Automation Engineering Lead

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.    We have been building the world's most valuable brands for 50 years and have global reach across 100+ markets, with deep local expertise.   Our people are the key to our success. We're committed to fostering a culture of creativity, belonging and continuous learning, attracting and developing the brightest talent, and providing exciting career opportunities that help our people grow.    For more information, visit https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwpp.com%2F&data=05%7C02%7CErica.Durr%40wpp.com%7C9bf4566a65bc46a48ac008de749116ea%7C150b5e663d884dee83f6ed149b727a00%7C0%7C0%7C639076363668176216%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Q9juosud56XGLThSFZ1NpPZd6FXpJPxV74OeRZWoh%2B4%3D&reserved=0   Why we're hiring: WPP is a creative transformation company, helping clients create growth by combining technology and creativity. As one of the world's largest marketing and advertising services organizations, we are committed to driving innovation and operational excellence across our vast global network. You will be joining the Automation Operations Centre within WPP's Enterprise Technology, Automation & AI department. This is a pivotal time for us as we're building a dedicated, in-house team to deliver, manage, monitor, and optimize our growing portfolio of automation solutions. This team is at the forefront of our digital transformation, ensuring the seamless operation and continuous improvement of critical automation capabilities across WPP globally You will play a crucial role in solution delivery and day-to-day technology management of the Global Automation Operations Centre (AOC) program. Reporting to the AAI Operations Director and AAI Product Lead, you will lead the architecture, standards, and advanced development requirements for our global automation portfolio. Alongside AAI Leadership, you will guide a crew of 6-10 developers to ensure the release of high-quality automation products on time and within budget. The AOC is chartered to develop and delivery automation products, support global automation products or projects delivered by Automation delivery teams from around WPP. Our support apparatus gives those teams confidence and freedom to hand over their existing successes and continue innovating. Are you a visionary technical leader with a deep mastery of the Microsoft Power Platform and a passion for engineering excellence? We are looking for an Automation Engineering Lead to drive our technical strategy and architectural standards. In this senior role, you will be responsible for conducting research spikes, providing technical guidance to development teams, and ensuring that our global automation suite is built on a foundation of robust, scalable, and maintainable components. You will combine your extensive experience from the D365/Dataverse era with modern ALM practices to keep our global operations at the cutting edge of AI and automation. What you'll be doing: Automation Engineering Lead (Engineering Excellence + AI-Driven Automation)  We are looking for an experienced Automation Engineering Lead who combines a complete view across multiple engineering technology streams with a strong background in automation and AI-driven engineering practices across modern technology stacks.  This is not a single-stack or platform-specific role.  You will act as an enterprise engineering leader, responsible for designing scalable, high-performance solutions by evaluating the right engineering approach across diverse technology streams spanning APIs, backend services, modern frontends, cloud platforms, deployment architecture, and AI/ML capabilities.  You will play a critical role in shaping engineering strategy, establishing end-to-end engineering processes, guiding engineering teams, and ensuring solutions are fit-for-purpose, scalable, and future-ready.   What You’ll Be Doing  Solution Architecture & Technology Decisioning  Own end-to-end architecture for automation use cases across the enterprise   Evaluate and recommend the right approach across:   Cloud-native engineering (microservices, serverless, container platforms)   Custom engineering (APIs, backend services, UI frameworks)   AI-augmented automation combining ML services, LLMs, and intelligent workflows   Make informed trade-offs between build vs buy, custom vs platform, and AI-driven vs deterministic approaches based on scalability, cost, and maintainability   Act as a key decision-maker on the right technology stream and tooling for each engineering problem   Knowledge in Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, Dataverse)   Architectural Governance  Define and enforce global architecture standards, design patterns, and best practices   Establish reusable engineering frameworks and AI-driven automation accelerators across teams   Ensure consistency, scalability, and maintainability across implementations    Technical Leadership  Lead and mentor a team of 6–10 engineers   Provide hands-on guidance, solution reviews, and architectural oversight   Drive engineering excellence and a culture of continuous improvement    Advanced & Hybrid Development  Lead complex implementations involving:   Custom connectors and API integrations   AI/ML model integration and intelligent automation patterns   Backend services (.NET / Java / Node.js / Python) where required   Handle research spikes and evaluate new tools, frameworks, and capabilities    Integration & Data Architecture  Design robust integration solutions using:   REST APIs, webhooks, and service-based architectures   Event-driven and asynchronous processing patterns   Work with structured and unstructured data across:   Cloud data platforms (Azure Data Lake, BigQuery, Snowflake, etc.)   