Associate Media Director - Media Planning

Rise and Shine and Partners; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Rise and Shine and Partners is seeking an Associate Media Director to lead paid search and paid social programs, blending strategic leadership with deep channel expertise to drive measurable outcomes. You will mentor teams while delivering innovative media solutions for clients.

You will oversee strategy, planning, activation, and measurement, guiding a senior team and collaborating with cross-functional groups to optimize performance and budgets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.
• 8+ years of experience in media planning, preferably in an agency or client-facing role.
• Strong knowledge of media planning tools (YouGov, Vivvix, Media Radar).
• Proven leadership and team management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead media strategy development aligned with client objectives, audience insights, and budgets.
• Oversee media planning and buying across digital, social, traditional, and emerging media channels.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships as a trusted advisor on media performance.
• Manage and mentor junior team members in planning, billing, trafficking, and collaboration.
• Monitor, analyze, and report campaign performance with actionable insights and learning agendas.
• Ensure budget optimization to meet or exceed campaign goals while controlling costs.
• Collaborate with buying, analytics, creative, project management, and brand teams for integrated campaigns.
• Develop relationships with media vendors and partners for best opportunities and pricing.
• Stay current on media trends and emerging platforms to evolve strategies.

Skills

Strategic Thinking

Media Expertise

Analytical Skills

Client Relationship Management

Leadership & Mentorship

Budget Management

Communication Skills

Problem-Solving

Attention to Detail

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience

Tools

YouGov

Vivvix

Media Radar

Job description

We are seeking a strategic, performance-driven Associate Media Director to lead the development and execution of paid search and paid social programs. This role blends high-level strategic leadership with deep channel expertise, driving measurable business outcomes while fostering innovation and team growth.

This role will be integral in overseeing media strategy, planning, activation and measurement. They will be a senior leader in the department to help mentor and develop teams, while ensuring we continue to deliver innovative and effective media solutions.

Responsibilities

• Media Strategy Development: Lead the development of comms strategy, comms frameworks, and comprehensive media strategies that align with client objectives, target audience insights, and budgetary considerations.
• Campaign Planning & Execution: Oversee media planning and buying across multiple channels including digital, social, traditional, and emerging media.
• Client Management: Build and maintain strong client relationships, serving as a trusted advisor on media strategy and campaign performance.
• Team Leadership & Mentorship: Manage, mentor, and train junior team members in foundational processes (planning, billing, trafficking), media planning, strategy development, client relationships and cross-team collaboration.
• Performance Analysis & Reporting: Oversee the monitoring, tracking, and reporting on campaign performance, providing actionable insights and recommendations based on agreed upon measurement plans and learning agendas.
• Budget Management: Ensure effective budget management and optimization to meet or exceed campaign goals while maintaining cost efficiency.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with media counterparts (buying, analytics) and internal teams such as creative, project management, and brand integration to deliver integrated, successful campaigns.
• Vendor and Partner Relations: Develop relationships with media vendors, platforms, and partners to ensure the best opportunities and pricing for clients.
• Thought Leadership: Stay current on media trends, emerging platforms, and new technologies to continuously evolve media strategies.

Core Competencies

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to create and execute communication strategies that unify the roles of media and creative to deliver upon clients marketing and business goals.
• Media Expertise: In-depth knowledge of media planning and buying across digital, social, programmatic, TV, print, and out-of-home. Innate curiosity to keep pace with emerging media trends.
• Analytical Skills: Strong analytical abilities to assess campaign performance, identify key metrics, and provide actionable insights for optimization. The ability to analyze results and spot larger themes that can influence future strategies and considerations.
• Client Relationship Management: Experience in building and maintaining strong, trusted relationships with clients, managing expectations, and delivering results.
• Leadership & Mentorship: Ability to lead a team, provide guidance, and foster an environment of continuous learning and development.
• Budget Management: Experience managing media budgets with an eye for optimizing spend across channels based on agreed upon measurement plans.
• Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate media strategies, performance insights, and recommendations to clients and internal teams.
• Problem-Solving: Creative problem-solving skills to navigate challenges and deliver innovative media solutions.
• Attention to Detail: Strong organizational skills with a focus on accuracy and precision, especially when managing complex campaigns and large data sets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Advertising, Communications, or a related field (or equivalent work experience).
• 8+ years of experience in media planning, preferably in an agency or client-facing role.
• Strong knowledge of media planning tools (e.g. YouGov, Vivvix, Media Radar)
• Proven leadership and team management skills.

What we expect of each other

• Embrace our company values by seeing challenges as opportunities, welcoming diverse ideas and perspectives, creating new futures, and celebrating our successes.
• Build and maintain positive relationships with clients and colleagues.
• Accept direction openly and demonstrate a willingness to grow and learn.
• Take pride in our work by meeting deadlines and holding ourselves accountable.
• Bring a positive, solution-oriented attitude to the office each day.
• Mentor and support the growth of teammates who can benefit from our experience and perspective.
• Show interest in and contribute to the financial success of the agency, including understanding how our individual roles support Rise and Shine's overall financial health.