Group Director Business Development (Health)

About the role

VML, part of WPP, 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 human first, award-winning work for blue chip client partners including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendy's. The agency is recognized by the Forrester Wave™ Reports, as a Leader among Marketing Creative and Content Service Providers, Commerce Services, Global Digital Experience Services, Global Marketing Services and, most recently, Marketing Measurement & Optimization. In addition, VML's specialist health network, VML Health, is one of the world's largest and most awarded health agencies. VML's global network is powered by 26,000 talented people across 55+ markets, with principal offices in Kansas City, New York, Detroit, London, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, and Sydney. About WPP WPP 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 . We are seeking an exceptional Group Director to lead priority business development efforts in North America. This is a high-visibility role reporting directly to the Global New Business Lead, with the opportunity to shape VML Health's future in one of the world's most competitive and dynamic sectors. You'll be an architect of our growth strategy, building relationships with internal stakeholders and leaders at health companies that are redefining their categories. This isn't just about winning pitches-it's about building a growth capability that sets the industry standard for healthcare marketing.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Growth Leadership
• Execute our business development strategy, evaluating inbound opportunities, new prospects and organic growth opportunities within existing client relationships
• Collaborate across VML Health and WPP's global network, to create integrated, cross-capability solutions that solve complex healthcare client challenges
• Partner with Global Client Leads on integrated opportunities
• Pitch Excellence & Team Leadership
• Lead pitch teams as a strategic architect, deliver winning presentations for health opportunities
• Mentor junior team members, as part of a high-performing growth team with strong process discipline and creative problem-solving capabilities
• Lead the development of pitch materials, credentials presentations, case studies, and capability demonstrations that showcase VML Health's integrated offerings
• Follow and evolve best practices for inbound opportunities - vetting of health clients, building the win strategy, and maintaining financial oversight of pitch investments
• Market Positioning & Thought Leadership
• Craft compelling RFI/RFP responses that best position VML Health's capabilities
• Support thought leadership content and opportunities that elevate VML Health's voice in the market
• Performance & Infrastructure
• Track and report business development pipeline performance
• Leverage scalable processes, tools, and systems that enable efficient, high-quality pitch production and relationship management
• Contribute to the evolution of VML Health's business development infrastructure, sharing best practices and insights with the broader network.
• What You Bring
• Required Experience & Capabilities
• 10+ years of business development, strategy experience in digital, integrated, or full-service agency environments, with a proven track record of winning and growing major healthcare client relationships
• Demonstrated success leading complex, multi-stakeholder pitches and delivering new revenue growth
• Deep understanding of modern marketing capabilities including AI/technology integration within the highly regulated healthcare environment
• Familiarity with healthcare regulatory environments and their impact on marketing strategies and solution development
• Exceptional executive presence and presentation skills, with the ability to command the room and translate complex solutions into clear, compelling client value for healthcare decision-makers
• Strong strategic thinking and analytical skills, with experience developing business cases, competitive positioning, and go-to-market strategies for health brands and products
• Leadership experience managing and developing business development talent, with a collaborative approach that builds trust across creative, strategy, and technology teams
• Outstanding project management capabilities and the ability to thrive in fast-paced, high-pressure environments with tight deadlines
• What Sets You Apart

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