Director, Planning

MissionOne Media is a brand within BarkleyOKRP that combines full-funnel media planning and buying services, CRM, data, analytics, retail media, SEO, and digital experiences. We're an independent media partner offering transparency, integration, and a relentless focus on business impact.

The Director, Planning serves as an essential strategic and operational lead within a planning pod. In this role, you bridge high-level strategy and flawless execution, leading the development of integrated media recommendations while managing day-to-day client relationships.

You are responsible for translating strategic direction into actionable, audience-first plans that tightly align media placement with creative messaging. Operating with a blend of analytical rigor and creative problem-solving, you coach and manage junior planning talent, elevate team output, and ensure operational and financial discipline across assigned accounts.

Qualities  

Here’s what it takes to be successful in the role: 

• Curiosity and Skepticism:  You are always asking, “WHY?” You have an internal drive to learn more and expand your knowledge. You consider situations from multiple perspectives, and use that to gain alignment to your recommendations. 

• Strategic, Creative Problem-Solving: You are analytical and enjoy working with data to derive insights. You use insights and knowledge to develop robust strategies and visions for success. You love coming up with creative solutions to new and old problems alike. 

• Initiative & Accountability: You are a gritty self-starter driven to find answers, solve tough problems, and overcome challenges. You proactively bring solutions to challenges, and help coach your teams through challenging internal and external situations. You are able to manage client business autonomously and support your team in navigating multiple projects simultaneously. 

• Communication & Storytelling: You can easily communicate complex information or nuanced situations. You know what details are necessary and what details to leave behind. You can marry data and storytelling to articulate a compelling vision.You confidently represent a clear media POV in both internal and external rooms. 

• Adaptability: You can comfortably adjust in evolving or ambiguous situations. You use creativity to tackle new and existing challenges. You have a firm grasp on changes in the media landscape, and you use that to bring forward new, interesting ways-in for clients. 

• Self-Development: You’re reflective and self-aware. You seek opportunities to learn and develop yourself and others. You identify gaps in individual performance, and put together goals for individuals to help grow their experience and skillset.  

Requirements:  

• Manage day-to-day of all media planning work across the team, delegating when possible to ensure even workload across team and allow for individual growth. 

• Acts as a reviewer and approver of all work the team completes, getting VP feedback/approval as necessary. 

• Ownership of key client list, leading client communication on key media projects and acting as a key point of integration across other departments internally (such as Data & Analytics, CRM, Strategy, Creative, PR.) 

• Acts as a strategic lead across clients, bringing a keen eye for how to showcase the strategic direction of media, and ensuring tactical recommendations clearly align. 

• Generates creative, ownable ideas to create break-through audience moments that go beyond standard media opportunities, and pushes team to think more creatively on how they approach media recommendations. 

• Manages a team, and will balance the need for delegation with support for the projects and plans they’ve been assigned 

• Leads team training on trending media topics, media planning approach, process, and tools. 

• Coaches team on media deliverables, ways of working, competencies and soft skills to continually improve the client experience and grow team members.  

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with internal teams, including client experience, activation, data & analytics, CRM, strategy, and finance 

• Translate audiences identified by client and Strategy teams into strategic media audiences through the use of 3rd party syndicated audience tools (MRI-Simmons, Resonate, YouGov Profiles), and support teams in creating a clear picture of who the audience is, driving the direction for a strategic media approach 

• Use competitive intelligence tools to identify category white space and drive the direction of a media strategy, and identify unique ways to illustrate competitive impact on media. 

• Oversee the flawless management of client media budgets, including reviewing and approving media flowcharts and authorizations for Activation teams to purchase as needed. 

• Support the team in client billing, including partnership with Activation and Finance teams to improve billing process and solution for any challenges that arise. 

• Identifying new opportunities for POVs, both internal and external, based on trending topics impacting the media landscape, category or market trends, and crafting them to clearly articulate the anticipated impact to clients. 

• Ensuring media reports have a clear POV based on performance trends and implications, and learnings are applied to future media strategies and recommendations. 

• Read industry trades and engage with the Media Team to stay current on all media trends, and how those trends present opportunities for clients. 

• Has thorough knowledge of key media planning tools, such as Vivvix, Pathmatics, MRI-Simmons, SRDS, SQAD, Nielsen NMI/IMS, Guideline Planning, and others. 

• Identifies the need for, and leads the development of, strategic analyses on audience, geography/market approach, media vendor information necessary to develop the media plan recommendation that best delivers upon the client’s goals and objectives. 

• Identifies the need for and prepares non-media projects and recommendations, including but not limited to competitive audits, target audience profiles, geographic analyses, etc. 

• Identifies potential organic growth opportunities across Media, Data & Analytics, and CRM, and crafting a strategic approach to growth with Leadership. 

• Maintains a positive rapport with media vendor partners, keeping up to date with the latest trends in the marketplace. 

• Works closely with the Activation team to ensure flawless implementation of all approved media recommendations. Integral lead in key client communication. 

• Present at all key client presentations. 

• Leads the team to prepare budget recommendations based on client goals and objectives. 

• Demonstrates a complete understanding of the client’s business, maintaining familiarity with the history, present organization and procedures of the client, as well as conditions of the industry. 

• Provides an energy level that brings new and exciting ideas, motivating other team members. 

• Keeps a pulse on all active campaigns, identifying opportunities to optimize for maximum performance. 

• Helps evaluate current processes, workflows and resources and is responsible for elevating to the VP, Planning when there are any additional needs or issues. 

• Evaluates current Planning resources and proactively bring proposals to VP, Planning for any additional tools needed to stay on top of current trends, and ensure we’re delivering best-in-class recommendations to clients. 

• Updates VP, Planning on status of current accounts on an ongoing basis, elevating key issues or concerns as they arise. 

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a related field 6+ years of media planning experience required 

• Able to apply a strategic filter to solve client challenges 

• Strong knowledge of traditional media channels with an understanding of digital is preferred, but not a requirement 

• Ability to think critically and apply a strategic approach to all plans or projects 

• Ability to work effectively with a variety of internal teams and business groups, including Creative, Media, Data & Measurement, Project Management and Finance 

• Ability to communicate effectively within a team environment as well as with outside media sales reps 

• Displays a passion for media and advertising 

• Strong organizational and mathematical skills (including basic media math)  

The annual gross base salary range is $100,000 - $150,000 USD. This range represents the anticipated target salary range for this position. Actual salaries will vary and are based on factors such as a candidate’s qualifications, skills, and geographic location. Salary is one component of BarkleyOKRP's total compensation package, which includes multiple health insurance options, flexible PTO, life insurance, and 401K. 

BarkleyOKRP’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion + Belonging

• At BarkleyOKRP, DEI+B drives work that matters. We believe people and creativity are made of the same substance, and when every perspective is valued, the impact is stronger. We build belonging as a business strategy, power inclusive creativity that delivers measurable results, and hold ourselves accountable as a B Corp committed to progress over performative intent. When people are valued, the work carries greater impact.