Planning Manager (12 month contract)

Publicis Groupe; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Wholeself program

Global Marcel AI platform

15,000+ learning programs

Career Conversations program

Diversity and Inclusion initiatives

Flexible leave & Work Your World

Job summary

Starcom Australia is seeking a Planning Manager to join on a 12‑month fixed contract. You’ll lead day‑to‑day media planning across multiple household brands, translating briefs into integrated plans and driving meaningful business outcomes with budgets and timelines managed carefully.

You’ll partner with clients, analyse consumer insights, and collaborate with activation, search, ecommerce and analytics specialists to deliver impactful campaigns across digital and traditional channels.

Qualifications

• 3+ years’ experience in media planning, ideally within a media agency.
• Strong communications planning experience across digital and traditional media.
• Confidence managing client relationships and presenting strategic recommendations.
• Strong commercial awareness, including budget management, forecasting and campaign finance processes.
• Understanding campaign implementation, reporting, analytics and optimisation.
• Experience using media planning, audience research or consumer insight tools.
• Confidence working with Excel and PowerPoint.
• Exceptional organisation, attention to detail and follow‑through.
• Collaborative approach and interest in developing junior colleagues.
• Experience with FMCG/retail or large national brands; exposure to retail media, programmatic, search and social is valuable.

Responsibilities

• Build trusted relationships with clients and become a valued day‑to‑day media partner.
• Take client briefs and translate them into clear, insight‑led communications and channel plans.
• Lead planning across multiple FMCG brands, balancing priorities, budgets and timelines.
• Analyse audience, consumer and competitor data to identify opportunities and inform recommendations.
• Develop integrated plans across channels including social, online video, audio and TV/OOH.
• Brief media and activation specialists, evaluate proposals and unify recommendations into a cohesive plan.
• Lead regular client work‑in‑progress meetings with updates and follow‑ups.
• Present strategic recommendations and plans to clients and internal stakeholders.
• Maintain accuracy, financial control and process compliance.
• Collaborate with planning, activation, search, ecommerce and finance specialists.
• Mentor junior team members and contribute to a learning culture.
• Understand account scopes, budgets and resource planning; support forecasting and sustainable performance.

Skills

Media planning

Client management

Analytics

Budget management

Forecasting

Excel

PowerPoint

Strategic thinking

Campaign optimization

Tools

GWI

Roy Morgan

Nielsen

Spectra

Meta Planner

YouTube Planner

BVOD planning tools

Job description

Company description

Marketing today is complex, fast‑moving and under constant pressure - but that’s where we do our best work.

At Starcom, we believe progress comes from focus. In a world of endless data, accelerating technology and constant change, we help brands move beyond what they coulddo and concentrate on what they shoulddo to drive real growth.

Our Focus Frameworkgives our people the clarity to identify the audiences, ideas, media, and metrics that matter most - turning complexity into impact and ambition into results.

If you’re motivated by smart thinking, meaningful collaboration, and the opportunity to make a real difference, you’ll find your unfair advantage here.

Starcom. Focus For Growth.

Overview

Who are we looking for?

We're looking for a Planning Manager to join Starcom on a 12-month fixed contract. Working across multiple household‑name brands, you'll sit at the centre of the agency‑client partnership, leading day‑to‑day planning conversations, developing strategic media recommendations, and ensuring campaigns deliver meaningful business outcomes.

This is an environment where priorities move quickly, multiple campaigns are in market at any given time, and no two days are ever the same. You'll partner closely with clients, taking briefs, identifying opportunities, analysing consumer and market insights, and translating those findings into integrated media plans that connect with audiences and drive results.

You’ll manage a portfolio of brands simultaneously, leading weekly client meetings, managing budgets and timelines, coordinating multiple stakeholders, and ensuring every plan is delivered with accuracy and attention to detail. With a significant investment across digital channels alongside TV, audio, social, online video and partnerships, you’ll have the opportunity to work across a broad media landscape while collaborating with specialists across activation, search, ecommerce and analytics.

Not every contract role offers this level of exposure. If you're looking to broaden your experience, sharpen your strategic thinking and work on campaigns with real impact, this could be the opportunity for you.

What will your day-to-day look like?

