Global Planning Manager

Publicis Groupe UK; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension

Private Medical cover

Shared Parental Leave

Reflection Days

Job summary

Starcom is recruiting a Global Planning Manager to shape audience-first media and campaign planning for LEGO. You’ll sit at the heart of the Publicis One team, uniting insight, creativity and media thinking to turn ambitious briefs into clear, compelling plans.

This highly collaborative role involves partnering with LEGO clients, creative agencies and specialists across insight, analytics, commerce and partnerships, with opportunities to influence LEGO’s global marketing activity.

Qualifications

• Strong media planning experience in an agency environment.
• Ability to turn data and audience insight into persuasive narratives.
• Collaborative with clients and internal teams.
• Curiosity and critical thinking; open to different perspectives.
• Knowledge of digital and cross-channel media.
• Experience with audience or research tools (GWI, TGI, social listening) and Excel/PowerPoint.
• Interest in LEGO categories is a plus but not essential.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of audience-first media and campaign plans, turning insight and data into clear recommendations.
• Partner with LEGO stakeholders and agency teams, providing evidence-led planning guidance across briefs.
• Develop global media guidelines across Owned, Earned, Shared and Paid touchpoints.
• Bring together specialists across Commerce, Data & Analytics, Insights and Partnerships to create connected, effective work.
• Use research and cultural understanding to uncover opportunities and build planning narratives.
• Maintain global media playbooks and planning frameworks for local markets.
• Play an active role in the wider Publicis One LEGO team, contributing to briefs and opportunities.

Skills

Media planning

Data-driven storytelling

Collaborative mindset

Critical thinking

Digital media knowledge

GWI/TGI or social listening

Excel & PowerPoint

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

GWI

TGI

Social listening tools

Job description

Company Description

With a history that dates back over 80 years, Starcom is a global communications planning and media leader. We are an agency still grounded in our founding principle that people are at the centre of all we do. Each day, we apply this belief to harness the transformative power of data and technology to inspire and move people and business forward. With more than 7,000 employees in over 100 offices around the world, we are the flagship Publicis Media agency that uses our ‘Power of One’ business model, with teams that span multiple disciplines across clients such as Aldi, P&G, Primark, Samsung, Stellantis, and Visa.

We place a huge focus on our People, and have driven flagship D&I and L&D programmes within Publicis Media; our goal is to help every individual reach their fullest potential, and we encourage everyone to make “Brave Plays” in how they approach their work and their own career development. As a result, we have an exceptionally energised and committed talent base, all of us proud of our welcoming and supportive culture, as evidenced by our recognition as one of Campaign’s Best Places to Work for five years in a row, Media Week's Agency of the Year 2025 and one of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2025.

Overview

What will you be doing?

We’re hiring a Global Planning Manager to help shape audience‑first media and campaign planning for one of the world’s most recognised brands, LEGO. You’ll sit at the heart of the Publicis One team, bringing together insight, creativity and media thinking to turn ambitious briefs into clear, compelling plans. It’s a highly collaborative role, partnering with LEGO clients, creative agencies and specialists across insight, analytics, commerce and partnerships. You’ll have plenty of opportunity to influence work across LEGO’s global marketing activity.

Responsibilities

What you'll be doing:

• Lead the development of audience‑first media and campaign plans, turning insight and data into clear recommendations.
• Partner with LEGO stakeholders and agency teams, providing thoughtful, evidence‑led planning guidance across briefs.
• Develop global media guidelines across Owned, Earned, Shared and Paid touchpoints.
• Bring together specialists across Commerce, Data & Analytics, Insights and Partnerships to create connected, effective work.
• Use research, audience insight and cultural understanding to uncover opportunities and build compelling planning narratives.
• Maintain global media playbooks and planning frameworks, helping local markets understand and apply the latest approach.
• Play an active role in the wider Publicis One LEGO team, contributing to briefs, collaborative working sessions and new opportunities.

Qualifications

What are we looking for?

• Strong media planning experience gained in an agency environment, whether in local, regional or global roles.
• The ability to turn data, research and audience insight into simple, persuasive narratives and recommendations.
• A collaborative approach, with the ability to build productive relationships and present ideas clearly to clients and colleagues.
• Curiosity and critical thinking, with a willingness to question assumptions, learn and explore different perspectives.
• Good knowledge of digital and broader media channels, and an understanding of how they work together.
• Experience using audience or research tools such as GWI, TGI or social listening platforms, alongside Excel and PowerPoint.
• An interest in LEGO’s categories or experience across areas such as families and children, entertainment, gaming or retail would be useful, but isn’t essential.

Additional Information

Starcom offers a wide range of benefits to support our employees. Full details are shared when you join, but highlights include core benefits such as Pension, Life Assurance, and Private Medical cover, alongside enhanced policies like Reflection Days and Shared Parental Leave. You’ll also have access to a range of additional initiatives, including:

Please check out thePublicis Career Pagewhich showcases our Inclusive Benefits and our EAG’s (Employee Action Groups).

Publicis Groupe works primarily from the office or our clients' office four days per week.

At Starcom we are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, and do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion or belief, disability, age, citizenship, relationship status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic.

We are committed to providing a fair, accessible, and inclusive recruitment process. If you have any access needs - for example, related to disability, neurodivergence, or a health condition - please let us know. We’ll work with you to ensure the process works for you. Sharing this information will never impact your application.

Guided by our values, we listen with empathy, uplift each other, take responsibility, and embrace change - building a culture where everyone feels seen, respected, and genuinely included.#LI-RC1