Media Manager

Vector Media; Greater London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Vector Media is seeking a Media Manager in Greater London to oversee media planning and buying. In this crucial role, you will translate client briefs into integrated media strategies across multiple channels. You'll manage campaigns from inception to execution and ensure their success through rigorous reporting and analysis.

With 4-6 years of agency experience, you'll be a central figure between teams, guiding the Media Executive while maintaining strong client relationships.

Qualifications

• 4-6 years’ experience in UK media agencies focusing on planning and buying.
• Strong knowledge of media planning and buying processes.
• Experience working with regulated sector clients preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own media planning and buying execution for clients.
• Lead day-to-day buying activities and negotiate with media owners.
• Produce regular campaign reports and identify optimization opportunities.

Skills

UK media agency experience

Media planning and buying knowledge

Strong Excel skills

Knowledge of regulated sectors

Tools

Industry planning tools

Job description

Vector Media is an independent London media agency based in Soho.

The Role

The Media Manager is the day-to-day owner of media planning and buying execution at Vector Media. They turn client briefs into integrated multi-channel media plans, lead the buying activity to bring those plans to market, and own the quality, accuracy and performance of campaigns once they’re live.

You’ll sit between the Media Director (who sets the strategic direction and owns the senior commercial relationships) and the Media Executive (who they manage and develop). The role is hands‑on across both planning and buying; a Media Manager at Vector Media is expected to be technically strong, commercially aware, and comfortable presenting and defending their work directly to clients.

Key responsibilities

Planning

• Interrogate client briefs, working with the Account Team and Media Director to ensure the brief is clear, properly resourced and answerable.
• Build integrated media plans across TV, video, OOH, print, audio, digital display, paid social and programmatic, justified by data and grounded in the client’s commercial objectives.
• Use planning tools to optimise reach, frequency, cost-efficiency and channel mix and be able to explain the trade-offs clearly to clients.
• Present plans to clients with the Account Team and/or Media Director.

Buying and execution

• Lead the day-to-day buying of activity on assigned accounts, either directly or via the Media Executive.
• Negotiate rates, packages, added value and positioning with media owners; benchmark against the market.
• Own the campaign process; booking confirmations, creative requirements, in-campaign optimisations, reporting and reconciliation.
• Ensure campaigns go live on time, in full, and to budget.

Reporting, analysis and optimisation

• Produce regular campaign reports for clients; clear, accurate, on time, and useful – covering delivery, performance, attribution and learnings.
• Use agency dashboards and platforms reporting to identify optimisation opportunities and act on them.
• Lead end‑of‑campaign reviews and feed learnings back into future planning.
• Maintain and update competitive market reports for clients.

Commercial and admin

• Own the accuracy of media bookings and reconciliations.
• Work with Finance on monthly accruals, billing and revenue recognition for your campaigns.
• Identify and remediate commercial risks (overbooks, underdelivery, missed deadlines).

Team and people

• Line‑manage the Media Executive; set objectives, review work, give feedback, and actively develop them.
• Be the go‑to source of media knowledge for the Account team.
• Contribute to internal training, tool evaluation, and process improvement.

Knowledge and experience

• 4‑6 years’ UK media agency experience across both planning and buying.
• Strong working knowledge of media planning and buying.
• Proficient with the standard industry tools.
• Experience working on regulated sector clients (gambling, financial services, alcohol or similar) preferred.
• Strong Excel; comfortable with pivot tables, lookups and building media schedules and reconciliation sheets from scratch.
• Working knowledge of UK gambling advertising compliance (IGRG, CAP/BCAP, ASA, Clearcast) – or the appetite to get there quickly.
• Proven line management or mentoring experience.