Senior Media Planner

Galepartners; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

GALE, with a Toronto presence, seeks a Senior Media Planner to design, manage, and optimize integrated media plans across digital and traditional channels. You will translate insights into actionable recommendations, oversee campaign stewardship, and collaborate with cross-functional partners to meet client goals.

You will independently manage complex planning deliverables, present to clients, and guide junior team members while staying current on market trends and tools like Prisma/Mediaocean,

Qualifications

• 4+ years of media agency planning experience.
• Experience developing and managing integrated media plans across digital and traditional channels.
• Strong digital media skill set and working knowledge of traditional media channels.
• Ability to translate research and performance data into clear recommendations.
• Experience creating client-facing presentations, reports, and media plans.
• Comfortable presenting recommendations in client meetings.
• Familiar with media planning and research platforms such as Prisma/Mediaocean, Nielsen, MRI-Simmons, and Comscore.
• Proficient in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.

Responsibilities

• Develop integrated media plans grounded in the client’s business, brand, target audience, marketplace, and consumer journey.
• Use research tools, audience data, historical performance, and marketplace insights to inform media strategies and budget allocations.
• Translate strategic direction into detailed, executable plans across digital and traditional media channels.
• Own day-to-day campaign stewardship including timelines, deliverables, budgets, pacing, reporting, and documentation.
• Monitor cross-channel performance and identify optimization opportunities with strategy, investment, and analytics teams.
• Prepare client-facing materials, including media recommendations, presentations, status updates, reports, and POVs.
• Present assigned sections of media plans and recommendations during internal and client meetings.
• Guide and review the work of Planners and Assistant Planners, helping establish priorities and maintain quality.
• Support junior team members through coaching and knowledge sharing.
• Continue developing expertise across media channels, planning tools, industry trends, and emerging platforms.

Job description

GALE is the world’s first and only Business Agency. We bring business strategy to brand storytelling to drive enterprise value. With expertise in strategy, media, CRM, creative, performance marketing, and technology, GALE creates integrated marketing systems and campaigns that grow businesses in significant ways. Founded in 2014, the agency has since been named AdAge’s Business Transformation Agency of the Year and Adweek’s U.S. Media Agency of the Year and has been recognized for its innovative creative at the Cannes Lions.

We work with brands such as Delta, Uber, Starbucks, Chili’s, Hard Rock, MilkPEP, Diageo, Cotton, IHG and more. If you’re driven by a passion to build something great, a desire to innovate, and a commitment to achieve excellence in your craft, GALE is a great place for you!

GALE has eight offices around the world, including New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, Austin, Denver, Kansas City, London, and Bengaluru. GALE embraces a hybrid, flexible workplace

Your Impact

As aSenior Media Planner, you will play a key role in developing, managing, and optimizing integrated media plans across digital and traditional channels. You will translate consumer, marketplace, and performance insights into actionable recommendations while overseeing the day-to-day stewardship of assigned campaigns.

You will independently manage complex planning deliverables, support client communications, and provide guidance to junior team members. Partnering closely with media strategy, investment, analytics, creative, and account teams, you will ensure media plans are strategically sound, operationally accurate, and aligned with client objectives.

• Develop integrated media plans grounded in an understanding of the client’s business, brand, target audience, marketplace, and consumer journey.
• Use research tools, audience data, historical performance, and marketplace insights to inform media strategies, channel recommendations, and budget allocations.
• Translate strategic direction into detailed, executable plans across digital and traditional media channels.
• Take ownership of day-to-day campaign stewardship, including timelines, deliverables, budget management, pacing, reporting, and documentation.
• Monitor cross-channel performance and work with strategy, investment, and analytics teams to identify optimization opportunities.
• Prepare client-facing materials, including media recommendations, presentations, status updates, reports, and points of view.
• Present assigned sections of media plans and recommendations during internal and client meetings.
• Develop a strong understanding of the client’s business and proactively identify media opportunities, risks, and solutions.
• Manage media budgets in market, ensuring accurate tracking, reconciliation, reporting, and resolution of billing discrepancies.
• Review purchase authorizations and other campaign documentation for completeness and accuracy.
• Liaise with media investment and activation teams to support campaign launches and ensure deliverables are completed on time.
• Evaluate media partner opportunities and provide informed recommendations based on campaign objectives and audience needs.
• Raise campaign issues promptly and recommend solutions with limited supervision.
• Participate actively in planning sessions, brainstorms, and cross-functional discussions.
• Guide and review the work of Planners and Assistant Planners, helping establish priorities and maintain quality across deliverables.
• Support the professional development of junior team members through coaching, knowledge-sharing, and constructive feedback.
• Continue developing expertise across media channels, planning tools, industry trends, and emerging platforms.

• You have 4+ years of media agency planning experience.
• You have hands-on experience developing and managing integrated media plans.
• You possess a strong digital media skill set and working knowledge of traditional media channels.
• You understand how different channels work together across the consumer journey.
• You can independently manage campaign deliverables, budgets, timelines, and day-to-day planning responsibilities.
• You are comfortable interpreting research and performance data and translating findings into clear recommendations.
• You have experience creating client-facing presentations, reports, media plans, and points of view.
• You are comfortable participating in client meetings and presenting recommendations.
• You are familiar with media planning, research, and workflow platforms such asPrisma/Mediaocean, Nielsen, MRI-Simmons, and Comscore.
• You have strong written, verbal, analytical, and mathematical skills, with close attention to detail.
• You can organize and prioritize multiple assignments while meeting tight client and internal deadlines.
• You exercise sound judgment, proactively solve problems, and know when to elevate risks or opportunities.
• You can work independently while remaining a collaborative and dependable team member.
• You are comfortable guiding junior team members and reviewing their work, even if you have not formally managed direct reports.
• You are proficient in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.

Note: Hybrid work in office is an essential function of the job.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

We believe in inclusivity and do our best work when people with diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and skills are brought together. Our Core Values are at the root of GALE’s collaborative environment and help to foster a strong community. Our Code of Conduct, Human Resources policies, and executive investment in inclusion further support and protect GALE’s inclusive workplace. GALE is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.

Our Hiring Process

We want you to be just as discerning in making your next career move as we are finding great talent to join our team. Our interview process will allow you to meet a range of people from various disciplines and domains both virtually and in person. Please discuss with our recruiters if you require any accommodations throughout the process to help enable a smooth interview.