SQL / external data systems   Dataverse  Optimize performance, scalability, and reliability of automation workflows    ALM & DevOps Strategy  Own and mature end-to-end engineering processes including ALM, code quality, and release governance across the organization   Implement CI/CD pipelines, deployment automation, and infrastructure-as-code using Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or similar   Drive adoption of code-first, version-controlled, and AI-assisted development practices    Stakeholder Collaboration  Partner with business and leadership teams to translate requirements into scalable technical solutions   Align architecture decisions with business goals, timelines, and budgets   Communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders    Security, Compliance & Supportability  Ensure solutions comply with enterprise security, governance, and data protection policies   Design solutions for operational readiness, observability, and smooth handover to support teams    What You’ll Need  Experience  12+ years in software engineering, solution architecture, or enterprise application development   Proven track record leading engineering teams across multiple technology streams with a strong background in automation and AI-driven engineering   Knowledge in Power platform or Dynamics 365 ecosystem   Engineering Process & AI-Automation Expertise  Deep expertise in:   End-to-end engineering processes (SDLC, code reviews, quality gates, release management) implemented at organizational scale   Deployment and technical architecture across cloud and hybrid environments   Automation engineering (CI/CD, infrastructure-as-code, test automation, workflow automation)   Experience with:   Engineering AI workstreams (LLMs, agentic systems, intelligent automation)   Applying AI in automation (code generation, automated testing, intelligent code review, copilots)   Ability to drive engineering excellence and modernize platforms using AI-augmented approaches    Architecture & Engineering Breadth (Critical)  Strong experience with API design and REST-based integrations   Solid understanding of SQL, data modeling, and performance optimization   Hands-on experience with at least one backend technology (.NET / Java / Node.js / Python)   Exposure to modern frontend frameworks (React or similar)   Understanding of:   Microservices and distributed systems   Event-driven architecture (queues, messaging, pub/sub)   Proven ability to design and deliver solutions across diverse engineering streams with the right deployment and architecture choices    DevOps & ALM  Experience with CI/CD pipelines and automated deployments   Familiarity with Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, or similar tools   Strong understanding of environment strategy, solution segmentation, and release management    Leadership & Problem Solving  Proven ability to lead and mentor engineering teams   Strong architectural thinking and decision-making skills   Ability to solve complex, ambiguous technical challenges   Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills    Nice to Have  Experience with Azure services (Functions, Logic Apps, Service Bus, API Management)   Knowledge of enterprise integration patterns and iPaaS platforms   Hands-on experience embedding LLMs, agents, or copilots into automation and engineering workflows    Certifications  Certifications in AI/ML, DevOps, or enterprise architecture (TOGAF, SAFe, or equivalent), PL-600: Microsoft Power Platform Solution Architect (preferred)   Who you are: You're open: We are inclusive and collaborative; we encourage the free exchange of ideas; we respect and celebrate diverse views. We are open-minded: to new ideas, new partnerships, new ways of working. You're optimistic: We believe in the power of creativity, technology and talent to create brighter futures or our people, our clients and our communities. We approach all that we do with conviction: to try the new and to seek the unexpected. You're extraordinary: we are stronger together: through collaboration we achieve the amazing. We are creative leaders and pioneers of our industry; we provide extraordinary every day. What we'll give you: Passionate, inspired people – We aim to create a culture in which people can do extraordinary work. Scale and opportunity – We offer the opportunity to create, influence and complete projects at a scale that is unparalleled in the industry. Challenging and stimulating work – Unique work and the opportunity to join a group of creative problem solvers. Are you up for the challenge? #onsite 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 around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process. 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. Please read our Privacy Notice (https://www.wpp.com/en/careers/wpp-privacy-policy-for-recruitment) for more information on how we process the information you provide. Offices: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India (Chennai);