Agency Development Director

Job Description

We are the UK's leading premium publisher, home to iconic and influential media brands including Esquire, Men’s & Women’s Health, ELLE, Good Housekeeping, Harper’s Bazaar, Digital Spy, Cosmopolitan, Red and more. At Hearst UK, we don't just create content – we shape culture.

Our workplace is driven by passion, shaped by authenticity and powered by creativity. We back bold ideas, act with an entrepreneurial mindset and continually evolve to meet the moment - while respecting the legacy that’s brought us here. We believe in each other’s potential and push boundaries together to create meaningful impact, both across the media landscape and in people’s lives.

We’re proud of our heritage - but even more excited about making history.

Hearst UK operates an in office policy with flexible Friday’s. Our office is based at House of Hearst, 30 Panton Street, St James’s, London, SW1Y 4AJ
, where teams collaborate in person and connect across brands and functions.

As Agency Development Director, you will lead the WPP agency strategy and commercial campaigns for your sales patch, focusing on some of Hearst’s biggest opportunities outside of our top 100 accounts. You will build senior agency relationships, identify new business opportunities and position Hearst as a leading publisher across digital, print, partnerships and events.

Working closely with Account Management, Creative Strategy and key internal stakeholders, you will lead campaign responses from brief to delivery, ensuring commercially strong, strategically aligned proposals that translate into successful execution. You will represent Hearst confidently across agency partners while leading, developing and supporting your team to drive commercial growth and deliver outstanding results. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced agency sales leader with strong senior relationships, commercial ambition and the ability to influence clients, stakeholders and direct reports.

• Own the agency strategy for the WPP patch, identifying priority agencies, relationship opportunities, growth areas and commercial focus points to support revenue delivery and Hearst’s wider objectives.
• Build and maintain strong senior relationships with agency planners, buyers, Directors, Heads of and key decision-makers, acting as the primary contact for campaign responses and execution.
• Identify and drive proactive commercial opportunities across both existing and new business accounts, with a focus on upselling campaigns and growing revenue.
• Lead agency presentations, business reviews, immersion sessions and meetings, clearly communicating Hearst’s proposition, campaign performance, market insight and growth opportunities.
• Manage budgets, pipeline activity and booked revenue across your agency patch, providing accurate forecasting, commercial tracking and strategic recommendations to senior commercial leaders.
• Work collaboratively with Account Management, Creative Strategy, editorial teams and wider stakeholders to interrogate briefs, shape commercially strong responses and ensure campaign ideas are effectively translated into strategy.
• Maintain a strong understanding of Hearst’s full product portfolio, market positioning and agency spend trends, attending relevant sales hub meetings to remain close to commercial targets and opportunities.
• Line manage and support direct reports through coaching, feedback and development, while acting as an ambassador for Hearst UK and undertaking any additional duties appropriate to your skills, qualifications and experience.

• Si…