Director, Communications Planning

DEPT®•New York, NY

8d•$138,000 - $175,000•Remote

About The Position

As a Director, Communications Planning, you are a senior strategic leader who sits at the heart of how we connect brands to culture. You'll own the strategic architecture that sits between a brand's positioning and its channel execution. You know how to build a comms plan with genuine logic behind it — one that maps audience behavior to message sequencing, assigns channel roles based on insight rather than convention, and gives Reporting to the Group Director of Integrated Strategy & Media Planning, you will drive the communications planning discipline for industry-leading clients, shaping how brands show up across the full media ecosystem with precision, relevance, and impact. You bring a rare combination of strategic depth, channel expertise, and leadership presence, translating business ambitions into integrated communications strategies that move people and drive measurable growth.

Requirements

8–12 years of experience in communications planning, media strategy, or integrated planning within an agency environment, including leadership experience
Proven ability to develop and own senior client relationships, acting as a strategic partner and trusted advisor at the executive level
Deep expertise across the full media ecosystem — paid, owned, and earned — with a strong understanding of how channels work together to drive business outcomes
Experience leading integrated marketing strategies across media, creative, CRM, and/or e-commerce
Strong leadership skills with a track record of building, mentoring, and developing high-performing planning teams
Exceptional strategic thinking with the ability to turn complex data, research, and insights into clear, actionable, and inspiring communications frameworks
Outstanding written and verbal communication skills with the ability to craft and deliver compelling narratives to senior stakeholders and C-suite clients
Proficiency with planning tools and audience intelligence platforms (GWI, MRI-Simmons, Nielsen, Comscore, etc.)
New business experience with a proven ability to contribute to and win pitches at the agency level
AI proficiency and a forward-thinking mindset — comfortable leveraging emerging tools to enhance planning efficiency and insight generation
A collaborative, solutions-oriented leadership style with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, matrixed environment

Responsibilities

Lead communications planning across assigned accounts — developing audience-first strategies that define the role of each channel, the logic of message sequencing, and the measurable outcomes each phase of a plan is designed to drive.
Translate brand and business briefs into integrated communications frameworks: audience segmentation, consumer journey mapping, channel roles and sequencing, and a clear articulation of what moves someone from awareness through to action.
Write and develop creative briefs.
Serve as a senior strategic partner to clients on communications, campaign strategy, channel planning, and audience engagement.
Lead integrated communications planning across paid, owned, and earned media — defining the role of each channel, sequencing messaging, and establishing clear KPIs tied to business outcomes
Translate complex business challenges into sharp, compelling strategic frameworks that inspire both clients and internal creative and media teams
Partner closely with discipline leads across media, creative, CRM, and e-commerce to ensure full-funnel alignment from strategy through execution.
Drive new business efforts by developing insight-led communications strategies and presenting with authority and conviction on a national stage
Oversee audience analysis, consumer journey mapping, and competitive intelligence to uncover opportunities for brand growth and differentiation
Lead, mentor, and develop a team of planners — fostering a culture of strategic rigor, intellectual curiosity, and collaborative excellence
Champion measurement and learning agendas, partnering with analytics teams to evaluate performance and continuously evolve planning approaches
Stay ahead of emerging media trends, platform innovations, and cultural shifts — bringing fresh thinking and proactive POVs to clients and internal teams
Represent DEPT®'s strategic capabilities in the market, contributing to thought leadership, industry events, and agency positioning