Associate Director, Planning

Omnicom Media Group US PHD•New York, NY

4d•$70,000 - $125,000•Hybrid

About The Position

PHD is a global communications planning and media buying agency network delivering smart strategic thinking and creative innovation for the world’s leading brands. Brilliant media thinking is in our DNA. A culture of thought-leadership, creativity and innovation has seen us grow from a challenger agency in the UK, to a global leader with over 6,000 employees in over 100 offices worldwide. We combine the latest industry insight with the best creative minds to produce planning innovation and create award-winning work for some of the world’s largest advertisers. Finding a better way is our ethos and sums up how we approach everything – from a new client brief to the way we work. As an Associate Director in Planning, you are a strategic leader who oversees the delivery of innovative, integrated media strategies across multiple client accounts. You will drive planning excellence by providing high-level strategic guidance, nurturing client relationships, and ensuring the highest quality output from your team. Your role is key in shaping media vision, managing cross-functional collaboration, and elevating the performance of both clients and your planning team. Within this role you have two core areas of responsibility: Planning Excellence for the Client Serve as the strategic lead, overseeing the development and implementation of sophisticated, multi-channel media plans that drive client business outcomes. Deepen client relationships by acting as a trusted advisor and proactively identifying new opportunities and solutions to address their business challenges. Guide and elevate all aspects of client communication, presentations, and deliverables, ensuring clarity, insight, and alignment with client objectives. Oversee the evaluation of in-market performance, ensuring data-driven optimizations and actionable insights are delivered consistently. Stay ahead of industry trends and best practices to provide thought leadership and innovative solutions for clients. Planning Excellence for the Team Lead, mentor, and develop planning teams by fostering a culture of growth, collaboration, and accountability. Drive cross-functional alignment with activation, analytics, creative, and strategy teams to ensure seamless, best-in-class plan execution. Maintain rigorous standards of quality, accuracy, and consistency across all internal and external deliverables. Champion process improvements, adoption of OMG tools, and continuous learning across the planning function. Identify and nurture emerging talent by providing direct coaching, feedback, and leadership development opportunities.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in advertising, marketing, communications, business, or a related field.
6+ years of media planning experience with increasing leadership responsibilities, preferably within an agency environment.
Demonstrated expertise in developing, presenting, and executing integrated media strategies for complex, high-value client portfolios.
Exceptional leadership, communication, and strategic thinking skills.
Advanced analytical ability and experience translating data into actionable business insights.
Proficient in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and core industry planning tools; strong project management skills are essential.
Ability to balance multiple priorities, lead in a fast-paced environment, and inspire team performance.
Passion for innovation, continuous improvement, and team development.

Responsibilities

Serve as the strategic lead, overseeing the development and implementation of sophisticated, multi-channel media plans that drive client business outcomes.
Deepen client relationships by acting as a trusted advisor and proactively identifying new opportunities and solutions to address their business challenges.
Guide and elevate all aspects of client communication, presentations, and deliverables, ensuring clarity, insight, and alignment with client objectives.
Oversee the evaluation of in-market performance, ensuring data-driven optimizations and actionable insights are delivered consistently.
Stay ahead of industry trends and best practices to provide thought leadership and innovative solutions for clients.
Lead, mentor, and develop planning teams by fostering a culture of growth, collaboration, and accountability.
Drive cross-functional alignment with activation, analytics, creative, and strategy teams to ensure seamless, best-in-class plan execution.
Maintain rigorous standards of quality, accuracy, and consistency across all internal and external deliverables.
Champion process improvements, adoption of OMG tools, and continuous learning across the planning function.
Identify and nurture emerging talent by providing direct coaching, feedback, and leadership development opportunities.