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.
Core Responsibilities
Strategic Planning & Integration
- Lead the development of strategic and tactical media recommendations that align with client business objectives.
- Translate audience insights and competitive data into ownable, audience-first media strategies using syndicated tools (MRI-Simmons, Resonate, YouGov, etc.).
- Identify category white space and craft unique media moments that amplify creative impact and go beyond standard media placements.
- Evaluate campaign performance against objectives, providing strategic POVs on optimizations and marketplace trends.
- Develop strategic analyses (geographic, target audience, competitive audits) to guide plan direction and client spend recommendations.
Client Leadership & Collaboration
- Own day-to-day client relationships, serving as a key point of contact and driving weekly status, recommendations, and campaign reviews.
- Partner seamlessly across cross-functional agency teams-including Client Experience, Strategy, Creative, Activation, Analytics, CRM, and Finance-to deliver integrated output.
- Represent a strong, clear media POV in key client presentations and internal strategic discussions.
- Build and maintain productive, professional relationships with media vendor partners to stay ahead of marketplace innovation.
Team Leadership & Pod Operations
- Manage, mentor, and coach junior pod members (Supervisors, Senior Planners, Planners), fostering their growth in planning craft, tool usage, and soft skills.
- Master the art of delegation-balancing oversight with direct support to ensure flawless delivery while building bench strength.
- Evaluate current pod workflows, resources, and bandwidth, elevating capability needs or operational challenges to the Director.
Financial Stewardship & Growth
- Oversee flawless client budget management, including reviewing and approving flowcharts, media authorizations, and spend allocations.
- Partner with Activation and Finance to ensure draft invoices match planned investments and maintain overall billing accuracy.
- Identify organic growth opportunities across Media, Data & Analytics, and CRM, partnering with leadership to bring value-add ideas to clients.
Expectations for Success
- Translates data and insights into clear, creative, and actionable media strategies.
- Builds trust and strong alignment with clients and internal cross-functional leads.
- Effectively delegates and develops junior planners into strong, autonomous strategists.
- Maintains absolute precision in media math, flowcharts, and financial stewardship.
- Proactively brings solutions and media POVs to the table rather than just identifying issues.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
- 5-8 years of media planning experience within an agency setting
- Proven experience developing integrated plans across traditional and digital channels
- Demonstrated experience direct-managing or mentoring junior planning team members
- High proficiency in industry planning and research tools (e.g., MRI-Simmons, Resonate, YouGov, Vivvix, Pathmatics, SQAD, Guideline/MediaTools, Nielsen)
- Strong media math acumen, financial discipline, and analytical problem-solving skills
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with a track record of effective client presentation
Advancement Indicators
- Consistently manages accounts and leads planning workstreams with minimal senior oversight.
- Demonstrates creative problem-solving and elevated media innovation across key client work.
- Successfully identifies and secures organic growth opportunities.
- Serves as a trusted mentor and leads knowledge-sharing initiatives across the broader media practice.
Reporting & Role Details
- Reports To: VP/Director, Planning
- Leadership Responsibility: Direct management of Supervisors, Senior Planners, and Planners
- Position Status: Full-Time, Salaried
- Compensation: The annual gross base salary range is $80,000 - $115,000 USD. Actual salary will vary based on experience, skills, and geographic location. This role is eligible for BarkleyOKRP's comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance options, flexible PTO, life insurance, and 401(k).
