Planning Director

WPP Media; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A global media firm is seeking an experienced Planning Director in London. The role involves leading media planning for MGM's theatrical and digital distribution, ensuring quality and coherence across global operations. The ideal candidate will have significant multi-market media planning experience and a strong background in digital strategies. The position offers competitive benefits and the opportunity for professional growth within the dynamic media landscape.

Benefits

Competitive medical, dental, vision plans

Retirement plans

Paid time off

Partner discounts

Mental health resources

Qualifications

• Significant experience in theatrical or high-velocity media planning.
• Proven leadership in multi-market planning.
• Strong capability to translate insights into plans.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of planning for media titles.
• Translate strategic direction into modular frameworks.
• Define standards and ensure global quality in planning.

Skills

Global or multi-market media planning experience

Expertise in digital, AV, social, programmatic, OOH

Ability to lead planning across multiple markets

Strong synthesis of insights into actionable plans

Experience managing a planning team

Operational capability with structured workflows

Job description

WPP OpenDoor IMAX Planning Director

WPP Media and Amazon have built OpenDoor to accelerate media and entertainment impact for global clients. This role partners with Prime Video Global Strategy to lead the global planning hub for MGM theatrical and digital distribution slate.

Role Summary and Impact

The Planning Director manages the end‑to‑end planning system, translating strategy into actionable frameworks that scale across regions and ensuring a unified planning spine, channel architecture, and process discipline. The role provides global direction, quality, and coherence for international media planning, driving predictability and rigor for exceptional execution.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead development of planning for each title, including audience architecture, channel roles, pacing, and investment guidance.
• Translate strategic direction into modular frameworks adopted by diverse markets.
• Define planning standards, templates, checklists, and expectations that ensure consistent global quality.
• Maintain visibility across all planning workstreams and ensure coherence across titles and markets.
• Partner with client lead, studio leads, and insight teams to recommend incremental tactics and execute tracking drills.
• Provide clear briefs, guidance, benchmarks, and timelines to activate teams.
• Anchor measurement inputs and learning agendas within the planning process.
• Recommend first‑to‑market opportunities and build commercial leverage on relevant platforms.
• Support content and strategy in global ideation sessions, turning actionable ideas into activation deliverables.

Global‑to‑Local Orchestration

• Clarify global versus local expectations and guide markets through the planning spine.
• Conduct targeted reviews of market plans for priority titles and major markets to ensure alignment and quality.
• Partner with local planning leads to culturally relevant regional plans.
• Integrate audience insights, trends, marketplace data, and competitive intelligence into the planning process.
• Lead landscape reviews and audience deep dives for key titles.

Leadership of the Planning Pod

• Build and coach a hub team of planners across levels.
• Establish rigorous quality standards and enforce consistent use of tools and workflows.
• Collaborate with Ops for resourcing, capacity management, and tool adoption.
• Continuously improve the planning model, frameworks, and toolkits.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Required:

• Significant global or multi‑market media planning experience in theatrical or high‑velocity categories.
• Deep expertise across digital, AV, social, programmatic, OOH, and partnerships.
• Proven ability to lead planning across multiple markets, titles, and timelines simultaneously.
• Strong synthesis of insights into actionable plans.
• Experience managing and developing a planning team.
• Operational capability and comfort with structured workflows.

Bonus points:

• Experience with studio, distributor, entertainment franchise, or global content pipeline.
• Familiarity with Amazon’s narrative‑first culture and leadership principles.
• Experience developing global toolkits or planning playbooks.
• Exposure to WPP Open data environments or advanced planning tools.

Life at WPP Media & Benefits

WPP Media invests in employee growth with competitive medical, dental, vision, retirement plans, paid time off, partner discounts, and mental health resources. Benefits include global networking and learning opportunities across the WPP and WPP Media ecosystem.

WPP Media is an equal‑opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering a respectful culture where everyone can progress in their careers.

This is a UK‑based role; only candidates with the right to work in the UK may apply.

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