Connections Planning Director

Wpp Group; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holiday entitlement (20 days)

Flexible working hours

Paid parental leave

Birthday leave

Job summary

WPP Media is seeking a seasoned connections planner in Sydney to translate insights into actionable media plans. You will bridge strategy and execution, leading cross‑agency campaigns and driving growth for Suncorp brands across paid, owned, earned and retail touchpoints.

You bring 8+ years of experience in high‑level communications planning, a strong marketing science mindset, and a collaborative leadership style to shape future media architectures and mentor a growing team.

Qualifications

• A Strategic Mastermind: 8+ years of experience with high‑level communications planning rather than day‑to‑day media buying.
• A Marketing Science Advocate: deep understanding of marketing science theories and their practical application.
• An Integrated Visionary: broad view of how media fits the overall marketing plan.
• A Collaborative Leader: proven success leading complex, multi‑stakeholder campaigns.
• A Proactive Innovator: curiosity to connect data, tech and channels in upstream planning.

Responsibilities

• Architect the Big Picture: bridge high‑level strategy and actionable media plans.
• Define the Comms Task: translate insights into clear communications tasks across the consumer journey.
• Lead the Agency Village: orchestrate integrated campaigns across paid, owned, earned, shared, and retail touchpoints.
• Apply Marketing Science: design future‑fit media architectures using theory like flighting and recency.
• Inspire and Elevate: mentor planners and foster strategic excellence.

Skills

Strategic planning

Marketing science

Integrated vision

Collaborative leadership

Innovative mindset

Job description

About WPP Media

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.

Step into a pivotal leadership role where you'll leave the tactical implementation behind to orchestrate the future of media connections, turning powerful insights into extraordinary, big‑picture campaigns for Australia's leading brands.

Open Era by WPP Media

Join a Team Shaping the Future of World-Class Marketing

Open Era is a world‑class partnership between WPP Media and Suncorp, one of Australia's largest and most iconic insurance groups. This bespoke agency model brings together the best minds, tools, and technologies to shape the next chapter of growth - powered by openness, intelligence, and orchestration.

We're building a team that thrives on:

• Openness: To change, to collaboration, to accountability.
• World‑Class Standards: Delivering the best work from Australia, for Suncorp.
• True Partnership: Working with transparency and healthy tension - we challenge for better every time.
• Growth Mindset: Focused on outcomes, performance, and policy impact.
• Future Focus: Never complacent, always evolving to meet what's next.

Why Join Open Era?

You'll be part of a dedicated, unified team structured to flex with Suncorp's diverse brand portfolio, including household names like AAMI, GIO, Suncorp, Shannons, Apia, and Vero. These brands are not only leaders in insurance - they're leaders in creativity, ingenuity, and customer connection.

Working on Suncorp means:

• High‑impact creativity: From sport and entertainment partnerships to bold brand storytelling, Suncorp pushes the boundaries of what insurance marketing can be.
• Performance and brand media excellence: A dual focus on driving ROI and building long‑term brand equity.
• Customer experience at the core: Every touchpoint matters - across owned, earned, paid, and shared media.
• Integrated media innovation: Collaborating across data, tech, and content to deliver seamless, effective campaigns.

Embedded Expertise Across the Team

• Data & Analytics - Translating complexity into clarity.
• Technology & AI - Accelerating ambition through innovation.
• OESP Connections Planning - architecting brand ecosystems to deliver brand and performance goals.
• Performance Planning - Driving measurable results and strategic growth.
• Media Activation - sweating every detail of a media execution to optimise for the growth potential.
• Sports & Entertainment - Shaping how Suncorp brands connect with Australians through iconic moments in sport and entertainment.

This is your chance to be part a model that's not just fit for today - but resilient for the future. If you're open to growth, open to challenge, and open to shaping what's next, Open Era is where you belong.

The Role

Location: Sydney

The connections planning team at Open Era bridges the gap between our strategy and investment teams. Our role is to turn insightful strategies into actionable media plans that deliver growth for Suncorp. Connections planners think big picture, collaborating with multiple teams, stakeholders and agencies to ensure campaigns are fully integrated.

• Architect the Big Picture: Step away from the tactical weeds of implementation and focus on bridging the gap between high‑level strategy and actionable media plans.
• Define the Comms Task: Work closely with the strategy team to translate brilliant insights into clear, actionable communications tasks across the entire consumer journey.
• Lead the Agency Village: Orchestrate overarching, integrated campaigns across paid, owned, earned, shared, and retail touchpoints, collaborating seamlessly with creative, digital, and PR partners.
• Apply Marketing Science: Utilise your deep understanding of marketing science theories (like flighting, recency, and effective reach) to design future‑fit, highly effective media architectures.
• Inspire and Elevate: Mentor a team of bright planners, fostering a culture of strategic excellence and helping them elevate their high‑level comms planning craft.

Ideal Skills and Experience

• A Strategic Mastermind: You bring 8+ years of experience with a distinct focus on high‑level communications planning rather than day‑to‑day media buying or implementation.
• A Marketing Science Advocate: You have a deep, proven understanding of marketing science literature and know exactly how to apply those theories to overarching media strategies.
• An Integrated Visionary: You see the entire board, understanding how media plays into the broader marketing plan and how brand and performance work hand‑in‑hand to drive business outcomes.
• A Collaborative Leader: You have a stellar track record of leading complex, multi‑stakeholder campaigns and acting as a trusted, strategic advisor to senior marketing clients.
• A Proactive Innovator: You are endlessly curious, always exploring how to connect data, technology, and emerging channels into the upstream planning process to solve complex client challenges.

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.

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. That's why we've adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

Please read our Privacy Notice (https://www.wppmedia.com/pages/privacy-policy) for more information on how we process the information you provide.

What We Offer

We offer a competitive salary package, with 20 days holiday increasing with service to a maximum of 25 days, with the option to purchase extra leave of up to 4 weeks per year. We also offer a flexible working environment, paid parental leave, flexible public holidays, birthday leave and early finishes during the summer months. These are just some of the great perks you can utilise.

Based on the south side of the bridge in Barangaroo, our office has beautiful views of Sydney Harbour and is a great space to hang out with colleagues and friends!

We have a culture of learning where we invest in your career growth and development through a range of learning and development opportunities. We offer a supportive and inclusive workplace culture that values diversity and collaboration and we provide mental wellness support via our Employee Assistance Program.

Our Commitment

We want you to have the best opportunity to show us your skills and talents, please let us know if there is anything we can do to make the application/interview process work for you. Should you require any adjustments throughout the process, please collaborate with our hiring team who will be happy to assist.

Research shows that candidates from underrepresented backgrounds often don't apply for roles if they don't meet all the criteria. Here, we strongly encourage you to apply if you're interested: we'd love to know how you can positively impact our team with your experience! We believe that diversity is vital and positively influences the environment in which we operate. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment that is free of discrimination, harassment or bullying. Race, colour, ancestry, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or veteran status have no bearing on our hiring decisions, we encourage all applicants.

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