Associate Director, Planning

Brainlabs

2d•$95,000 - $150,000•Onsite

About The Position

As an Associate Director, Planning you will be a data-driven, performance-led media planner responsible for designing and activating cross-channel media plans that drive measurable business outcomes. This role sits at the intersection of data, media, and strategy, balancing short-term goals with long-term brand and demand growth.

Requirements

4+ years of experience in media planning, with deep digital and performance media expertise
Experience working on performance-driven accounts (e.g., leads, sign-ups, donations, subscriptions), ideally within the Non-Profit sector or on large-scale clients ($30M+ in annual media spend)
A proven track record of developing and executing full-funnel, cross-channel media strategies that balance efficiency with growth
Deep understanding of the digital media landscape, including programmatic, social, and search
Strong experience with media planning and optimization tools (incl. Commspoint, Nielsen Media Impact, Comscore, Ad Intel, etc.)
Demonstrated expertise in audience strategy and segmentation, including syndicated research tools (MRI, GWI) and first-party data (predictive modeling, lookalike audiences, etc.)
Experience translating complex datasets into clear insights, implications, and recommendations
Advanced understanding of media measurement and analytics, including digital and traditional KPIs, marketing mix modeling, and multi-touch attribution
Strong storytelling, presentation, and client communication skills, with the ability to distill complex plans into clear, compelling narratives
Proficiency with advanced analytics and data visualization tools

Responsibilities

Translate client business objectives into outcome-driven, full-funnel media strategies that connect awareness, consideration, and conversion
Lead the development of comprehensive cross-channel media plans, including audience strategy, campaign-level budgeting, flighting, and investment allocation
Use performance data to inform planning decisions, diagnose issues, and drive optimization, incorporating historical performance, testing results, and learning agendas into future strategies
Design robust audience strategies leveraging first-party data, platform-native audiences, and second-/third-party data sources
Operate with a test-and-learn mindset, setting clear hypotheses and building structured testing roadmaps in partnership with data and client teams
Bring a performance lens to innovation, incorporating emerging media opportunities, new formats, and AI-enabled tools to improve efficiency and effectiveness in planning
Partner cross-functionally to ensure tight integration between data, creative, media, and strategy throughout the planning and activation process
Work closely with the data team on measurement and reporting, ensuring a holistic view of performance with clear, actionable insights
Serve as the day-to-day client lead and trusted advisor on media, performance, and optimization
Present media strategies, results, and recommendations to senior client stakeholders with clarity and confidence
Contribute thought leadership on industry trends, media innovation, and evolving best practices