Associate Director, Planning

Job description

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.

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.

The Kind of Leader Who Thrives Here - Curious and Analytical: You are always asking "Why?" You dig beyond surface-level data to find meaningful insights and category white space. - 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. - An Empowering Manager: You balance disciplined delegation with hands-on support, actively coaching and growing junior team members. - Resilient and Adaptable: You navigate ambiguity with ease, bringing proactive solutions to complex challenges in a fast-paced environment. - Commercially Focused: You understand the client's business deeply, identifying organic growth opportunities that drive real business impact.

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. - 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.

BarkleyOKRP’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion + Belonging - At BarkleyOKRP, DEI+B drives work that matters. We believe people and creativity are made of the same substance, and when every perspective is valued, the impact is stronger. We build belonging as a business strategy, power inclusive creativity that delivers measurable results, and hold ourselves accountable as a B Corp committed to progress over performative intent. When people are valued, the work carries greater impact.