Senior Associate, Planning

Job Description:

Our team is looking for a Senior Associate, Planner, who will support planning, implementation and maintenance of integrated media campaigns across multiple channels.   

This role is essential to the day-to-day management of our retail media business and is best suited for someone who thrives in a collaborative, fast-paced, and detail-oriented environment.

The ideal candidate will be highly organized, proactive, and able to effectively manage multiple priorities while supporting cross-functional teams and client needs.

Our ideal candidate has a passion for media and advertising and is eager to learn and grow within the industry. This individual will work closely with senior Media Planners to support the development, execution, and maintenance of media plans while gaining hands-on experience across the retail media landscape.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to build their career within a fast-paced, growth-oriented retail media team.

Key Areas of Responsibility: 

• Support the development of client media objectives, strategies, and communication plans.

• Create and maintain media plans, flowcharts, activation plans, buying guidelines, budget summaries, testing plans, performance analyses, and delivery reports.

• Identify and evaluate existing and emerging media opportunities relevant to assigned brands and categories.

• Assist in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of syndicated consumer, audience, and media consumption data.

• Compile competitive intelligence and market/media trend reports to inform planning and optimization efforts.

• Manage day-to-day project coordination, status updates, and client communications to ensure timely delivery of work.

• Help develop POVs and recommendations on new media opportunities, channels, and industry trends.

• Support the team in advising clients on media integration strategies and identifying opportunities for business growth.

• Proactively communicate new opportunities, risks, or issues to internal teams and clients as appropriate.

• Participate in client, vendor, and internal meetings, contributing insights and recommendations.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, media partners, and cross-functional teams.

• May oversee and review the work of junior team members, ensuring deliverables are accurate, complete, and client-ready.

• Serve as a positive role model and mentor for assistant-level team members.

Communications Planning and Execution: 

• Utilize syndicated planning and research tools to analyze media landscapes, develop insights, and support strategic recommendations.

• Run and maintain competitive spending reports, conduct baseline analyses, and identify key marketplace trends.

• Gather and synthesize audience, demographic, media consumption, and cost data to support the development of media plans.

• Assist in the preparation, execution, monitoring, and optimization of media communication plans across assigned accounts.

• Evaluate existing and emerging media opportunities and identify those most relevant to client objectives and target audiences.

• Effectively manage multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring deadlines are met and deliverables are completed accurately.

• Support the maintenance of media planning documents, including flowcharts, buying guidelines, testing plans, budget summaries, performance analyses, and delivery reports.

• Assist with the development of client presentations, meeting materials, and strategic recommendations.

• Support day-to-day account operations, including meeting coordination, project tracking, and other administrative responsibilities as needed.

• Demonstrate a strong desire to learn and grow within the media industry while contributing to a collaborative, team-oriented environment.

Client & Internal Relationships: 

• Support the team in preparing, reviewing, and delivering high-quality work to clients and internal stakeholders.

• Manage and maintain internal and client-facing status reports, ensuring timely and accurate communication.

• Attend and actively participate in status meetings and project discussions, as appropriate.

• Collaborate with team members to help manage relationships with media partners, vendors, and other external stakeholders.

• Participate in client meetings, contributing insights, recommendations, and thoughtful discussion.

• Demonstrate strong professional judgment and business acumen in both written and verbal communications.

• Build and maintain positive working relationships by engaging with clients, partners, and colleagues in a professional, collaborative, and respectful manner.

• Foster a team-first mentality, supporting cross-functional collaboration and contributing to a positive team culture.

Strategic Thinking & Leadership: 

• Stay current on industry trends, market research, agency updates, and client news through trade publications, newsletters, and other relevant resources.

• Demonstrate strong active listening skills, applying feedback and learnings to continuously improve performance and effectiveness.

• Proactively identify potential risks, issues, and opportunities, escalating concerns when appropriate and recommending solutions whenever possible.

• Maintain a curiosity for the evolving media landscape and a commitment to ongoing learning and professional growth.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree, with 1-2 years of experience, preferably within an advertising agency, in a media planner role.

• Planning experience in digital media, with a foundational understanding of traditional media and emerging industry trends.

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and quickly to evolving client objectives, priorities, and budgets while minimizing impact on project momentum. 

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a keen attention to detail and the ability to translate data and insights into actionable business recommendations.

• Ability to multitask, with excellent communication skills and high-level attention to detail. 

• Experience supporting local, regional, or multi-market media planning initiatives within a larger enterprise or retail environment.

• Some understanding of full-funnel media strategies & how media investments contribute to measurable business outcomes. 

• Experience with cross-functional teams to manage and develop media plans (Ex: Investment Teams, Data & Analytics, Audience & Insights).

• Familiarity with media planning and buying tools such as MediaTools, Prisma, Media Ocean, DDS, Spot Toolkit, or similar platforms preferred.

At dentsu, we believe great work happens when we’re connected. Our way of working combines flexibility with in-person collaboration to spark ideas and strengthen our teams. Employees who live within a commutable distance of one of our hub offices, currently located in Chicago, metro Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York City, are required and expected to work from the office three days per week (two days per week for employees based in Los Angeles). Dentsu may designate other Hub offices at any time. Those who live outside a commutable range may be designated as remote, depending on the role and business needs. Regardless of your work location, we expect our employees to be flexible to meet the needs of our Company and clients, which may include attendance in an office. 

The annual salary range for this position is $60,000 - $70,000. Placement within the salary range is based on a variety of factors including relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and other factors permitted by law. Additionally, this position is eligible for discretionary incentive compensation. 

Benefits available with this position include: 

• Medical, vision, and dental insurance, 

• Life insurance, 

• Short-term and long-term disability insurance, 

• 401k, 

• Flexible paid time off, 

• At least 15 paid holidays per year, 

• Paid sick and safe leave, and 

• Paid parental leave 

Dentsu also complies with applicable state and local laws regarding employee leave benefits, including, but not limited to providing time off pursuant to the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, in accordance with its plans and policies. For further details regarding Dentsu benefits, please visit www.dentsubenefitsplus.com. 

To begin the application process, please click on the "Apply" button at the top of this job posting. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, and qualified candidates will be contacted for next steps. 

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