Associate Director, Integrated Planning & Strategy

DEPT®

2h•$96,000 - $120,000•Remote

About The Position

The Associate Director is a leadership role responsible for setting the strategic direction of major accounts and designing how brands connect with consumers across the full ecosystem—not only through advertising. The position defines connections among audiences, culture, content, commerce, and channels to support sustainable growth. It translates human understanding into full-funnel experiences that drive brand and business outcomes, while shaping client strategy, influencing investment decisions, and leading cross-disciplinary teams to develop integrated solutions.

Requirements

5–7 years of experience in omni-channel media strategy and planning, with a record of leading large-scale accounts.
Strong critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, and a deep understanding of how businesses, brands, and customers interact.
Experience in Connections Planning or Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), with a strong understanding of the relationship between content and media.
Expert-level proficiency with media research and audience profiling tools such as GWI, MRI, ComScore, and Pathmatics.
Demonstrated success managing 360-degree sponsorship or tentpole campaign planning.
Leadership presence and the ability to influence senior clients and navigate complex multi-agency (IAT) environments.
Data-driven approach combined with creative intuition and the ability to support ideas with quantitative evidence.
Experience managing and growing direct reports and building a culture of excellence and curiosity.

Responsibilities

Architect full-funnel ecosystems integrating paid, owned, earned, and shared touchpoints to create connected consumer experiences.
Partner with clients as a strategic growth advisor to identify opportunities, shape business challenges, and find growth beyond media investment.
Develop end-to-end connections strategies grounded in audience, cultural, and behavioral insights, linking communications, content, and commerce.
Coordinate brand-building and performance efforts to deliver immediate impact and build long-term brand equity.
Lead Strategy, Creative, Media, Data, and Technology teams in developing experience-led solutions.
Turn data and insights into narratives and actionable frameworks that inform senior stakeholders and decisions.
Establish holistic measurement approaches connecting exposure, engagement, and outcomes, moving beyond siloed channel attribution.
Evolve frameworks, tools, and approaches for connecting with audiences as behaviors and platforms change.
Contribute to new business and thought leadership by presenting a differentiated vision for integrated strategy and connections planning.
Mentor and develop strategists, fostering systems thinking, curiosity, and strategic rigor.