Media Director

The Shipyard•San Diego, CA

2d•$135,000 - $145,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Shipyard is seeking an experienced Media Director to join its San Diego team. The role sets the standard for executional excellence and talent development across the planning team, ensuring client media plans are rigorous, insightful, and effective while supporting planners’ growth. The Media Director is a media planning expert, strategic leader, trusted client partner, and people manager who elevates both the work and the team. This is a hybrid work-from-home/office position. In-office attendance is required on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and candidates must live near San Diego, California. The position owns strategic excellence for assigned accounts, leading full-funnel, cross-channel media planning from audience and channel strategy through investment, measurement, and optimization. It also develops client relationships, collaborates across agency functions, and coaches and manages planning staff.

Requirements

Must live near San Diego, California.
Must attend the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Responsibilities

Direct, review, and elevate full-funnel media strategies across assigned accounts using current expertise in digital and traditional media.
Set and enforce rigorous use of research and planning tools, including MRI/Simmons, YouGov, Commspoint, SimilarWeb, and MediaRadar, translating findings into differentiated strategic insights.
Lead complex budget scenario modeling, financial analysis, and investment strategy for assigned accounts.
Monitor media landscape developments and bring forward relevant opportunities, platform changes, and industry shifts.
Partner with data and analytics teams to embed audience intelligence and measurement frameworks into planning and evaluation.
Identify gaps in team work, raise quality standards, and coach planners toward greater strategic sophistication.
Own media plan strategy from audience and channel strategy through budget allocation, measurement, and optimization.
Ensure channels work together to create connected brand experiences and drive business outcomes.
Identify client growth opportunities and present them with a clear business case.
Guide planners in applying data and audience intelligence from initial brief through post-campaign analysis.
Coach planners through feedback and shared ownership of the planning process.
Serve as strategic lead for assigned accounts in cross-functional planning discussions and provide an informed media perspective.
Apply agency strategic vision and planning standards while bringing expertise and leadership to each account.
Mentor Associate Media Directors and Supervisors, reviewing strategic recommendations and developing their ability to own strategy.
Lead client presentations and connect media strategy to client business goals.
Oversee presentation materials that clearly connect insights, strategy, channel rationale, and measurement.
Explain complex media strategies accessibly and persuasively to senior client stakeholders.
Develop the team's written and verbal communication skills through actionable feedback.
Represent and advocate for the media planning team's perspective in cross-functional agency discussions.
Build trust-based client relationships and serve as a senior strategic business partner.
Manage media vendor and partner relationships to create value and competitive advantage for clients.
Partner with media investment leadership to align planning and activation.
Collaborate with analytics, creative, communications/PR, brand planning, and client engagement teams.
Support agency growth and new business efforts with strategic media thinking and account expertise.
Directly manage Associate Media Directors and, in some cases, Media Supervisors, providing direction, feedback, and coaching.
Identify and develop high-potential team members and create stretch opportunities.
Build a team culture focused on strategic rigor, curiosity, high standards, and collaboration.
Set performance expectations and hold team members accountable fairly and supportively.
Partner with media leadership on hiring, onboarding, and team structure.