Associate Director, Planning

Wppmedia; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive medical benefits

Paid time off

Employee mental health awareness days

Job summary

Wppmedia is seeking an Associate Director of Planning in Los Angeles, California. You will oversee client implementations, manage the implementation team, and ensure integration of media and creative work.

The ideal candidate will have 5-8 years of experience in account planning, excellent strategic thinking capabilities, and strong client relationship skills. The position offers a hybrid working schedule and a variety of competitive benefits.

Qualifications

• 5-8 years of account planning or related media/communications planning experience.
• Experience facilitating ideation sessions.
• Ability to manage a team and organize multiple assignments.

Responsibilities

• Supervise implementation and client communication.
• Oversee client implementation team and manage workload.
• Integrate creative and media work across planning.

Skills

Client relationship skills

Strategic thinking

Team leadership

Quantitative skills

Research techniques

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in advertising, marketing, business administration or communications

Job description

About WPP Media

WPP Media is WPP’s global media collective that brings together media, data and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation at scale. It works across the WPP Open platform to help clients navigate change and capture opportunities.

Role Summary and Impact

As an Associate Director of Planning, you will supervise implementation and communication with clients and internal teams. You will oversee the client implementation team, manage staffing and workload, ensure the integration of creative and media work, and provide strategic rigor across 360 media planning.

Skills and Experience

• Maintain day-to-day client contact and agency contact regarding their area of responsibility.
• Oversee the development of objectives and strategies, as well as the development of plans and presentations.
• Supervise the group in the interpretation of competitive and research data.
• Train and evaluate Supervisors, Managers and Associates on the team.
• Act as a liaison between internal teams and partner vendors to ensure media performance.
• Maintain a deep understanding of business, target audiences and the wider communications environment.
• Listen, identify and articulate compelling drivers, barriers and channel relationship insights.
• Understand, embrace and integrate client and creative agency research into plans.
• Package strategic, contextual frameworks and engagement ideas for clarity and client presentation.
• Assist in crafting compelling selling strategies.
• Bachelor’s degree in advertising, marketing, business administration or communications; or equivalent professional work experience.
• 5‑8 years of account planning or related media/communications planning experience, with a focus on team leadership and management.
• Experience and comfort facilitating ideation sessions.
• Excellent strategic thinking.
• Good client relationship skills, including experience interacting and presenting to senior‑level clients.
• Experience working across multiple communications disciplines, including digital.
• Fully conversant with major desktop research tools and qualitative research techniques.
• Excellent quantitative skills, including analytical abilities and math proficiency.
• Ability to manage a team, prioritise and organise multiple assignments for both self and direct reports.
• Demonstrate genuine curiosity and interest in clients and their business.

Life at WPP Media & Benefits

Our benefits include competitive medical, group retirement plans, vision, dental, paid time off, preferential partner discounts and employee mental health awareness days.

We encourage growth and provide access to WPP networks and employee resource groups. We operate a hybrid schedule with office presence roughly four days a week.

Equal Opportunity Employer

WPP Media is an equal‑opportunity employer. We consider applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics and foster a culture of respect where everyone has equal opportunities to progress in their careers.