Associate Director, Retail Analytics & Test‑ Lead

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. With exceptional talent, trusted data and intelligence, and world-class partnerships – all united by ourpioneeringagentic marketing platform, WPP Open – we help clients navigate change, capture opportunity, and deliver transformational growth.

WPP Media is WPP's AI-driven media operating unit, bringing together media, data, and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation nected through WPP Open and powered by Open Intelligence, clients see exactly where, how, and why their media investment is working.

3186 - Associate Director, Applied Analytics - UK

The Analytics Associate Director, Tesco will play a pivotal role in the dedicated analytics team supporting the Tesco account.

Crucially, the Associate Director will champion the use of Tesco's rich first-party transactional and loyalty data to design, implement, and analyse rigorous test-and-learn frameworks (including matched-market testing and randomized control trials) to prove the incremental impact of marketing activity. This role requires a blend of hands-on analytical expertise, retail commercial acumen, client engagement, and mentorship of junior team members.

• Analytical Partnership:
  Act as the key analytical partner for Tesco, translating commercial and marketing briefs into actionable, data-driven measurement methodologies.
• Strategic Advisory:
  Lead dialogues with senior Tesco marketing stakeholders and internal agency planning teams, leveraging expert knowledge of retail trends, consumer behavior, and marketing effectiveness.
• Effectiveness Integration:
  Ensure that measurement, incremental testing, and business KPIs are integrated as core considerations at all stages of the media planning cycle, from strategy development through to activation.

Strategic Measurement & First-Party Data Delivery:

• Closed-Loop & Incremental Testing:
  Lead the design, implementation, and analysis of marketing tests (e.g., A/B testing, geo-matched market tests, and randomized control trials) leveraging Tesco’s first-party transactional and Clubcard data to isolate the true incremental lift of media channels.
• Measurement Frameworks:
  Lead the development of comprehensive campaign measurement and KPI frameworks, defining clear definitions of commercial success (such as ROI, CPA, brand health, and customer lifetime value).
• Methodology Recommendation:
  Recommend the most appropriate suite of measurement methodologies, combining predictive modeling (e.g., MMM), digital attribution, and first-party loyalty data matching.
• Measurement Audits:
  Conduct regular audits of Tesco's measurement capabilities, prioritising and recommending improvements to data pipelines and test-and-learn setups.
• Insight Narrative:
  Take ownership of learning agendas, distilling the complexity of multiple data sources and test results into highly commercial, executive-friendly narratives that identify what drove sales, what built brand equity, and how to optimise future budgets.
• First-Party Data Innovation:
  Proactively identify and explore innovative ways to leverage first-party datasets, retail media clean rooms (e.g., Info Sum, Habu), and retailer-loop feedback to enhance campaign effectiveness.
• Business Case Development:
  Contribute to building business cases for incremental investment in advanced effectiveness tools and bespoke data science solutions.
• Industry Representation:
  Stay at the forefront of retail media, privacy-first measurement, and industry best practices.
• Mentorship:
  Manage, mentor, and inspire junior team members on a day-to-day basis, fostering their technical skills and commercial consulting abilities.
• Thought Leadership:
  Contribute to thought leadership promoting excellence in retail analytics, first-party data…