Senior Manager, Planning

Job Description:

**Must be located in EST or CST time zones for collaboration with team and clients**

Job Description:

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.  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.

Key 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
• Media Planning & Strategy:
  • 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
• Cross-Functional Collaboration:
  • 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.
• Budget & Performance Management:
  • 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
• Reporting & Insights:
  • 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.

Qualifications

• 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
• Experience in Prisma a plus

Additional Information

The anticipated base salary range for this position is $68,000 - $110,400. Placement within the salary range is based on a variety of factors, including relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and other factors permitted by law. 

Benefits available with this position include: 

• Medical, vision, and dental insurance, 

• Life insurance, 

• Short-term and long-term disability insurance, 

• 401k, 

• Flexible paid time off, 

• At least 15 paid holidays per year, 

• Paid sick and safe leave, and 

• Paid parental leave. 

Dentsu also complies with applicable state and local laws regarding employee leave benefits, including, but not limited to providing time off pursuant to the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, in accordance with its plans and policies. For further details regarding Dentsu benefits, please visit www.dentsubenefitsplus.com. 

To begin the application process, please click on the “Apply” button at the top of this job posting. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, and qualified candidates will be contacted for next steps.  #LI-RB1 #LI-Hybrid

Location:

Chicago

Brand:

Iprospect

Time Type:

Full time

Contract Type:

Permanent