Group Director, Planning

Mindshare delivers Good Growth for its clients. As "Growth Architects," we drive growth that benefits all stakeholders - better for people, planet, and business - by using media with intention. This approach creates more meaningful connections with consumers, increases consumer trust in the brand, and delivers better outcomes for all stakeholders.

Role Summary & Impact

This is a senior leadership role that provides inspiration, strategic direction, and innovative thinking to internal teammates and clients. As a Group Director of Planning, you will be on point to navigate complex organization(s) and deliver on client objectives while balancing client, company, and team needs and priorities.

Key Responsibilities

• Co-develop and implement media vision in partnership with internal and client stakeholders.
• Represent the media discipline within cross-functional teams and senior internal/external leadership.
• Lead media strategy planning/buying across the portfolio of client verticals.
• Generate ideas and articulate "the big picture" to deliver on client marketing and business outcomes.
• Monitor client programs and day-to-day business activity.
• Direct, develop/oversee planning objectives and strategies that coincide with the client's marketing direction.
• Lead and direct core partners as part of the entire client solution, including TV, programmatic, addressable video, social, search, mobile, print, OOH, and other emerging platforms, as well as creative/content development where appropriate.
• Oversee the flow of client media-related issues; create solutions and resolve problems.
• Ensure client materials/correspondence are on strategy and of the highest quality, representing the strength of ideas that GroupM has to offer.
• Continually seek a consumer-centric view in all strategic thinking.
• Provide POV on various media in the marketplace.
• Support achieving the financial goals of the account by managing costs, revenue, and scope of work in accordance with the client's contract.
• Successfully manage available staffing resources.
• Build/maintain effective working relationships internally and with clients, media vendors, and WPP teams.
• Maintain highly visible presence with client senior management.

Requirements

• A Bachelor's Degree in advertising, marketing, business administration or communication; OR equivalent professional work experience.
• 10+ years of directly related media experience.
• Possess superior project and account management skills, flexibility, resiliency, and the ability to manage multiple expectations through proactive communication.
• Highly skilled at developing and driving media and account strategy with a focus on performance.
• Demonstrate proven success leading and growing client business; experience managing scopes and team financials.
• Appropriately and openly participate in team, agency, and industry initiatives.
• Decisively manage multidisciplinary teams, and possess a proven track record of delivering projects on time and within budget.
• Continually seek and identify innovative and breakthrough ideas, approaches and solutions.
• Own and demonstrate superior understanding of media fundamentals, conceptual math, and quantitative skills, including analytical abilities and math proficiency.
• Demonstrate sharp, strategic thinking and effective problem-solving skills.
• Superior, clear verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrate genuine curiosity and interest in our clients & their business.
• Desire to work in a diverse and inclusive organization.

Life at GroupM

Our passion for shaping the next era of media includes investing in our employees to help them do their best work, and we're just as committed to employee growth as we are to responsible media investment. GroupM employees can tap into the global GroupM & WPP networks to pursue their passions, grow their networks, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising. We have a variety of employee resource groups and host frequent in-office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. Our benefits include competitive medical, vision, and dental insurance, significant paid time off, preferential partner discounts, and employee mental health awareness days.

GroupM is WPP's media investment group and the world's leading media investment company with a mission to shape the next era of media where advertising works better for people. The company is responsible for more than $60 billion in annual media investment, as measured by the independent research bureau COMvergence. Through its global agencies Mindshare, Wavemaker, EssenceMediacom, and mSix&Partners, and cross-channel performance (GroupM Nexus), data (Choreograph), entertainment (GroupM Motion Entertainment) and investment solutions, GroupM leverages a unique combination of global scale, expertise, and innovation to generate sustained value for clients wherever they do business. Discover more at www.groupm.com.

GroupM provides equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees without regard for factors such as race, religion, national origin, colour, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, protected veteran status, disability, or other protected status.

GroupM is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to, among others, individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans. If you need an accommodation because of a disability to search and apply for a career opportunity with GroupM, please send an e-mail to [redacted] or call ([redacted] and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

The base salary for this position at the time of this posting may range from $125,000 to $295,000. Individual compensation varies based on job-related factors, including business needs, experience, level of responsibility and qualifications. We offer a competitive benefits package, please visit https://www.wpp.com/people/wellbeing/benefits-at-wpp-in-the-us for more details.