Senior Manager, Planning

Dentsu Group Inc•Chicago, IL

47d•$68,000 - $110,400

About The Position

Dentsu is looking for a Senior Manager of Media Planning with solid media expertise to lead the development and execution of integrated media strategies across digital and traditional channels for two of our clients, an automotive and a healthcare client. The Senior Manager, Planning serves as the day-to-day point of contact for key clients on all campaign-related matters. This role is responsible for developing strategic media plans, managing budgets, and ensuring campaigns deliver against client objectives. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced environment, demonstrates deep knowledge of paid media, and excels at managing client relationships and cross-functional teams. You are expected to have a strong working knowledge of the media landscape especially performance digital media. While experience from a total cross channel offline and online perspective will be a benefit, the candidate that will be successful in this role will have experience in brand and performance media, particularly all things digital - social, display, native, search, programmatic, and video. (Linear TV experience a plus.) This role will be very hands-on and involved in the day-to-day of this account. You will be a key member of the team, coordinating across cross-functional channel and analytics leads. As a Senior Manager of Media Planning, you are responsible for ensuring that communication strategies are effectively converted into plans as well as leading the development and implementation of those plans in collaboration with the cross-functional leads.â¯ In partnership with the senior leadership, you will assist in setting the strategic tone for the account. As point person to our clients, experience managing client relationships is also a key component of this role. You will report directly to the Group Director of Integrated Planning.

Requirements

3-5 years of media planning experience, preferably in an agency environment.
Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
Preferred working hours: CST or EST
Strong understanding of media channels (digital, traditional, emerging) and planning tools.
Proven ability to manage client relationships and lead cross-functional teams.
Excellent analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple priorities.
Strong client-facing and communication skills. Communicates with clarity, professionalism, and polish
Demonstrates intellectual curiosity and creativity
Maintains impeccable organizational rigor
Proactive, solutions-oriented and data-driven approach to challenges.
Polished, persuasive presentation skills with ability to present to clients
Ability to translate internal conversations into nuanced client communications
Flawlessly execute projects with strong attention to detail
Strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities.
Proactively recognizes opportunities and demonstrates intellectual curiosity
Exudes a strong work ethic and high sense of accountability
Manages up to Group Director and other team Leads effectively
Proficiency in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook

Nice To Haves

Linear TV experience a plus.
Experience in Prisma a plus

Responsibilities

Client Leadership: Act as the primary day-to-day client contact for campaign planning and execution, providing strategic guidance and clear communication.
Maintains deep understanding of the client's business, category trends, consumer behavior, and competitive landscape
Acts as client's daily point of contact for project status, requests, other asks
Manages workflows, timelines, and deliverable quality across multiple projects simultaneously
Assists in preparation of decks, presentations, and pitches with a strong eye for detail, narrative flow, and visual polish; coordinating across teams as needed
Accountable for all operational aspects of the media campaign process including trafficking, budget management, media actualization, and creative asset management.
Develop comprehensive channel plans leveraging agency tools and data to provide ideal budget allocations, projected reach and frequency, and recommended channel mix
Maintains current knowledge of full paid media ecosystem and emerging trends.
Manage 1 or more media planners, providing mentorship and guidance.
Foster strong relationships with media partners to effectively manage direct buys and coordinate with Sr Associate on execution
Leads by example in representing team culture of compassionate accountability.
Lead collaboration with internal team leads across disciplines to deliver integrated solutions and ensure campaign success, delivery, and optimization.
Provide thought leadership and ensure alignment between planning, buying, and creative teams.
Ensure alignment and adherence to taxonomy
Accountable for accurate campaign set-up within financial and campaign management systems
Oversee budget management and ensure accurate financial tracking. Advocate for timely invoice processing across channel teams
Ability to reviews and synthesize data into actionable insights
Collaborate with team members to gather campaign performance data and develop actionable insights.
Present findings and recommendations to clients to optimize future campaigns.