Planning Manager

Publicis Group; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension

Life Assurance

Private Medical

Job summary

Zenith UK, part of Publicis Groupe, is hiring a Planning Manager to shape media strategy and deliver campaigns for Morrisons. You will lead from brief through to actionable results, partnering with Morrisons and sister agencies to extend opportunities and improve campaign performance.

The role emphasizes building trusted client relationships, delivering high-quality work, and mentoring junior colleagues. This office-based role requires strong planning and analytical skills within a collaborative

Qualifications

• Experience developing or delivering media plans linked to client objectives.
• Strong project management and organisational skills with attention to detail.
• Clear and engaging communication, including presenting recommendations.
• Analytical approach turning campaign results and business challenges into insights.
• Collaborative working style and building trusted client relationships.
• Commercial awareness including financial accuracy and growth potential.
• Proactive mindset with willingness to share knowledge and mentor others.

Responsibilities

• Lead campaigns from brief to implementation and actionable recommendations.
• Be the day-to-day client contact, understanding their business and category.
• Respond to briefs with strategic thinking, media expertise and commercial solutions.
• Work with Planning Director to deliver high-quality work and strong client service.
• Identify proactive media opportunities to improve effectiveness and unlock ideas.
• Manage campaign operations and financial processes with accuracy.
• Support junior colleagues and collaborate with partner agencies and teams.

Skills

Media planning

Project management

Communication

Analytical thinking

Collaborative

Commercial awareness

Proactive mindset

Job description

Company description

Zenith is the ROI agency. We help brands make Bold Moves in communications to drive profitable, measurable growth.

At Zenith, Bold Moves are big, brave shifts to strategy, data, audience or activation. They’re grounded in evidence, backed by rigorous forecasting and designed to deliver stronger returns for clients and better experiences for consumers. We work as empathetic partners, taking the time to understand our clients’ businesses and tying our success to theirs.

Part of Publicis Media, Zenith has over 5,000 specialists across 90 markets. In the UK, we work with leading organisations including The Very Group, Macmillan and Morrisons – helping them make smarter, more impactful choices to unlock growth. We believe an inclusive culture strengthens our business, enabling greater idea exchange, innovation and creativity, and we actively encourage our people to drive positive change.

Overview

We are hiring a Planning Manager to help shape media strategy and campaign delivery for Morrisons, one of the UK’s leading grocery brands. Joining Zenith’s planning team, you’ll turn client challenges into thoughtful, effective media plans and guide campaigns from brief through to actionable results. You’ll build trusted relationships across Morrisons and its partner agencies while helping the team identify opportunities, improve its work and bring new ideas to life. This is an opportunity to make a visible contribution to an established client partnership and support the continued development of the wider planning team.

Responsibilities

• Lead campaigns from initial brief and strategy through to implementation, analysis and clear, actionable recommendations.
• Act as a trusted day-to-day contact for clients, building a strong understanding of their business, customers and category.
• Take ownership of responses to smaller client briefs, bringing together strategic thinking, media expertise and commercially effective solutions.
• Work with the Planning Director and wider team to deliver accurate, high-quality work and consistently strong client service.
• Identify proactive media opportunities that could improve campaign effectiveness, reduce waste or unlock new ideas for the client.
• Manage campaign operations and financial processes carefully, including purchase orders and the accuracy of commercial information.
• Support the development of junior colleagues while building collaborative relationships with partner agencies, suppliers and teams across Zenith.

Qualifications

• Experience developing or delivering media plans, with the ability to connect client objectives to practical recommendations.
• Strong project management and organisational skills, with the ability to coordinate priorities and maintain attention to detail.
• Clear and engaging communication skills, including experience presenting recommendations or leading responses to briefs.
• An analytical approach and the ability to turn information, campaign results and business challenges into useful insights.
• A collaborative working style and a commitment to building positive, trusted relationships with clients and colleagues.
• Commercial awareness, including an understanding of financial accuracy and how strong client partnerships can create shared growth.
• A proactive and adaptable mindset, with an interest in contributing ideas, sharing knowledge and supporting the development of others.

Additional information

Zenith UK offers a wide range of benefits to support our employees. Full details are shared when you join, but highlights include core benefits such as Pension, Life Assurance, and Private Medical cover, alongside enhanced policies like Reflection Days and Shared Parental Leave. You’ll also have access to a range of additional initiatives, including:

Please check out the Publicis Career Page which showcases our Inclusive Benefits and our EAG’s (Employee Action Groups).

Publicis Groupe works primarily from the office or our clients' office four days per week.

At Zenith UK, we are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, and do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion or belief, disability, age, citizenship, relationship status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic.

We are committed to providing a fair, accessible, and inclusive recruitment process. If you have any access needs - for example, related to disability, neurodivergence, or a health condition - please let us know. We’ll work with you to ensure the process works for you. Sharing this information will never impact your application.

Guided by our values, we listen with empathy, uplift each other, take responsibility, and embrace change - building a culture where everyone feels seen, respected, and genuinely included.

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