Associate Director - Planning

Business Overview 

If you are looking for a people-first organization that can offer you the career you crave, UM is your home. We are the destination of choice for the world’s best talent, where every individual is empowered to unleash their limitless potential and do the best work of their careers.  

We are always searching for passionate team members who love media and live and breathe our core values of Curiosity, Courage, and Community. We seek out those who aren’t afraid to ask the tough questions, are excited to explore the nuances, and are hungry for personal growth and continuous learning. People who thrive at UM are collaborators by nature who pursue diverse perspectives because they understand that true innovation is driven by inclusivity. As a people-first agency, we provide the information, tools and technology, career development, and empowerment our people need to realize their potential and achieve their career ambitions.   

A global media network within the IPG Mediabrands family, UM operates in over 100 countries, with 3,000+ people innovating on a roster of powerful brands and our client campaigns have been recognized by the industry’s most competitive global showcases like Cannes Lions, Festival of Media Global, and WARC.   

As a result of our people-first commitment, UM has been celebrated as a FORTUNE Best Workplace in Advertising & Marketing in the US, a Campaign Best Place to Work in EMEA, a Campaign Asia Diverse & Inclusive Workplace in APAC, a top 3 agency in LATAM by The Effies, and ranked the number one agency in both Canada and MENAT by RECMA. 

Position Summary

As Associate Director, Planning, you’ll support the vision and strategic plan for the account, ensuring success across Work Quality, Client Relationships, Financials, and Team Health. You’ll play a key role in planning and executing media strategies integral to their business success and launch industry-leading work that propels the business forward.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the day-to-day management and communication of media plans for designated client from ideation to delivery
• Lead communication and relationships with internal agency specialty teams and creative partners
• Ensure the strategy and audience insights are funneled down into the tactical media plan
• Ensure accuracy of all client deliverables
• Ensure measurement and learning agendas are implemented within the media plan and delivered to the client
• Lead day to day communication and relationship with investment teams to identify the right channels and partners to execute the media plan
• Responsible and accountable to the implementation of media plan and deliverables, driving relationship with internal teams and partners including strategy, buying, analytics and SBUs
• Responsible for development of the media plan, making strategic ideas come to life in partnership with cross functional partners (i.e. SBUs, buying team, analytics, etc.)

Required Skills & Experience

• Strong institutional knowledge of media planning principals
• Build strong collaborative relationships with cross functional partners, internal teams, and stakeholders
• Comfortable exploring new technologies, platforms and approaches to push the needle on big ideas
• Ability to manage both upwards and downwards to ensure cross team communication
• Ability to speak/present to both junior and senior level clients
• Strong presentation skills
• Proactive approach to problem solving

Desired Skills & Experience

• 5+ years of integrated planning and 2-3 years experience in a people manager role; strong ability to delegate, train, and support direct reports
• Experienced people manager, supporting team in career development, training, and workload management
• Ability to learn/master agency tools specific to your account (MediaTools, Growth Accelerator, NMI)
• Project management; effectively managing multiple projects and meeting tight deadlines under a fast-paced environment

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Wage and Benefits

We offer a Total Rewards package that includes medical and dental coverage, 401(k) plans, flex spending, life insurance, disability, employee discount program, employee stock purchase program and paid family benefits to support you and your family. 

The salary range for this position is posted below.  Where an employee or prospective employee is paid within this range will depend on, among other factors, actual ranges for current/former employees in the subject position, market considerations, budgetary considerations, tenure and standing with the Company (applicable to current employees), as well as the employee’s/applicant’s skill set, level of experience, and qualifications.  

Employment Transparency

It is the policy to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, citizenship, genetic information, veteran status, disability, or any other basis prohibited by applicable federal, state, or local law. 

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. 

The employer will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the American with Disabilities Act of 1990. The job description will be reviewed periodically as duties and responsibilities change with business necessity. Essential and other job functions are subject to modification. Reasonable accommodations may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  

For applicants to jobs in the United States: In compliance with the current Americans with Disabilities Act and state and local laws, if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation to apply for a position, please email [email protected].

Salary Range 110000 - 120000 USD