Planning Business Director

Medialab Group; London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading advertising agency in London is seeking a Planning Director to enhance strategic planning across multiple client teams. The role involves managing a diverse team of planners while driving the quality and effectiveness of campaigns. Ideal candidates will have extensive experience in media planning, a collaborative leadership style, and a knack for strategic thinking. This full-time position is perfect for those looking to inspire and lead in the advertising landscape.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in media and communications planning across various categories and objectives.
• Strong understanding of digital and AV in full-funnel outcomes.
• Ability to inspire teams and provide constructive feedback.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic planning across multiple clients to enhance quality of outcomes.
• Manage and develop a team of planners while offering guidance and support.
• Facilitate collaboration between planning, digital, AV, and data teams.

Skills

Media and comms planning

Cross-channel knowledge

Collaborative leadership

Strategic thinking

Job description

Overview

We’re looking for a Planning Director to bring strategic focus, direction and energy across one of our client planning teams. You won’t be tied to a single client. Instead, you’ll take a wide-angled view and help shape the quality of planning across the board, supporting a team of six+ planners, and championing brilliant work that drives results.

You’ll be a sounding board, a thought partner and an inspiring voice. You’ll work with Account Directors, Account Managers and Execs across a varied mix of clients, from fast-paced commercial brands to purpose-led charities. Your job is to elevate the quality of thinking and create the space for others to do their best work.

We’re after someone with strong channel knowledge, a sharp planning instinct, and a collaborative leadership style. Someone who can coach, question, challenge and guide the team to deliver brilliant work.

What you'll be doing

• Acting as strategic lead across the planning output of a multi-client team — helping shape briefs, stress-test strategies, and sharpen the thinking behind every response.
• Dotted-line managing a team of planners (approx. 6 people) across varying levels and offering guidance, feedback, stretch opportunities and support.
• Being a trusted partner to the Business Director and senior leadership team where you'll have the responsibility of flagging risks, surfacing great work, and championing consistent quality.
• Leading the development and embedding of comms planning frameworks, tools and templates to ensure clarity, consistency and a high standard of delivery.
• Helping turn insight into action. Pushing teams to use data, effectiveness learnings and channel planning tools in smarter ways.
• Supporting the professional development of team members, facilitating training, coaching sessions, and feedback conversations.
• Promoting collaboration between planning, digital, AV and data teams and helping planners navigate cross-channel delivery with confidence.
• Acting as a senior voice in campaign wrap-ups, PCAs and strategic reviews and guiding narrative and identifying learnings that move planning forward.
• Supporting senior client meetings where a strategic planning point of view is needed, particularly in complex, brand-building or cross-channel briefs.

What you'll bring

• Significant experience in media and comms planning, ideally across a range of categories and objectives, with confidence in both brand and performance thinking.
• Strong cross-channel knowledge and understanding of how digital and AV contribute to full-funnel outcomes.
• A collaborative and inclusive leadership style. You know how to support a team, give good feedback, and spot the moments where coaching matters.
• Confidence in planning tools and effectiveness frameworks (e.g. Touchpoints, measurement approaches, media principles) and how to apply them in everyday work.
• A sharp strategic brain able to simplify complex challenges, get to the heart of a brief, and articulate clear, actionable recommendations.
• The ability to inspire teams to push their thinking and stay curious, while setting clear expectations.
• Experience leading or contributing to planning culture, through training, mentoring, thought leadership, or process development.

Seniority level

Mid-Senior level

Employment type

Full-time

Job function

Advertising, Marketing, and Strategy/Planning

Industries

Advertising Services