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Associate Director, Media Planning

Kansas City, MO; New York, NY; Chicago, IL; Denver, CO; Remote

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 Associate Director, Planning (AMD) 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.

The Kind of Leader Who Thrives Here

  • Curious and Analytical: You are always asking "Why?" You dig beyond surface-level data to find meaningful insights and category white space.
  • A Strategic Storyteller: You distill complex inputs into clear, compelling narratives. You articulate a crisp media POV in both internal and external rooms with confidence.
  • An Empowering Manager: You balance disciplined delegation with hands-on support, actively coaching and growing junior team members.
  • Resilient and Adaptable: You navigate ambiguity with ease, bringing proactive solutions to complex challenges in a fast-paced environment.
  • Commercially Focused: You understand the client's business deeply, identifying organic growth opportunities that drive real business impact.

Responsibilities

Strategic Planning & Integration

  • Lead the development of strategic and tactical media recommendations that align with client business objectives.
  • Translate audience insights and competitive data into ownable, audience-first media strategies using syndicated tools (MRI-Simmons, Resonate, YouGov, etc.).
  • Identify category white space and craft unique media moments that amplify creative impact and go beyond standard media placements.
  • Evaluate campaign performance against objectives, providing strategic POVs on optimizations and marketplace trends.
  • Develop strategic analyses (geographic, target audience, competitive audits) to guide plan direction and client spend recommendations.

Client Leadership & Collaboration

  • Own day-to-day client relationships, serving as a key point of contact and driving weekly status, recommendations, and campaign reviews.
  • Partner seamlessly across cross-functional agency teams—including Client Experience, Strategy, Creative, Activation, Analytics, CRM, and Finance—to deliver integrated output.
  • Represent a strong, clear media POV in key client presentations and internal strategic discussions.
  • Build and maintain productive, professional relationships with media vendor partners to stay ahead of marketplace innovation.

Team Leadership & Pod Operations

  • Manage, mentor, and coach junior pod members (Supervisors, Senior Planners, Planners), fostering their growth in planning craft, tool usage, and soft skills.
  • Master the art of delegation—balancing oversight with direct support to ensure flawless delivery while building bench strength.
  • Evaluate current pod workflows, resources, and bandwidth, elevating capability needs or operational challenges to the Director.

Financial Stewardship & Growth

  • Oversee flawless client budget management, including reviewing and approving flowcharts, media authorizations, and spend allocations.
  • Partner with Activation and Finance to ensure draft invoices match planned investments and maintain overall billing accuracy.
  • Identify organic growth opportunities across Media, Data & Analytics, and CRM, partnering with leadership to bring value-add ideas to clients.
  • Translates data and insights into clear, creative, and actionable media strategies.
  • Builds trust and strong alignment with clients and internal cross-functional leads.
  • Effectively delegates and develops junior planners into strong, autonomous strategists.
  • Maintains absolute precision in media math, flowcharts, and financial stewardship.
  • Proactively brings solutions and media POVs to the table rather than just identifying issues.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
  • 5-8 years of media planning experience within an agency setting.
  • Proven experience developing integrated plans across traditional and digital channels.
  • Demonstrated experience direct-managing or mentoring junior planning team members.
  • High proficiency in industry planning and research tools (e.g., MRI-Simmons, Resonate, YouGov, Vivvix, Pathmatics, SQAD, Guideline/MediaTools, Nielsen).
  • Strong media math acumen, financial discipline, and analytical problem-solving skills.
  • Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with a track record of effective client presentation.

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