Sr. Investment Associate

WPP Media•Chicago, NY

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Investment Associate manages day-to-day negotiation, management, and execution of integrated and digital video investment for assigned clients. The role implements media negotiations and buying or activation for assigned accounts, provides market insights, trends, and pricing benchmarks, and oversees vendor spending while monitoring client budgets and KPI adherence. The associate works closely with Planning teams to ensure final buys fulfill approved plan objectives and strategy. The position also supports and guides Associate team members, contributes to team development and training, builds relationships with vendors and internal stakeholders, and maintains current knowledge of the national broadcast marketplace, digital trends, partner innovations, advertising models, and technologies. The role is hybrid, with teams working in the office around four days per week.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in advertising, marketing, business administration, or communications, or equivalent professional work experience.
Strong understanding of the media landscape and fast-moving digital trends.
Strong quantitative, analytical, and results-oriented skills.
Strong understanding of interactive research tools.
Solid negotiation skills and tactics.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to collaborate in a team environment and work independently.
Ability to communicate effectively across all levels.
Ability to multitask, work successfully with teams, and work under pressure.
Excellent time-management and follow-through skills.
Advanced proficiency in Excel and intermediate proficiency in PowerPoint and Word.

Nice To Haves

At least 1 year of prior digital or video investment experience.

Responsibilities

Integrate with Communication and Strategic Planning teams to understand objectives, KPIs, strategies, and audiences, and ensure tactical buys meet campaign goals.
Participate in vendor RFP selection and help manage the RFP process for applicable digital channels.
Manage negotiations, rate tracking, planning costs, benchmarking, and budgets for assigned accounts.
Consolidate buys across partners, the agency, and WPP Media to improve pricing, efficiencies, and impact.
Manage vendor relationships, including inventory availability, insertion orders, and communication about inclusion in or exclusion from buys.
Develop partner scoring models and partner points of view, and obtain internal approval for supply sources on tactical buys.
Develop tactical buys with the larger Investment team and assist Associates with entering partner buys into buying platforms, sending insertion orders and contracts, and preparing campaigns for launch.
Ensure buys are accurately entered into Prisma, including naming conventions, budgets, placements, compliance, and updates; monitor campaign launches, delivery, and pacing.
Build vendor relationships through ongoing meetings and provide updates or recommendations.
Stay current on partner and marketplace innovations, advertising models, technologies, and digital trends.
Follow up proactively on client-team requests and deadlines, follow investment tenets related to KPIs, and participate in department projects and committees.
Estimate, update, and adjust ratings by demographic and quarter.
Analyze upfront network proposals and prepare recommendation books.
Issue order letters and negotiate rates, special placements, and added value according to the determined strategy.
Negotiate buys to optimize cost efficiency, goal delivery, and vendor agreements.
Document negotiations, makegoods, and credits.
Ensure the accuracy of Donovan entries, buys, and order forms.
Analyze buy performance, including post-buys and positioning reports.
Collaborate with Analytics to identify and activate buy optimizations.
Track media expenditures to ensure agency and budget compliance and manage monthly billing.
Run commercial time-period rotation and pod-position reports.
Oversee commercial inventory allocation and maintenance, monitor audience delivery, and negotiate makegoods.
Maintain communication with Communications Planning to ensure timely delivery of requests.
Maintain vendor relationships to support quality buys and collaborate with media team members to resolve billing issues.
Attend media presentations internally and outside the agency.
Assist and guide Associates on their roles, responsibilities, workload, and development.
Build relationships with media, technology, analytics, internal teams, and media and technology publishers.
Educate media teams on the investment process, provide guidance to team members, foster a collaborative team environment, and train employees on tools and best practices.