Associate Media Planning Director Full Time NEW

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. With exceptional talent, trusted data and intelligence, and world-class partnerships – all united by our pioneering agentic marketing platform, WPP Open – we help clients navigate change, capture opportunity, and deliver transformational growth. 

WPP Media is WPP’s AI-driven media operating unit, bringing together media, data, and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation at scale. Connected through WPP Open and powered by Open Intelligence, clients see exactly where, how, and why their media investment is working.

For more information, visit wppmedia.com.

About WPP Media

WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients and communities. For more information, visit wpp.com.

WPP Media is WPP’s global media collective. In a world where media is everywhere and in everything, we bring the best platform, people, and partners together to create limitless opportunities for growth. For more information, visit wppmedia.com

At WPP Media, we believe in the power of our culture and our people. It’s what elevates us to deliver exceptional experiences for both our clients and each other. In this role it will be critical to embrace WPP & WPP Media’s shared core values:

• Be Extraordinary by Leading Collectively to Inspire transformational Creativity.
• Create an Open environment by Balancing People and Client Experiences by Cultivating Trust.
• Lead Optimistically by Championing Growth and Development to Mobilize the Enterprise.

A Leading WPP Media Brand, EssenceMediacom is a new breed of media agency. Grounded in analytics & insights and powered by data & technology, we believe in the power of media and creative to drive breakthroughs for the world’s best brands. We help clients understand the modern marketing paradox and discover the breakthroughs brands need to win with their consumers. We are designed for the new communications economy — built on data & technology, built for people & algorithms, built around diverse schools of thought, built to test & learn at scale, and, crucially, built to evolve.

Role Summary & Impact

We are looking for an experienced Associate Media Planning Director to lead integrated media strategy and planning across multiple brands within a high-profile client portfolio. This role requires a strong blend of strategic thinking, cross-functional collaboration, and client leadership.

The ideal candidate will bring a holistic understanding of the marketing funnel—spanning brand building to performance—and will be responsible for developing connected media strategies that drive both long-term brand equity and short-term business outcomes. A key aspect of the role will be managing senior stakeholder relationships, including direct liaison with client teams, and ensuring seamless coordination across internal teams and partner agencies.

Strategic Media Leadership

• Lead the development of full-funnel media strategies across awareness, consideration, and conversion objectives.
• Translate business goals into integrated media plans across digital and offline channels where relevant.
• Ensure alignment of media strategies with broader marketing, product, and business priorities.

Cross-Brand Coordination & Client Servicing

• Act as a primary point of contact for client stakeholders, ensuring strong day-to-day relationship management.
• Drive cross-brand coordination, ensuring consistency in strategic thinking, learning agendas, and execution frameworks.
• Collaborate closely with client teams (including global/regional counterparts where applicable) to align priorities, narratives, and outputs.
• Lead regular communication, including presentations, QBRs, and strategic reviews

Integrated Planning & Channel Expertise

• Oversee planning across key channels including video, display, programmatic, and app ecosystems.
• Guide teams in leveraging audience insights, first-party data, and platform capabilities to inform planning decisions.

Measurement, Insights & Innovation

• Drive a test-and-learn culture, identifying opportunities for experimentation and innovation
• Leverage advanced analytics and tools (e.g., clean rooms, attribution models) to generate actionable insights.
• Translate data into clear narratives and recommendations for stakeholders.

Team Leadership & Operational Excellence

• Lead and mentor planners, fostering capability building and career development
• Ensure high standards of output across planning, reporting, and deliverables
• Oversee planning accuracy, forecasting, and overall quality control
• Collaborate with activation and specialist teams to ensure seamless execution

Skills & Experience

• 7–10 years of experience in media planning, digital strategy, or integrated marketing.
• Proven experience managing client relationships and working across multiple brands or business units.
• Strong understanding of full-funnel media strategy, including both brand and performance marketing.
• Experience across key digital channels including video, programmatic, social, search and app ecosystems
• Familiarity with data, measurement frameworks, and attribution methodologies
• Strong communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate complexity into clear strategic direction
• Demonstrated team leadership and stakeholder management experience
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced, matrixed environment with multiple stakeholders

Life At WPP Media & Benefits

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. WPP Media employees can tap into the global WPP Media & 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, group retirement plans, vision, and dental insurance, significant paid time off, preferential partner discounts, and employee mental health awareness days.  

WPP Media is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

We believe the best work happens when we’re together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection.

Please read our Privacy Notice for more information on how we process the information you provide.