Group Director, Business Affairs (New York)

About WPP ProductionWe are WPP Production - the unified global production company that brings together all of WPP's content producers, studios and craft experts into one connected organisation. We combine world-class human craft with next generation technology to originate, design, and deliver multi-channel content systems at scale. Built for borderless collaboration and powered by deep craft expertise, we are the production engine designed for today's always on, AI driven marketing world.About WPPWPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit WPP.com.A Hybrid working modelWe believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.What does a Group Director, Business Affairs do at WPP Production?WPP Production is seeking a Group Director of Business Affairs to serve as a senior leadership partner within WPP Production. In this role, you will lead a large, multi-disciplinary group of business affairs, talent, and traffic managers in support of a key agency creative group within WPP. You will work in lockstep with the Head of Production and senior agency leadership, acting as a trusted commercial partner on all production-related matters. As a strategic head of a Business Affairs group within WPP Production, you will lead all commercial, legal, and operational aspects of client engagements and production. This role ensures that all business dealings—contracts, negotiations, talent agreements, and compliance—are handled strategically, efficiently, and in alignment with the company’s financial and creative goals. The Group Director is the ultimate gatekeeper for outward-facing work, ensuring that production has all appropriate checks and balances in place prior to creative IP being distributed for public consumption. To be successful in this role, you must be a recognized industry expert on SAG-AFTRA Commercials contracts, anticipate union moves and industry trends, and provide swift, pragmatic commercial advice. The ideal candidate has a proven track record of negotiating high-profile talent contracts, complex production agreements, and major music licensing deals. You have your finger on the pulse of emerging media and trends as they relate to content production, while understanding the risks and rights management associated with modern, multi-platform execution. Above all, you must strike a balance between risk mitigation and enabling great creative work, ensuring that our business runs as effectively and courageously as possible. ResponsibilitiesExecutive Leadership and Team Oversight Team Leadership: Direct, mentor, and inspire a highly-skilled Business Affairs team within the WPP Production North American network. Team Building and Culture: Foster an inclusive, growth-minded, and collaborative environment. Establish clear career pathing, training programs, and performance standards to elevate the group’s capabilities. Staffing and Resource Allocation: Oversee group resourcing and staffing models. Partner with executive leadership to assess workload, optimize team bandwidth, and strategically assign Business Affairs resources to client accounts and production hubs. Scoping and Budget Planning: Lead scoping and staffing discussions for Business Affairs services, ensuring proper commercial coverage is budgeted across agency SOWs. Operational Standards: Define, implement, and continuously optimize standardized Business Affairs workflows, templates, and best practices. Escalation and Expert Problem-Solving Ultimate Point of Escalation: Act as the final group authority and escalation point for complex commercial, legal, and operational challenges in production. Crisis and Risk Management: Lead dispute resolutions, including union claims, audits, vendor defaults, and challenging contract negotiations. Strategic Advisory: Provide decisive, executive-level counsel to production leadership, creative directors and account leaders when navigating high-risk, speculative, or highly unconventional creative concepts. Core Business Affairs and Creative Enablement Creative Viability Collaboration: Partner with discipline leads and producers across the group to evaluate the feasibility of innovative, complex creative ideas prior to execution. IP Clearance and Protection: Oversee intellectual property rights management and clearances in tandem with agency legal counsel. High-Value Negotiations: Lead and negotiate celebrity, influencer, and over-scale talent agreements, as well as complex music and third-party licensing deals. Legal and Insurance Partnering: Partner closely with agency legal counsel on template updates, risk assessments, and indemnifications. Coordinate with the risk management team to evaluate high-risk production concerns. Production Estimating and Scoping: Participate in early-stage project discussions, providing accurate, experienced estimates for talent session fees, residuals, music licensing, and all other production-related business costs. Union and Industry Compliance: Advise agency teams and clients on union rules (SAG/AFTRA/AFM/ACTRA), regulations, and emerging industry trends. Financial and Post-Production Oversight: Partner with Producers to review AICP, AICE, animation, and music bids. Work alongside internal Finance from pre-bill and scoping through job closure and cost actualization. Who You Are Strategic Leader and Mentor: Passionate about building high-performing teams, mentoring talent, and designing operational structures that scale. Detail-Oriented and Inquisitive: A natural, analytical problem solver who enjoys diving deep into complex union rules or contract details to find creative, business-friendly solutions. Versatile Executive: Able to wear many hats. Seamlessly transitions from high-level organizational and staffing strategy to hands-on support for high-profile productions. Collaborative Connector: An exceptional communicator who builds strong relationships across Creative, Production, Account, Legal, and Finance departments to bring the creative vision to life safely. Resilient and Solution-Oriented: Maintains an optimistic yes, and posture. Highly adept at navigating ambiguity and figuring out smart workarounds to complex legal or production roadblocks. Ego-less Champion: Ready to roll up your sleeves alongside the team, fostering a supportive environment where collective success is prioritized. What You’ll Need Experience: Minimum of 15 years of experience at an advertising agency, with a significant portion spent in an Associate Director Business Affairs, Director of Business Affairs, or equivalent executive-level Business Affairs role. Multi-Platform Expertise: Deep knowledge of all production disciplines, including live-action, stills, print, out-of-home, digital, experiential, user-generated content, speculative executions, podcasts, and emerging technology platforms. Negotiation and Licensing Mastery: Proven track record of navigating complex music licensing, stock footage, celebrity/influencer agreements, and intellectual property acquisitions. Legal Foundations: Comprehensive understanding of copyright, trademark, network clearance, and advertising standards/guidelines. Union Contract Command: Expert, up-to-date knowledge of SAG-AFTRA, AFM, and other relevant union commercial contracts. Executive Judgment: Outstanding ability to make independent, high-risk decisions under pressure, knowing exactly when to pull in agency legal counsel or executive stakeholders. #li-kn1 #li-hybridThe base salary for this position at the time of this posting may range as listed below. Individual compensation varies based on job-related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications. We offer a competitive benefits package, click here for more details.US Pay Range$125,000—$295,000 USDWhy work here: At WPP Production, you’ll help shape the future of content production at a truly global scale. We bring together world-class talent, cutting-edge studios, and advanced technology to solve some of the most complex creative and production challenges in the industry. You’ll work in a collaborative, borderless environment where craft excellence is valued, innovation is encouraged, and AI and next-generation tools are used to amplify not replace human creativity. With access to diverse projects, global career opportunities, and the backing of WPP’s unmatched network, this is a place where you can grow your skills, make real impact, and create work that performs for every audience, across every channel, at every moment. Inclusion and Impact WPP is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers. DataWe rely on legitimate interest as a legal basis for processing personal information under the GDPR for purposes of recruitment and applications for employment. When you click the Submit Application button at the bottom of this page, this will send all the information you have added to WPP Production. Before you do this, we think it's a good idea to read through our Privacy statement. This explains what we do with your personal data when