Associate Director- AI Strategist, Marketing
Wunderman Thompson
$75,000 - $180,000 / year
Need a reasonable accommodation to apply or interview? Contact us.
JobMinglr uses automated technology to recommend jobs based on profile information and job preferences. Match Score does not determine eligibility for a position, prevent a user from viewing or applying to a job, or make hiring decisions on behalf of an employer.
Description
Who We Are
VML is a global creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce to create connected brands that drive growth. Guided by a Human First philosophy, VML is known for its innovative work for brands and consistently ranks among the world’s leading creative companies, including the WARC Creative 100. 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 www.vml.com and follow along on LinkedIn #WeAreVML.
About Us
The WPP | Ford Team is an integrated operating network made up of a dynamic multi-agency ecosystem that serves Ford Motor Company and its many diverse units around the world. This operating team provides a breadth of marketing experience for Ford across Communications, Marketing, Brand and Customer Experience, A.I., Creative, Production, Media, Strategy, Analytics, Commerce & Technology and more.
Operated under a central leadership team, it draws best-in-class talent from leading WPP agencies including VML (Brand & Customer Experience), WPP Media (Media), GTB (Precision Retail Marketing), WPP Production (Brand Design & Production), Zubi & UWG (Multicultural), and Burson (Corporate Communications/Public Relations), among other key WPP specialists. WPP | Ford team members work in a highly integrated environment, with direct exposure across virtually every discipline of modern marketing.
This role is embedded within VML as part of the WPP network.
About Ford and the Opportunity
Ford is in a period of rapid transformation, modernization, and evolution. This exciting challenge is about more than just marketing vehicles. It's about lifestyle, experiences, technology and helping to build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. After 123 years, this iconic brand continues to evolve, focusing on services, experiences and software, in addition to vehicles.
The Role
The AI Strategist connects the people who do the work (Shopper, Media, Web, Production, and Creative teams) with the people who build the tools. You'll spend time with marketers to understand how their work actually gets done, find where AI can make it better, and turn those opportunities into tools that last, not one-off fixes. You don't need to be an engineer. You need to be curious, resourceful, good with people, and ready to think like a builder.
What You'll Do
- Embed with marketing teams to map how work gets done today, then spot where AI can remove friction or unlock something new
- Turn messy, real-world needs into clear problem statements and briefs for our AI Architect and Product Manager
- Prototype early ideas yourself using no-code and AI tools, so teams can react to something real instead of a slide
- Think beyond the immediate ask. Shape one-off requests into durable tools that can scale across teams and grow over time.
- Own the evolution of what you launch by gathering feedback, prioritizing improvements, and planning the next version
- Help build a roadmap that balances quick client wins with longer-term capabilities
- Keep builds connected so teams don't solve the same problem twice
- Shepherd ideas from first conversation to launch, and keep stakeholders informed along the way
- Log every use case so its impact can be measured
- Advocate for the business so AI gets built with the teams who use it
What We're Looking For
- 6–8 years in marketing, advertising, or agency environments (strategy, account, production, media, CX, or similar), with exposure to product, UX, process, or innovation work
- Genuine curiosity about AI, shown through personal experimentation. Tell us what you've built, tested, or broken.
- A self-starter who sees an opportunity and runs with it without waiting for permission
- A systems thinker who enjoys untangling workflows and figuring out how the pieces fit together
- A builder's mindset. You're ready to step into product thinking: treating solutions as living products with users, versions, and a roadmap rather than as finished deliverables.
- Highly collaborative and comfortable translating between creative, business, and technical people
- Strong stakeholder skills, with the ability to earn trust from both marketing teams and technical owners
- Comfortable with ambiguity and shifting priorities
Nice to Have
- Hands-on product, UX, or service design experience (discovery, user research, journey mapping, prototyping)
- Comfort with data, and familiarity with how marketing technology fits together
- Automotive or retail marketing exposure
What You Don't Need
- Professional AI experience or a technical background. We'll teach you the technical side.
The base salary range for this position at the time of this posting is indicated 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 WPP Benefits for more details.
We 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 an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.
WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to 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.
When you click "Submit Application", this will send any information you add below to VML. Before you do this, we think it's a good idea to read through our Recruitment Privacy Policy. California residents should read our California Recruitment Privacy Notice. This explains what we do with your personal data when you apply for a role with us, and, how you can update the information you have provided us with or how to remove it.
About this role
At VML, you'd be bridging a critical gap in Ford's AI transformation: connecting the business teams who need AI solutions with the technical teams building them. Rather than letting AI development happen in disconnected silos, you'd serve as the strategic translator—conducting discovery across shopper, media, production, and creative teams, mapping their actual workflows, and converting those needs into clear technical briefs for engineers and product managers. This is fundamentally about ensuring Ford's AI roadmap aligns to real business priorities, not assumptions.
The role demands someone comfortable operating across multiple marketing disciplines simultaneously while managing ambiguity. You'd be responsible for re-engineering business processes, assessing feasibility with technical partners, flagging architectural gaps early, and tracking builds through to deployment. Success requires strong stakeholder management—building trust with both business SMEs and technical product owners—and the ability to communicate status and blockers clearly to leadership. This is a fast-moving program where priorities shift and information is incomplete, so adaptability matters as much as structure.
You'd be best suited for this if you have 6–8 years in solutions consulting, technical product management, business process consulting, or delivery management, with proven experience translating ambiguous requirements into actionable technical briefs. Familiarity with AI/ML tools in marketing or commercial contexts is expected. The role is in-office in Detroit and offers a salary range of $75,000–$180,000 depending on experience and qualifications.
How this employer is doing
average
- H1B: Sponsors Visas
- Leadership Change
- Recent Acquisition
- Sponsors Visas
In the news
Wunderman Thompson Appoints Grindle As Creative Director 08/01/2023, MediaPost
This role's local market on JobMinglr
Pay for this role
$75,000 to $180,000 per year
That is the employer's posted range, and where you land in it is usually decided in one conversation. Before that conversation, run the numbers: analyze an offer for this role.
Before you apply, worth reading
How JobMinglr reads this job
Every listing here is scored against your profile before you apply: skills overlap, experience level, location and work arrangement, each weighted and explained. You see the score and the reasons, not just a list. How the matching works.