Associate Director, Planning

<h2>MissionOne Media is a brand within BarkleyOKRP that combines full-funnel media planning and buying services, CRM, data, analytics, retail media, SEO, and digital experiences. We're an independent media partner offering transparency, integration, and a relentless focus on business impact.</h2> <h2>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.</h2> <h2>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.</h2> <p><strong>The Kind of Leader Who Thrives Here</strong></p> <ul> <li>Curious and Analytical: You are always asking "Why?" You dig beyond surface-level data to find meaningful insights and category white space.</li> <li>A Strategic Storyteller: You distill complex inputs into clear, compelling narratives. You articulate a crisp media POV in both internal and external rooms with confidence.</li> <li>An Empowering Manager: You balance disciplined delegation with hands-on support, actively coaching and growing junior team members.</li> <li>Resilient and Adaptable: You navigate ambiguity with ease, bringing proactive solutions to complex challenges in a fast-paced environment.</li> <li>Commercially Focused: You understand the client's business deeply, identifying organic growth opportunities that drive real business impact.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Responsibilities</strong></p> <p><em>Strategic Planning & Integration</em></p> <ul> <li>Lead the development of strategic and tactical media recommendations that align with client business objectives.</li> <li>Translate audience insights and competitive data into ownable, audience-first media strategies using syndicated tools (MRI-Simmons, Resonate, YouGov, etc.).</li> <li>Identify category white space and craft unique media moments that amplify creative impact and go beyond standard media placements.</li> <li>Evaluate campaign performance against objectives, providing strategic POVs on optimizations and marketplace trends.</li> <li>Develop strategic analyses (geographic, target audience, competitive audits) to guide plan direction and client spend recommendations.</li> </ul> <p><em>Client Leadership & Collaboration</em></p> <ul> <li>Own day-to-day client relationships, serving as a key point of contact and driving weekly status, recommendations, and campaign reviews.</li> <li>Partner seamlessly across cross-functional agency teams—including Client Experience, Strategy, Creative, Activation, Analytics, CRM, and Finance—to deliver integrated output.</li> <li>Represent a strong, clear media POV in key client presentations and internal strategic discussions.</li> <li>Build and maintain productive, professional relationships with media vendor partners to stay ahead of marketplace innovation.</li> </ul> <p><em>Team Leadership & Pod Operations</em></p> <ul> <li>Manage, mentor, and coach junior pod members (Supervisors, Senior Planners, Planners), fostering their growth in planning craft, tool usage, and soft skills.</li> <li>Master the art of delegation—balancing oversight with direct support to ensure flawless delivery while building bench strength.</li> <li>Evaluate current pod workflows, resources, and bandwidth, elevating capability needs or operational challenges to the Director.</li> </ul> <p><em>Financial Stewardship & Growth</em></p> <ul> <li>Oversee flawless client budget management, including reviewing and approving flowcharts, media authorizations, and spend allocations.</li> <li>Partner with Activation and Finance to ensure draft invoices match planned investments and maintain overall billing accuracy.</li> <li>Identify organic growth opportunities across Media, Data & Analytics, and CRM, partnering with leadership to bring value-add ideas to clients.</li> <li>Translates data and insights into clear, creative, and actionable media strategies.</li> <li>Builds trust and strong alignment with clients and internal cross-functional leads.</li> <li>Effectively delegates and develops junior planners into strong, autonomous strategists.</li> <li>Maintains absolute precision in media math, flowcharts, and financial stewardship.</li> <li>Proactively brings solutions and media POVs to the table rather than just identifying issues.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Qualifications</strong></p> <ul> <li>Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.</li> <li>5-8 years of media planning experience within an agency setting.</li> <li>Proven experience developing integrated plans across traditional and digital channels.</li> <li>Demonstrated experience direct-managing or mentoring junior planning team members.</li> <li>High proficiency in industry planning and research tools (e.g., MRI-Simmons, Resonate, YouGov, Vivvix, Pathmatics, SQAD, Guideline/MediaTools, Nielsen).</li> <li>Strong media math acumen, financial discipline, and analytical problem-solving skills.</li> &lt