Associate Director, Planning

Publicis Groupe; New York (NY); On-site; USD 97,375 - 155,961; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid family care

Adoption assistance

Pet adoption support

Wellness programs

Tuition assistance

Flexible time off

Work Your World

Diversity groups

Job summary

Publicis Groupe in New York seeks an Associate Director, Planning to lead a media planning team and drive cross-media strategy for high‑spend campaigns. You will own planning activities, develop strategic insights, and guide decks, budgets, and audience development across client programs.

A thoughtful, data‑driven leader will collaborate with analytics partners to grow and evolve brand performance. The role requires 5+ years in media planning/strategy, strong presentation skills, and proven team

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred in marketing/advertising, communications or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in media planning/strategy across channels.
• Previous team management experience.
• Strong digital media experience preferred.
• Ability to manage multiple work streams and cross-functional teams.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
• Experience with media measurement platforms (Kantar, MOAT, Prisma, ComScore).

Responsibilities

• Strategize with internal directors and client to develop innovative, well-targeted marketing solutions.
• Interface with clients and partner agencies to build strategic communication plans for targeted audiences.
• Review client deliverables for quality and viability of recommendations.
• Develop strategic proposals and client-facing POVs with relevant inputs from teams.
• Own campaign planning for assigned client accounts and timelines.
• Lead knowledge-sharing sessions to improve campaign performance and collaboration.
• Foster relationships with clients, internal teams, and leadership.
• Lead deck writing, budget allocation, and audience development initiatives.

Skills

Media planning

Strategy

Team management

Digital media

Client storytelling

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Kantar

MOAT

Prisma

ComScore

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Overview

The Associate Director, Planning oversees a media planning team and manages cross‑media strategy and planning campaigns. The Associate Director owns planning activities for complex or large‑spend campaigns, and is responsible for generating strategic insights while driving learnings across the full suite of the client’s activities.

The ideal candidate for this position will be a thoughtful decision maker and team player who loves data and has the proven ability to lead strategic planning initiatives including deck writing, budget and channel allocation and audience development. This is an energetic, collaborative team that partners with an analytics‑driven client to provide guidance as they continue to grow and evolve their brand.

Responsibilities

• Strategize with internal directors and the client to develop innovative, well‑targeted marketing solutions
• Interface with clients and partner agencies to build strategic communication plans for targeted audiences
• Review client deliverables for quality, ensuring that recommendations and work product are sound and viable
• Own the development of strategic proposals and client‑facing POVs, coordinating with necessary teams to account for all relevant inputs
• Assume accountability and ownership of campaign planning for assigned client accounts
• Embrace and encourage a culture based on teamwork, collaboration, and support
• Develop best practices for improving communication and collaboration within the team and the group
• Lead knowledge‑share sessions to share and learn new strategies for optimizing and enhancing campaign performance
• Collaborate and foster relationships with key partners including clients, internal teams, and leadership
• Lead strategic planning initiatives including deck writing, budget and channel allocation, and audience development
• Serve as escalation point for teams to help troubleshoot issues
• Support development of strategic approach and experience design by delivering channel ideas and providing the link to reality of historical performance and in‑market opportunities
• Responsible for management and development of Associates, Senior Associates, and Supervisors

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred, preferably with a concentration in marketing, advertising, communications, business, sociology, or consumer insights
• 5+ years of experience in media planning/strategy across media channels
• Previous team management experience
• Strong digital media experience preferred
• Resourceful, curious, and motivated individual with an ability to work independently as well as in a team setting
• Ability to manage timelines, projects and personnel within direct‑report team and across cross‑functional teams
• Proven experience in successfully managing multiple work streams at one time
• Strong organizational, communication, and time‑management skills
• Excellent presentation skills to effectively lead meetings in‑person with key clients
• Detail‑oriented with the ability to multi‑task and manage priorities and deadlines in a fast‑paced environment
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite with strong understanding of Excel and PowerPoint
• Experience working within media systems/platforms (Kantar, MOAT, Prisma, ComScore, etc.)

Additional information

Starcom is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our employment decisions are made without regard to actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability, medical condition as defined by applicable state law, genetic information, marital status, military service and veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws and ordinances.

The Power of One starts with our people! To do powerful things, we offer powerful resources. Our best‑in‑class wellness and benefits offerings include:

• Paid Family Care for parents and caregivers for 12 weeks or more
• Monetary assistance and support for adoption, surrogacy and fertility
• Monetary assistance and support for pet adoption
• Employee Assistance Programs and health/wellness/comfort reimbursements to help you invest in your future and work/life balance
• Tuition Assistance
• Paid time off that includes flexible time off vacation, annual sick days, volunteer days, holiday and identity days, and more
• Matching gifts programs
• Flexible working arrangements
• Work Your World program encouraging employees to work from anywhere; Publicis Groupe has an office for up to 6 weeks a year (based on eligibility)
• Business resource groups that support multiple affinities and alliances

The benefits offerings listed are available to U.S. based employees, are reviewed on an annual basis, and are governed by the terms of the applicable plan documents.

If you require accommodation or assistance with the application or onboarding process specifically, please contact [e-mail].

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Compensation

Compensation Range: USD $97,375.00 - USD $155,961.00/Annually. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and the Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. Temporary roles may be eligible to participate in our freelancer/temporary employee medical plan through a third‑party benefits administration system once certain criteria have been met. Temporary roles may also qualify for participation in our 401(k) plan after eligibility criteria have been met. For regular roles, the Company will offer medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401(k), and paid time off. The Company anticipates the application deadline for this job posting will be 9/4/2026.