specialists
• Confidence leading commercial conversations with clients, including pricing and renewals
• A history of bringing new ideas, platforms or ways of working to market, and making them pay off
• Evidence of improving how a team or division works, not just running it as inherited
• Experience leading a team through change

Experience introducing automation or AI-assisted delivery into a media or performance team, and experience across both New Zealand and Australian media markets, are advantageous.

Who You Are

You are ambitious for the division, the agency and the people around you. You want to build something that gets noticed, and you would rather be first than wait to see what everyone else does. You are curious by nature, always looking at what's next in media, technology and culture, and you have the judgement to know which ideas will actually move the needle for clients.

You lead with kindness. You set high standards and hold people to them, but with warmth, care and honesty. You grow people, celebrate their wins, and have the difficult conversation early because you respect them. You build a team that wants to come to work.

You are future-focused and optimistic. You see change as opportunity, you embrace AI and new ways of working, and you bring people with you. You run one division but think about the whole agency, and you would rather share the win than guard the territory.

And you are commercially sharp. You know innovation only counts when it grows the business, and you stay steady when things get hard, absorbing pressure rather than passing it to the team.

What Success Looks Like

• TSG Media is recognised in market for being first, with a track record of media firsts that have delivered for clients
• You are building a world-class, award-winning media division
• The division future-proofs and powers up the wider agency
• The division is growing and delivering at or above budget
• Our deals are healthy and our supplier partnerships work hard for us and our clients
• Clients trust us, with great reporting, reliable delivery and relationships that renew with confidence
• The team is growing, developing and proud of where they work
• The performance team has embraced an AI-agent hybrid model, doing more for clients without compromising quality
• Our client base is broader and more resilient

Apply now.