Associate – Planning - UK

4001 - Associate, Planning, UK

Role Summary and Impact

About WPP 650                     

Join an award-winning team at the heart of UK government, where your work will genuinely shape lives. As part of WPP 650 you’ll be part of a supportive, collaborative environment that values curiosity, kindness, and growth. Together, we use behaviour change principles to design smarter services, influence better decisions, and help millions of people across the country.

Named WPP 650, after the 650 UK constituencies, the name is a reminder that our work must reflect the full breadth of the country, every community, every audience. No two days are the same. The challenges are complex, the problems worth solving, and the learning constant. You’ll tackle issues that matter, alongside talented colleagues who care deeply about what they do. It’s demanding – but always rewarding.

WPP 650 is a bespoke agency unit within WPP, dedicated to serving the evolving communications needs of government clients. We bring together the best of WPP's talent, technology, and insights to deliver impactful, modern, and effective public communications. We are at the forefront of reimagining how government engages with its citizens.

This is meaningful work with real-world impact – the kind you can point to with pride.

About the role:

The planning team are the guardians of creating industry leading, unrivalled work at WPP 650. We are the central conduits to all specialists, striving to push boundaries and have a positive impact on consumers and brand.

WPP 650 is looking for a Planning Executive to join our growing planning team, to support the planning team and give your career a flying start in the media industry.

In this role, you will:

Media planning craft:

• Develop a baseline of media planning knowledge across channels.
• Learn and use media systems and tools including, but limited to, Open, TGI, Pathmatics, AdIntel, etc.
• Run and analyse reports including audience insights, etc.
• Need an inquisitive and curious mindset, wanting to understand and learn more about media planning.
• Build your own knowledge by staying on top of the latest trends and news impacting the media industry.

 Campaign management:

• Learn the fundamentals of effective campaign management including updating schematics, providing media plans to clients, chasing creative, etc.

• Assist with financial processes e.g. PO trackers, bookings, reconciliations, queries.
• Work closely with activation teams to deliver responses and tactical plans.

Effective communication:

• Update internal and external status reports.
• Coordinate the regular meetings with the client and creative agency and collation of documents for those meetings.
• Work with your line manager to deliver your objectives and goals in line with your role and agency vision.

 Core skills:

Practice Area Knowledge – Fundamental

• Have a basic understanding and competence in MS Office – PowerPoint and Excel in particular.
• Develops an awareness and curiosity about media and marketing industry including trends and challenges or concepts.
• Research wider industry and showing ability to summarise information into findings to be shared.
• Develops a broad understanding of industry tools, technology, techniques and systems as well as application. E.g TGI, Adintel, Pathmatics
• Can run simple tasks independently and either present to clients direct or package for wider team.

Problem Solving – Fundamental 

• Asks questions and performs routine or basic analysis to define problems.
• Generates some solutions in own area of work and suggests additional sources of information to further investigate problems.
• Seeks a variety of perspectives and inputs and probes for more information to fully understand the problem and wider impact.
• Provides communication support for troubleshooting issues internally and externally with third parties.
• Develops a broad understanding of industry tools, technology, techniques and systems as well as application. 
• Can run simple tasks independently and either present to clients direct or package for wider team.

Stakeholder Relationships – Fundamental

• Has a good understanding of how the agency operates and works with their clients.
• Knows about the client’s business and who the key decision makers are there.
• Has good understanding of agency and client and their business goals and challenges.
• Builds a working knowledge of market trends effecting the client (and agency).​​​​​​​
• Responds to stakeholder requests in an accurate, timely and professional manner and seeks to have a good understanding of client needs and challenges.

Effective Communication – Fundamental

• Seeks relevant information to ensure own understanding of complex information.
• Assists team members in the creation of routine communication materials (e.g., policies & procedures, guidelines, presentations, messages).
• Provides accurate information and learns how to simplify complex information.
• Adapts communication style and method to the audience. ​​​​​​​
• Applies subject matter knowledge to answer technical questions clearly and concisely and limits jargon.

Campaign Management – Fundamental

• Learns and demonstrates a concern for what is expected regarding accuracy and thoroughness, so that sufficiently detailed information is logged correctly.
• Manages the implementation of campaigns, including compliant approvals and finance. g PO and creative trackers
• Delivers accurate reports with basic insights.
• Assesses the relative importance of tasks and activities assigned.
• Applies judgment to make trade-offs on time when faced with competing demands.
• Demonstrates ability to manage several tasks and meet deliverables with minimal error.
• Is responsible for status sheets.

Compelling storytelling – Fundamental

• Demonstrates curiosity and asks questions to understand the purpose of different sources in story development and how to build a story.
• Starts to adapt communication style and method to the audience.

Ideas Creation – Fundamental

• Demonstrates curiosity by asking questions around communication frameworks, plans, approaches, trends and innovations.
• Demonstrates willingness to input into new projects and ideation sessions.

Comms Planning – Fundamental

• Assists in the development of communications frameworks and cross media strategy.
• Supports with data reporting, audience intelligence and production of client facing presentations.
• Has basic understanding of media channel dynamics and can discuss how each channel might add to the overall plan.

Life at WPP Media & Benefits

Our passion for shaping the next era of media includes investing in our employees to help them do their best work, and we’re just as committed to employee growth as we are to responsible media investment. WPP Media employees can tap into the global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, grow their networks, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising. We have a variety of employee resource groups and host frequent in-office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. Our benefits include competitive medical, group retirement plans, vision, and dental insurance, significant paid time off, preferential partner discounts, and employee mental health awareness days.  

WPP Media 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.

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.

Please note this is a UK based role and requires individuals to have the right to work in this location

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