Associate Director, Media Strategy & Planning

Classification: Full-Time
Team: Client Services
Reporting to: VP, Planning
Estimated Start: August 2023
Location: [Hybrid] Grand Central Tower, 2, 140 E 45th St, New York, NY 10017 
Work Authorization: This role is open to US or Canadian Citizens/Permanent Residents and non-citizens allowed to work for any US or Canadian employer. We are unable to sponsor any work authorizations for this role.

What's the role

We're looking for a Associate Director, Strategy & Planning to create strategies across media channels and services which directly answers a client’s brief. 

More specifically the role is to listen to clients, getting under the skin of their brief and then brainstorm with channel experts and client service leads to build media plans and forecasts which delivers positive ROI for the client, backed by a sound measurement framework. This might include developing planning waterfalls for clients, building campaign responses, and leading planning discussions and strategy sessions at key moments throughout the year. Depending on client needs, it is likely the planner will work on 1-4 clients, across all channels.

So, tell me about the company

Brainlabs is culture-first. You’ve probably heard other companies describe themselves as people, clients, or profit first – but we see people, clients and profit as the building blocks of our ecosystem. Culture powers all three and we know that when the ecosystem is balanced, we all win! That's why the culture we cultivate is a culture of winning together.

To learn more about what it’s like to be a Brainlabber, check out our culture code.

What you do 

• Deliver holistic, data-driven, insight-led media plans that outline a clear strategic vision, a modern tactical approach, and a data-driven measurement solution to validate campaign ROI


• Determine how digital fits into a client’s wider media plan and understand the role that digital media, technology, and data can play in reaching and communicating with key audiences in the end-to-end consumer journey


• Collaborate with all channel and platform disciplines to strategically allocate, optimize, and manage campaign budgets and ongoing reconciliation


• Support and justify all client recommendations with sound research and data from internal and external resources


• Create growth plans for our client base using a full funnel approach, an understanding of how digital brand and performance works together will be crucial for this role


• Oversee and enhance value in activation of all digital media in line with clients’ commercial objectives


• Providing and delivering digital recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of media communications outside of campaigns such as changes in data privacy, attribution, and data-modeling projects


• Ensuring best practice and standardized outputs whilst introducing innovative new ways of working such as advanced reporting opportunities or new tech and tool adoption




• Develop strong relationships with senior clients, helping them understand, and successfully navigate the digital media, data, and tech landscape


• Work across various verticals, from B2B and lead gen to retail and e-commerce - you will be working on two of the largest clients in the agency, with both national and international remits


• Shape agency processes, best practices and tech automation


• Help us continue to grow and manage one of the best teams in the world!

Who you are

• Understands ‘bigger picture’ and how an individual tactic ladders up to wider goals


• Highly analytical and data literate individual, comfortable with building forecasts


• Experienced in paid media and able to understand the role each channel could play in a marketing campaign


• Shows their own initiative and is curious and confident in thinking aloud and problem solving with clients and teams


• Collaborative and empathetic, able to bring a newly formed team together and get the best out of every contributor 


• Motivated by growth and variety

3 to 5 years experience in strategic & communications planning and the following skills: 

• brand positioning and development


• audience identification and persona development


• customer journeys


• cultural connection


• understand media funnel and approach by phase


• budget allocation for geographies, by channel


• develop macro approach to campaign flighting 


• development of macro measurement framework and KPIs 

3 to 5 years experience in media planning and the following skills:

• determine spots and dots for campaigns


• identify the right platforms, formats


• finalize budget based on CPMs/CPC


• develop bottom up forecasts


• cross-channel experience (digital a must have, offline a nice to have)


• must have US-market media planning experience

How you succeed 

• Healthy debates with key client stakeholders


• Hitting client goals through methodical and data driven media planning


• Clear measurement plans for clients


• Client and team satisfaction

What happens next

We know searching for a job is tough and that you want to find the best career and employer for you. We also want to ensure that this position is the best fit for both you and us. Therefore, you will participate in a comprehensive interview process that includes skills interviews with our team. The goal of this process is to allow you to get to know us as we learn more about you.

In line with our adaptive working policy and our standard way of working in North America we do not restrict our hiring to a fixed office location therefore we hire candidates across different states in the US and indeed in other countries such as Canada. We also receive applications from, and hire, candidates with varying levels of experience for example those who have a few years experience in a role to those who are looking to make a step up. The salary levels on our job postings are set so as to account for these variable factors with decisions on the salary to be offered only made once we know the experience and location of our new hire.

Beyond salary, you can learn more about our Benefits & Perks for our North America Brainlabbers here. 

Brainlabs actively seeks and encourages applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds and identities. 

Thank you for your interest in Brainlabs! We look forward to getting to know you!