• Build trusted relationships with clients and become a valued day‑to‑day media partner.
• Take client briefs and translate them into clear, insight‑led communications and channel plans.
• Lead planning across multiple FMCG brands, balancing competing priorities, budgets and campaign timelines.
• Analyse audience, consumer and competitor data to identify opportunities and inform recommendations.
• Develop integrated plans across channels including social, online video, audio and other digital platforms, as well as TV and OOH.
• Brief media and activation specialists, evaluate proposals and bring recommendations together into a cohesive plan.
• Lead regular client work‑in‑progress meetings, including updates, actions and follow‑ups.
• Present strategic recommendations and media plans confidently to clients and internal stakeholders.Maintain high standards of accuracy, quality control, financial management and process compliance.
• Partner with cross‑functional planning, activation, search, ecommerce and finance specialists.
• Support, mentor and upskill junior team members while contributing to a collaborative learning culture.
• Maintain a strong understanding of account commercial frameworks, scopes of work and resource planning.
• Collaborate with senior leadership to support forecasting, planning and sustainable business performance.
• Balance commercial outcomes with exceptional client service and team success.

What you're looking for

• An encouraging, positive, and collaborative culture.
• A role with real variety and exposure.
• To work closely with senior leaders and stakeholders during a period of business growth, momentum, and transformation.
• Flexible working and a culture that values trust, balance, and wellbeing.

What will set you up for success?

• 3+ years’ experience in media planning, ideally within a media agency environment.
• Strong communications planning experience across digital and traditional media channels.
• Confidence managing client relationships and presenting strategic recommendations.
• Strong commercial awareness, including budget management, forecasting and campaign finance processes.
• An understanding of campaign implementation, reporting, analytics and optimisation.
• Experience using media planning, audience research or consumer insight tools.
• Confidence working with Excel and PowerPoint.
• Exceptional organisation, attention to detail and follow‑through.
• A collaborative approach and an interest in supporting the development of junior colleagues.
• Experience FMCG, retail or other large national brands would be valuable, as would exposure to retail media, programmatic, search and social.
• Familiarity with platforms and tools such as GWI, Roy Morgan, Nielsen, Spectra, Meta Planner, YouTube Planner or BVOD planning tools would be beneficial
• Strategic thinking paired with the ability to translate ideas into actionable plans.
• Curiosity, adaptability and a passion for developing people and building meaningful relationships.

#LI-LJ1

Additional information

Publicis Groupe benefits: Be a part of the Publicis Groupe family, recent winner of the Employer of Choice Awards and one of the world's most progressive and dynamic modern communications businesses. You can learn more about us at www.publicisgroupeanz.com.

Enjoy all the perks that come with our network offering:

• A comprehensive Wholeself program supporting physical, mindful, and financial wellbeing.
• A creative, lively, and rewarding office environment where people love working with each other, supported by our Publicis Liberté flexibility approach — "working your way with us."
• Access to our Global AI Platform Marcel, connecting Publicis Groupe employees with opportunities for career mobility and collaboration across our global network.
• Extensive Learning & Development opportunities including more than 15,000 learning programs via our online learning platform, Marcel Classes.
• A culture of open feedback and support to reach your goals through our Career Conversations program.
• A committed Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion strategy driven through our Viva Women, Égalité, enABLE, EmbRACE, and Écologique committees.
• Leave benefits including Birthday Leave, Flexible Public Holidays, and an additional 5 days of leave after 2 years of service.
• Work Your World program enabling employees the flexibility to work from anywhere in the world for up to 6 weeks per year.
• Parental leave policy with up to 18 weeks based on tenure, paid primary carer leave, secondary carer swap, and Cub Care leave.
• Access to counsellors, psychologists, and professionals through Sonder, an all‑in‑one digital wellbeing technology platform designed to support psychological, medical & safety needs.
• A workplace that stands together to provide a more open, supportive, and recovery‑forward culture for all employees with life‑threatening illnesses. Read more about our Working With Cancer Pledge: https://workingwithcancerpledge.com/
• Proud partners of Diversity Council Australia, Pride in Diversity, Family Friendly Workplaces, Supply Nation, and the Australian Disability Network.

If you don't tick every box in this ad, please don't rule yourself out. Research suggests that women and other people in underrepresented groups tend to only apply if they meet every requirement. We focus on hiring people who share our values of inclusion, collaboration, adaptability, fearlessness, and integrity rather than ticking boxes — so if this role resonates with you, please apply.

Diversity. Inclusion. Equity. More than just words; these are part of our DNA. At Publicis Groupe, we are committed to the inclusion and recognition of all people regardless of race, age, culture, ability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status and religious affiliation. We believe that to deliver the best solutions to our clients, our people need to reflect the diverse communities in which our clients operate. We value diversity and the skills, knowledge, and experience that difference brings to our culture and solutions.

Uniqueness is powerful; without it, we wouldn't be where we are today. So be you — we like it that way.

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for people with disability or those that require additional support throughout the application process. If you need any assistance or adjustments, please contact us via recruitmentpublicisgroupe.com; your personal information will be kept confidential.