Associate Director, Performance Content

Who We Are VML is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and award-winning human-first work for clients including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendy's. In 2026, VML was named Campaign’s Global Network of the Year and ranked #2 Creative Network of the Year at Cannes Lions. VML’s global network spans 55+ markets with principal offices in Buenos Aires, Kansas City, London, New York, São Paulo, Shanghai and Singapore. VML is part of WPP , the trusted growth partner for the world's leading brands. Powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform WPP Open, WPP unites cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, creativity, production, enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel. For more information, please visit and follow along on   LinkedIn #WeAreVML. About the Role The Associate Director, Performance Content is a key member of our Performance Content Leadership Team, responsible for driving the strategic vision, execution, and day-to-day management of high-performance content for client-owned websites. This role exists to lead our client’s digital evolution at the intersection of search, content strategy, and artificial intelligence. As an Associate Director, you will champion AI transformation on a major, high-profile account, ensuring our client’s web properties are optimized for the next generation of search. This is a highly collaborative, people-first role. You will act as the trusted strategic anchor for high-touch, sophisticated client relationships, relying on exceptional diplomacy and consulting skills to navigate complex dynamics and align business objectives. Internally, you will foster a culture of growth by mentoring direct reports, steering resource management, and contributing to new business and scoping initiatives to help lead our practice to its annual goals. What you'll do AI Strategy & Implementation Consultative AI Leadership:  Partner closely with client teams to define, implement, and scale the utilization of AI across their content ecosystem. Next-Gen Search Optimization:  Apply emerging Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) practices and Large Language Model (LLM) retrievability workflows to ensure website copy is discoverable in conversational AI search engines. AI Tool Integration:  Build and deploy custom AI agents to optimize team workflows; leverage VML’s proprietary  WPP Open  platform alongside tools like ChatGPT and Claude to drive content innovation. Client Partnership & Account Ownership Relationship Management:  Serve as the day-to-day strategic lead for complex, high-touch client relationships, using active listening and diplomacy to build trust and align expectations. Client Advocacy & Consultation:  Translate complex search, AI, and content performance me