Senior Associate - Media Planning

3783 - Senior Associate, Media Planning, UK

Role Summary and Impact

The Senior Associate, Media Planning  is an essential engine within the MFG Media Planning team, responsible for driving day-to-day campaign tactical planning work across end-to-end (E2E) processes and tools.

In this role, you will ensure all media deliverables are accurate, timely, and comprehensive—moving beyond just the “what” to understand and communicate the “why.” As a multi-tasking professional, you will execute core media operations with increasing independence, spot emerging trends and patterns across campaign data, and actively partner with cross-functional disciplines to help craft solutions and recommended next steps.

Key Responsibilities:​

​Tactical Planning & Operational Excellence

• End-to-End Media Execution: Drive day-to-end planning tasks, including audience research, media plan matrix management, creative spec collation, trafficking coordination, and financial reconciliation.
• Tool & Process Proficiency: Utilize core agency and planning platforms (e.g., GWI, Olive, PFC, ad servers) with speed and precision.
• Quality Assurance (QA): Ensure operational accuracy across campaign setups, tracking tags, media briefs, and billing milestones before deliverables go out.
• Time & Priority Management: Manage your own daily schedule effectively, prioritizing tasks to consistently meet and exceed deadlines across concurrent campaigns.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Communication

• Internal Team Partnership: Foster strong collaborative relationships with key discipline counterparts—including Client Services (CS), Activation, Analytics, and Ad Operations.
• Cross-Discipline Alignment: Proactively initiate conversations across internal teams to troubleshoot issues, gather required inputs, and ensure seamless handoffs.
• Lateral Management: Work laterally within the pod/discipline team to ensure alignment on campaign milestones and shared project timelines.

Meeting Support & Accountable Follow-Through

• Meeting Contribution: Actively participate in internal campaign, tactical, and status meetings.
• Action Item Ownership: Partner with Planning Managers to accurately capture meeting notes, open questions, and agreed next steps.
• Resolution Driver: Take accountability for following up on assigned media actions and liaising with stakeholders to obtain timely answers.

Reporting, Data QA & Emerging Insights

• Reporting Pull & Verification: Own the compilation and rigorous data QA of regular reporting deliverables (e.g., weekly pacing/performance, DCA inputs).
• Pattern Recognition: Answer tactical, campaign-level questions (e.g., data source timing, pacing variances) and begin identifying noteworthy trends in performance data.
• Solution-Oriented Thinking: Help outline initial observations and potential solutions for campaign hurdles alongside your Planning Manager.

Continuous Learning & Self-Growth

• Category & Discipline Fluency: Deepen your understanding of client Product Areas (PAs), historical campaign performance, competitive context, and audience dynamics.
• Communication Skills: Continuously refine both written and verbal communication to present technical media details clearly and concisely.

What Success Looks Like in this Role

• Independence & Reliability: Accomplishes assigned workflows with high autonomy while maintaining exceptional attention to detail and zero-defect accuracy.
• Analytical Curiosity: Proactively asks "why did this happen?" rather than solely compiling raw data, beginning to connect data points into actionable insights.
• Proactive Communication: Flags potential roadblocks or timing risks early with suggested workarounds rather than waiting for escalation.

Qualifications & Requirements​

• Experience: 1–2+ years of hands-on media agency experience, preferably within digital media planning, media operations, or campaign management.
• Tools & Platforms: Experience with audience profiling and media research tools (e.g., GWI) and media finance/planning platforms (e.g., Olive, Mediaocean, or equivalent enterprise planning software).
• Analytical Acumen: Strong proficiency in Google Sheets / Microsoft Excel (formulas, pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, data reconciliation).
• Organizational Skills: Proven ability to multitask and manage competing deadlines across multiple workstreams without sacrificing quality.
• Interpersonal Skills: Clear, professional written and verbal communication skills; collaborative mindset with an eagerness to learn and share knowledge.

Life at WPP Media & Benefits

Our passion for shaping the next era of media is powered by our commitment toBe Extraordinary, investing in our employees to inspire transformational creativity. We alsoLead Optimistically, firmly believing in andChampioning Growth and Developmentfor every individual. This commitment allows WPP Media employees to leverage the extensive global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, build vital professional connections, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising.

WeCreate an Open environmentbuilt on trust and respect, where everyone feels they belong and has opportunities to progress. This inclusive culture is fostered through a variety of employee resource groups and frequent in-office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. Our comprehensive benefits package reflects this commitment, including 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 characteristics. We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection in this open and supportive environment. 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 that while our philosophy is the same across WPP, benefits may vary by office/country.

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

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While we appreciate all applications received, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

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