Associate Director, Media Planning

BarkleyOKRP•Kansas City, MO

1d•$80,000 - $115,000•Onsite

About The Position

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.

Requirements

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

Nice To Haves

Consistently manages accounts and leads planning workstreams with minimal senior oversight.
Demonstrates creative problem-solving and elevated media innovation across key client work.
Successfully identifies and secures organic growth opportunities.
Serves as a trusted mentor and leads knowledge-sharing initiatives across the broader media practice.

Responsibilities

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.
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.
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.
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.