Associate Media Director

Gravity Global•Houston, TX

7d•Onsite

About The Position

Gravity Global is seeking an Associate Media Director to join its Digital Media & Strategy team. This role is a senior media planning leadership position, responsible for overseeing media planning and ensuring media excellence for a global Technology client portfolio. The Associate Media Director will convert business objectives and client briefs into effective cross-channel media strategies across multiple markets and stakeholders. This position acts as the senior deputy to the Director of Digital Media & Strategy, managing planning workflows, report quality, optimization direction, and media recommendations. The role also involves people leadership, coaching media planners and analysts to enhance their skills and team capabilities. Collaboration with client services, media specialists, analysts, and senior client stakeholders is crucial for supporting commercial outcomes and long-term partnerships.

Requirements

5–7 years’ media planning and strategy experience, ideally within an agency environment.
Experience leading complex multi-market or global media accounts.
1–3 years’ people management or team leadership experience.
Experience developing cross-channel media plans across programmatic, display, paid social, and paid search.
Strong media planning and strategic thinking capability across multiple digital channels.
Ability to translate business objectives into channel strategy, audience planning, and investment recommendations.
Strong analytical interpretation skills with the ability to derive insight from campaign and platform data.
High standard of written and verbal communication, including presentation of recommendations to senior stakeholders.
Ability to quality assure planning documents, reporting outputs, and optimisation recommendations.
Working knowledge of tools such as Adobe Analytics, Tableau, DSP reporting platforms, and MediaOcean or Prisma.
Strong organisational and prioritisation skills in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.

Responsibilities

Lead first and second-round media planning for new programmes and campaigns across a global Technology account spanning multiple buying centres and markets.
Translate client briefs, commercial priorities, and business objectives into channel strategy, audience approach, budget allocation, and clear planning rationale.
Review, challenge, and approve planning recommendations produced by planners before senior review or client presentation.
Ensure all media plans are accurate, strategically coherent, achievable within operational constraints, and aligned to agreed account objectives.
Maintain planning standards across campaigns and markets, identifying risks, gaps, and improvement opportunities early.
Own the media point of view on channels, platforms, and partners across the account.
Evaluate new media opportunities, audience solutions, and test-and-learn initiatives to improve performance and support client growth.
Build evidence-based recommendations for pilots, alternative platform approaches, and optimisation priorities.
Apply deep cross-channel judgement across programmatic, display, paid social, paid search, and broader video and digital media environments.
Strengthen the quality of strategic thinking presented to internal and external stakeholders.
Lead review of recurring campaign and account reporting before client delivery.
Ensure reporting narratives are clear, commercially relevant, and supported by robust performance interpretation rather than data extraction alone.
Direct optimisation decisions across live programmes, including continuation, pause, pivot, or test recommendations based on performance trends.
Set analytical standards for the media pod and ensure recommendations are actionable, prioritised, and aligned to business goals.
Identify patterns, performance risks, and opportunities that inform future planning and investment decisions.
Act as a senior media contact for client services teams and client stakeholders on day-to-day planning and delivery matters.
Present recommendations, explain trade-offs, and defend planning decisions with clarity and confidence.
Deputise for the Director of Digital Media & Strategy in day-to-day account media leadership.
Build strong working relationships across client services, analytics, finance, media operations, and channel specialists to maintain delivery quality and pace.
Support a high standard of responsiveness, accuracy, and professionalism across all client-facing outputs.
Manage and mentor media planners and analysts working on the account.
Set expectations for quality, ownership, responsiveness, and professional standards across the media pod.
Provide coaching that improves planning rigour, strategic judgement, and analytical confidence.
Allocate and oversee work to ensure deadlines are met and capability is developed in line with account needs.
Create a team culture that values accountability, curiosity, continuous improvement, and shared success.
Maintain oversight of workflow, approvals, and planning quality across a high-volume, multi-market account.
Ensure account activity is delivered in line with agreed service standards, processes, and governance requirements.
Work within enterprise media workflows and support effective coordination across planning, reporting, billing, and purchase order processes.
Escalate delivery risks, resourcing pressures, or quality concerns in a timely and solution-focused way.
Contribute to stable, error-free account delivery while supporting growth and operational efficiency.