The Associate Director, Planning (AMD) serves as an essential strategic and operational lead within a planning pod. In this role, you bridge high-level strategy and flawless execution, leading the development of integrated media recommendations while managing day-to-day client relationships.  You are responsible for translating strategic direction into actionable, audience-first plans that tightly align media placement with creative messaging. Operating with a blend of analytical rigor and creative problem-solving, you coach and manage junior planning talent, elevate team output, and ensure operational and financial discipline across assigned accounts.  The Kind of Leader Who Thrives Here  <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="5" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Curious and Analytical: You are always asking "Why?" You dig beyond surface-level data to find meaningful insights and category white space. </li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="5" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">A Strategic Storyteller: You distill complex inputs into clear, compelling narratives. You articulate a crisp media POV in both internal and external rooms with confidence. </li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="5" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">An Empowering Manager: You balance disciplined delegation with hands-on support, actively coaching and growing junior team members. </li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="5" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1">Resilient and Adaptable: You navigate ambiguity with ease, bringing proactive solutions to complex challenges in a fast-paced environment. </li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="5" data-aria-posinset="5" data-aria-level="1">Commercially Focused: You understand the client’s business deeply, identifying organic growth opportunities that drive real business impact. </li> </ul> Core Responsibilities  Strategic Planning & Integration  <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Lead the development of strategic and tactical media recommendations that align with client business objectives. </li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Translate audience insights and competitive data into ownable, audience-first media strategies using syndicated tools (MRI-Simmons, Resonate, YouGov, etc.). </li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Identify category white space and craft unique media moments that amplify creative impact and go beyond standard media placements. </li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1">Evaluate campaign performance against objectives, providing strategic POVs on optimizations and marketplace trends. </li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-aria-posinset="5" data-aria-level="1">Develop strategic analyses (geographic, target audience, competitive audits) to guide plan direction and client spend recommendations. </li> </ul> Client Leadership & Collaboration  <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="7" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Own day-to-day client relationships, serving as a key point of contact and driving weekly status, recommendations, and campaign reviews. </li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="7" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Partner seamlessly across cross-functional agency teams—including Client Experience, Strategy, Creative, Activation, Analytics, CRM, and Finance—to deliver integrated output. </li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="7" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Represent a strong, clear media POV in key client presentations and internal strategic discussions. </li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="7" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1">Build and maintain productive, professional relationships with media vendor partners to stay ahead of marketplace innovation. </li> </ul> Team Leadership & Pod Operations  <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Manage, mentor, and coach junior pod members (Supervisors, Senior Planners, Planners), fostering their growth in planning craft, tool usage, and soft skills. </li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Master the art of delegation—balancing oversight with direct support to ensure flawless delivery while building bench strength. </li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Evaluate current pod workflows, resources, and bandwidth, elevating capability needs or operational challenges to the Director. </li> </ul> Financial Stewardship & Growth  <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="9" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Oversee flawless client budget management, including reviewing and approving flowcharts, media authorizations, and spend allocations. </li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="9" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Partner with Activation and Finance to ensure draft invoices match planned investments and maintain overall billing accuracy. </li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="9" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Identify organic growth opportunities across Media, Data & Analytics, and CRM, partnering with leadership to bring value-add ideas to clients. </li> </ul> Expectations for Success  <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="10" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Translates data and insights into clear, creative, and actionable media strategies. </li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="10" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Builds trust and strong alignment with clients and internal cross-functional leads. </li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="10" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Effectively delegates and develops junior planners into strong, autonomous strategists. </li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="10" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1">Maintains absolute precision in media math, flowcharts, and financial stewardship. </li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="10" data-aria-posinset="5" data-aria-level="1">Proactively brings solutions and media POVs to the table rather than just identifying issues. </li> </ul> Qualifications  <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="11" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience</li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="11" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">5-8 years of media planning experience within an agency setting</li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="11" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Proven experience developing integrated plans across traditional and digital channels</li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="11" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1">Demonstrated experience direct-managing or mentoring junior planning team members</li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="11" data-aria-posinset="5" data-aria-level="1">High proficiency in industry planning and research tools (e.g., MRI-Simmons, Resonate, YouGov, Vivvix, Pathmatics, SQAD, Guideline/MediaTools, Nielsen)</li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="11" data-aria-posinset="6" data-aria-level="1">Strong media math acumen, financial discipline, and analytical problem-solving skills</li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="11" data-aria-posinset="7" data-aria-level="1">Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with a track record of effective client presentation</li> </ul> Advancement Indicators  <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-list

Associate Director, Media Planning

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