Head of Media Planning

Future plc; City of Westminster; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 82,000; Full time

Job summary

A global leader in specialist media is seeking a strategic leader for their media planning team. The role involves directing operations, mentoring team members, and enhancing pitch responses to improve win rates. Candidates should have a strong background in media, management skills, and the ability to provide strategic insights. The position offers a salary between £75,000 and £82,000, with a hybrid working model from the London Paddington office.

Benefits

Uncapped leave

Profit share bonus

Referral rewards

Well-being support

Share purchase opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience leading a planning within a media-focused business.
• Knowledge of published media, video, social, and brand content.
• Ability to activate and support team members effectively.

Responsibilities

• Direct the operations of the team and work closely with other departments.
• Coach and mentor team to develop skills and teamwork.
• Elevate pitch responses to improve team win rates.

Skills

Leadership in planning/strategy

Knowledge of published media

Management and talent development

Strong storytelling ability

Ability to work accurately and fast

Proactive attitude

Player/Coach mentality

Broad knowledge of media channels

Understanding of content strategies

Familiar with campaign evaluation metrics

Digitally savvy

Ability to build media plans

Presentation skills to senior executives

Tools

Salesforce

Netsuite

MOAT

Nielsen

Asana

Job description

Future Publishing are looking for a strategic leader to inspire our team of media planners and social media specialists. You will direct the fast-paced, day-to-day operations of the team, working closely with sales, editorial, and creative teams to craft winning RFP responses and custom brand solutions. You'll need to be an accomplished strategist who can bring together data, insight, media and creative content and join the dots to tell the story brilliantly - and sell. You'll be ROI-focused with a well-honed ability to see things from a client's perspective. You'll need to be a player-coach, as happy to roll up your sleeves and dig in when the RFPs pile high as you are to stand back, take a view over the top, and spot patterns and commercial opportunities across our business. Your team comprises creative content strategists, brand partnerships specialists, media planners and social media activation. You'll need to coach and mentor them to develop as individuals and as a team. Success in this role looks like elevating our pitch responses and upping the team's win rate across inbound RFP and proactive client decks, supporting revenue growth.

Key Qualifications

• Experience leading a planning/strategy within a media owner, agency, content agency or other branded content focused business
• Knowledge and experience of Published Media, Video, Social and Branded Content Partnerships
• Management and talent development of multi-tier and multi-specialist team
• Strong storytelling ability, with meticulous attention to detail
• Ability to be accurate and fast, at scale in day-to-day work with consistent, stellar results
• Proactive and 'can-do' attitude that enables you to pivot, collaborate and communicate effectively across all levels of the business
• Player/Coach mentality that sees you activating as well as supporting other team members to hit deadlines
• Broad and deep knowledge of media channels and evolving tactics with a finger on the pulse of trends
• Firm understanding of modern and evolving content creation and distribution strategies
• Familiarity with campaign evaluation metrics and media buying practices
• Digitally savvy, with working knowledge of analytics and customer management tools (e.g. Salesforce, Netsuite, MOAT, Nielsen, Asana)
• Ability to work with, prepare and build databases and spreadsheets for the creation and modification of media plans and templates
• Ability to present up to the senior executive level and 'run the room'

We're Future, the global leader in specialist media. With over 3,000 employees working across 200+ media brands, Future is a prime destination for passionate people worldwide looking to consume trusted, expert content that educates and inspires action - both online and off - through our specialist websites, magazines, events, newsletters, podcasts and social spaces.

We embrace and celebrate diversity, making it part of who we are. Different perspectives spark ideas, fuel creativity, and push us to innovate. That's why we're building a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to thrive. When it comes to hiring, we keep it fair and inclusive, welcoming talent from every walk of life.

The expected range for this role is £75,000- £82,000. This is a Hybrid role from our London Paddington Office, working three days from the office, two from home …

Benefits

• Uncapped leave, because we trust you to manage your workload and time
• When we hit our targets, enjoy a share of our profits with a bonus
• Refer a friend and get rewarded when they join Future
• Well-being support with access to our Colleague Assistant Programmes
• Opportunity to purchase shares in Future, with our Share Incentive Plan

#LI-Hybrid