Description:
The Planning Manager is a key growth driver within the integrated media team, responsible for translating client business objectives into insight-led, connected media strategies. You will act as a trusted day-to-day client partner, leading campaign planning, driving collaboration across specialist teams, and ensuring seamless execution across the dentsu ecosystem. This role also includes people management responsibilities, with direct oversight of at least one team member and the opportunity to scale leadership over time.
Project & Operational Management
- Lead internal and client-facing initiatives including workshops, process improvements, testing opportunities, and special projects
- Coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure projects are delivered on time and against defined outputs
- Maintain clear documentation across budgets, timelines, deliverables, specs, and planning details
- Identify risks, gaps, or inefficiencies early and proactively recommend solutions
- Ensure strong operational rigor across planning, execution, approvals, and documentation
- Support onboarding, training, and development of junior talent
Media Planning & Execution
- Contribute to client presentations, recommendation decks, POVs, and planning frameworks
- Manage campaign setup, trafficking coordination, launch, optimization support, and ongoing execution to ensure accuracy and timeliness
- Manage campaign budgets and ensure alignment with approved plans in Prisma and Media Tools applicaitions
- Ability to develop audience, channel, and investment strategies grounded in insights and performance data
- Ability to lead development and execution of integrated media plans across channels in alignment with client business objectives and communications strategies
Vendor & Partner Management
- Serve as primary day-to-day contact for media vendors and external partner
- Negotiate, review, and finalize contracts to ensure alignment with approved plans and financial terms
- Identify discrepancies and drive resolution, including vendor reconciliation where required
- Coordinate production requirements, creative specifications, and delivery timelines
- Ensure all vendor deliverables meet agreed standards and deadlines
Process Improvement & Innovation
- Identify opportunities to improve planning workflows, operational efficiency, and team collaboration
- Support initiatives focused on process standardization, automation, and reporting improvements
- Contribute to development of centralized planning tools, documentation systems, and “single source of truth” frameworks
- Champion smarter ways of working, including adoption of AI-enabled tools, automation opportunities, and scalable processes
- Help evolve team best practices across media planning, execution, and client delivery
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or related field experience
- 4-6+ years of experience in media planning, campaign management or agency/client side role
- Experience with integrated media campaigns across digital and offline channels
- Strong understanding of media planning principles and workflows
- Previous management experience preferred