Media Planning Manager

ScS; Sunderland; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

33 days holidays including bank public

Car cash allowance

Employee discounts platform – 100s of

Colleague Discount

Career progression

Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and Adop

Employee Assistance Programme

Virtual GP

Pension Scheme

Job summary

ScS Marketing seeks a Media Planning Manager to lead UK media investment, shaping audience-led plans and driving awareness and showroom traffic. You will own the relationship with Carat and collaborate with Italian teams to maximise investment.

Hybrid role based in Sunderland with two days in the office; you will manage budget, measurement framework, and testing programs to optimise ROAS and brand impact.

Qualifications

• UK cross-channel media planning and buying knowledge.
• Strong numeracy, Excel, budget forecasting and ability to interrogate agency plans and delivery data.
• Audience research, reach and frequency planning, local catchment analysis and commercial judgement.
• Understanding of brand tracking, attribution, incrementality and the role of marketing mix modelling.
• Experience owning integrated media plans in a UK agency or advertiser role.

Responsibilities

• Translate brand, commercial and trade priorities into audience-led media briefs and costed plans.
• Lead day-to-day agency planning, buying oversight and performance reviews; challenge assumptions and ensure delivery.
• Maintain the UK media budget, forecasts and pacing within delegated authority.
• Assess TV, online video, paid social, search, audio and outdoor for reach and geographic coverage.
• Agree objectives and baselines; combine delivery data with brand tracking and store traffic to assess impact.
• Build a prioritized testing programme with agency and insight partners.
• Coordinate UK and Group planning hand-offs and ensure timely activation.
• Provide concise recommendations on investment, delivery and effectiveness; monitor and optimise plans.

Skills

Media planning

Budget forecasting

Agency management

Numeracy

Data interpretation

Presentation skills

Stakeholder collaboration

Education

Relevant qualification or equivalent practical experience

Tools

Excel

Job description

Department: Marketing

Location: Sunderland - Customer Support Centre

Description

As Media Planning Manager, you will lead UK media investment, driving greater advertising effectiveness to build brand awareness and consideration, generate qualified showroom and digital traffic, and deliver profitable sales.

You will own the day-to-day relationship with our media agency, Carat, providing strong UK leadership while working closely with Italian colleagues to ensure alignment and maximise investment.

Bringing together audience-led planning, effective budget management and robust measurement, you will deliver one integrated, rolling customer plan, ensuring every investment decision is insight-led and commercially focused.

Hybrid working, with two days per week based in our Sunderland office.

What does the role involve?

Integrated planning: Translate brand, commercial and trade priorities into audience-led media briefs and costed plans. Balance long-term brand building with trading needs, using customer insight, seasonality and store catchments to recommend channel mix and timing.

Carat management: Lead day-to-day agency planning, buying oversight and performance reviews. Challenge assumptions, rates and recommendations; agree clear deliverables and ensure specialist buying teams execute approved plans accurately.

Investment control: Maintain the UK media budget, forecasts, commitments and pacing within delegated authority. Reconcile bookings, delivery and invoices with Carat and Finance; identify variances, credits and value opportunities and seek approval for reallocations.

Channel and audience delivery: Assess TV, broadcaster video on demand, online video, paid social, search, audio and outdoor where relevant. Scrutinise reach, frequency, audience duplication, geographic coverage and quality, including local store needs.

Measurement framework: Agree objectives and baselines before launch. Combine delivery data, brand tracking, digital journeys, store traffic and sales to assess awareness, consideration, commercial contribution and return on marketing investment.

Testing and effectiveness: Build a prioritised test programme with agency and insight partners, using geographic tests, holdouts or marketing mix modelling where appropriate. Distinguish attributed sales from incremental impact and explain data limits and confidence.

Joined-up activation: Work with Creative Campaign on formats, deadlines and creative tests; align paid social with Brand, Social & Content and coordinate Retail Marketing and Digital around the trade plan. Manage UK and Group planning hand-offs.

Reporting and optimisation: Provide concise recommendations on investment, delivery and effectiveness. Monitor performance, resolve under-delivery and optimise approved plans. Keep transparent records of buying terms, fees, brand safety and agency service levels.

Measures of success

Approved spend controlled and reconciled; audience reach and coverage delivered; stronger awareness, consideration and incremental commercial return.

Who are we looking for?

• UK cross-channel media planning and buying knowledge, including broadcast and digital.
• Strong numeracy, Excel, budget forecasting and ability to interrogate agency plans and delivery data.
• Audience research, reach and frequency planning, local catchment analysis and commercial judgement.
• Understanding of brand tracking, attribution, incrementality and the role of marketing mix modelling.
• Confident agency challenge and clear presentation of recommendations; awareness of brand safety and responsible data use.
• Owning integrated media plans in a UK agency or advertiser role.
• Evidence of managing material budgets, external partners and campaign evaluation that informed decisions.
• Hands-on interpretation of broadcast and digital performance; collaboration with buying or analytics specialists.
• Multi-site or considered-purchase retail, geographic testing and exposure to econometrics.
• Relevant qualification or equivalent practical experience; advanced modelling delivered with specialist partners.

What’s in it for you?

• 33 days holidays including bank holidays
• Car cash allowance
• Employee benefits platform – access to 100s of high street discounts and more – holiday discounts, gym discounts, cinema discounts, e-vouchers, cashback and more!
• Colleague Discount
• Career progression
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and Adoption Leave
• Access to our dedicated Employee Assistance Programme – to give you free access to advice and information on a range of topics
• Virtual GP – Access to a GP service 24/7
• Salary finance scheme
• Pension Scheme
• Death in Service