Business Unit Lead (Associate Director - level )
16 hours ago
Bristol
Wonderland is looking for a new Business Unit Lead (a bit like an Associate Director) Had enough of agency life feeling like a trade-off? Brilliant work or brilliant culture? Ambition or wellbeing? Profit or people? We think a different way exists. Welcome to Wonderland. A B Corp creative communications agency where you can truly be yourself, be confident and comfortable enough to reach your full potential and feel a real sense of belonging. A good business, with good people… people like you. We’re home to curious and creative comms people who want to work at a values-driven company that thinks and does differently. Come help shape our next chapter Wonderland is entering an exciting chapter. We’re building the next generation of leadership at Wonderland and creating real space for people to grow with the business. So, we’re looking for a Business Unit Lead to join the team. This is a senior role for someone who can see the whole picture: the work, the people, the clients, the numbers and the opportunities ahead. You’ll lead a business unit within Wonderland. Owning the quality of the work, the strength of client relationships, the development of people and the commercial health of the accounts you oversee. Current thinking is that this person could lead 2 to 3 of our larger consumer brands, although we're keeping an open mind because great people have a habit of changing plans. You’ll help us deliver exceptional work, give great consultancy, build strong client relationships and create the conditions for teams to do their best work. This is for someone who doesn’t just want to run accounts. It’s for someone who wants to help build the business and make a serious (positive) impact on the people around them. Essential info: • Full time, • Salary £70k - £85k, dependant on experience, • Our office is in central Bristol and ideally you’ll be there spending time with the team a couple of days a week, • You’ll need to be able to travel to visit clients in the north and south of England on a regular basis, • A driving licence and access to transport would be beneficial due to the travel requirements of the role Day-to-day responsibilities • Be the senior driver of Wonderland’s client relationships, commercial growth, and team leadership, • Be ultimately responsible for the strategic and creative output of your business unit, • Ensure the work we deliver is culturally sharp, commercially effective and brilliantly executed, across communications channels (including social, PR, crisis and issues, creators etc.), • Grow deep knowledge to inspire bold creative thinking, deliver results, and unlock new opportunities, • Be commercially accountable for the income of your business unit and contribute to the running of the team and business, • Be a positive, values-led role model for the team, keeping them motivated and inspired, proactively creating an environment where people thrive and creativity flourishes, • Lead internal workstreams and be instrumental in ensuring our values and vision are always lived, • Contribute to Wonderland’s health and growth You might be right for this role if you: • Are currently operating at Associate Director or equivalent level, • Have experience leading large consumer brands and building trusted senior client relationships, • Have successfully managed and developed high-performing teams, • Can balance commercial objectives with client, team and business needs, • Are confident making decisions and taking accountability for outcomes, • Can spot opportunities, risks and challenges before they become problems, • Think strategically about brands, communications and business growth, • Are comfortable influencing senior stakeholders and bringing others with you, • Enjoy helping shape not just client work, but the wider business around you You'll probably enjoy it here if you: • Stay curious about people, culture and the world around you, • Enjoy working with people who think differently from you, • Like asking questions as much as giving answers, • Are willing to challenge ideas, and have your own challenged too, • Care about creating great work without creating great drama, • Believe the best ideas can come from anywhere and are open to changing your mind when a better one comes along What makes Wonderland different? We're not trying to build the biggest agency. We're trying to build one people genuinely want to be part of. We're a B Corp creative comms agency with a curious mind and a belief that work should fit around life, not the other way around. A business with purpose • B Corp-certified, • Purpose-driven campaigns and clients alongside more traditional consumer clients, • 2% for the Community (time donated to good local causes) Learning & growth • In-house learning programme, Wonderversity, with coaching and mentor support, • Opportunities to shape your own individual development journey, • A business that invests in people, not just progression frameworks Work that fits around life • Flexible working and trust around how and where you work, • Family policies designed around modern lives and different family setups, including adoption, IVF, fostering, caring responsibilities and more, • Neurodiverse, period and menopause-friendly workplace practices, • Mental health and wellbeing support including all-year-round access to Spill therapy A genuinely inclusive workplace • Fair pay strategy – pay benchmarked nationally and aligned annually to ensure parity, • Annual gender pay gap analysis, • A safe environment where people can bring ideas, opinions and their full selves to work, • Strong focus on diversity, inclusivity, equity and belonging And the practical bits • Beautiful collaborative workspace on Bristol harbourside, • Mac laptop Feeling curious? We’re always up for a chat if you want to find out more before spending time on it. Reach out to alison@wonderlandcomms.com Want to apply? Amazing! We can’t wait to hear from you. Email alison@wonderlandcomms.com with your CV, a bit about you, what drew you to this role and what excites you about this opportunity, plus the following: • What’s your most impactful piece of work to date?, • Who have you made a difference to in work the most?, • What are your personal values and why do you think they work well with ours? (curious, kind, inclusive) The deadline for applications is Thursday 30th July 2026. We’ll be reviewing applications once a week and promise to reply to everyone personally to let you know where things are at. • Wonderland is committed to diversity and inclusion, and we are an equal opportunity employer. If you require any adjustments or accommodations at any stage of the recruitment process, please contact alison@wonderlandcomms.com to discuss.