Associate Media Planner

Hill Holliday; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Salar Labs is seeking a motivated, detail-oriented Associate Media Planner to support the development and execution of integrated media plans for clients in the travel and healthcare verticals. This is an entry-level role for someone eager to learn about the full media planning lifecycle, from audience research and plan building to campaign coordination, reporting, and billing reconciliation.

The Associate Media Planner works closely with senior members of the media planning team, supporting

Qualifications

• 012 years in media planning or related marketing; internships or agency experience preferred.
• Bachelor27s degree in Advertising, Marketing, Communications, Business, or related field.
• Foundational understanding of traditional and digital media channels, and familiarity with core media terminology and metrics (e.g., CPM, reach, frequency, CTR).
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets and Microsoft PowerPoint/Google Slides; comfort working with data and large spreadsheets.
• Exposure to media planning, research, and measurement platforms such as Nielsen Media Impact, MRI-Simmons, MediaRadar, or TelmarHelixa is a plus, but not required.
• Comfort with use of LLMs for producing written or numerical deliveries strongly preferred.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Clear and professional written and verbal communication skills.
• Curiosity, a willingness to learn, and a genuine interest in media, advertising, and marketing.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced agency environment and take direction from multiple team members.

Responsibilities

• Media Planning & Research: Support development of integrated media plans across channels.
• Conduct audience, competitive, and category research to inform media recommendations.
• Pull and organize data from syndicated research and planning tools to support insights.
• Help prepare media partner RFPs and summarize findings for the planning team.
• Compile competitive media spend and category reports for assigned brands.
• Stay informed of emerging media trends and opportunities.

Skills

Media planning fundamentals

Research and data gathering

Attention to detail

Organization

Communication

Collaboration

Proactivity

Education

Bachelor27s degree in Advertising, Marketing, Communications, Business, or a related field

Tools

Excel/Google Sheets

PowerPoint/Slides

Nielsen Media Impact

MRI-Simmons

MediaRadar

TelmarHelixa

Job description

Description

About Salar Labs

Salar Labs is a next-generation media agency designed to help brands achieve greater relevance, stronger consumer connections, and accelerated growth in an era defined by constant change. By integrating strategy, media, data, technology, AI, and creative into a unified operating model, we deliver marketing solutions that are more intelligent, adaptive, and effective.

We challenge the misalignment across marketing by bringing a media-first approach to synchronizing media planning and message creation for our clients. By combining audience strategy with media-driven creative direction, we deliver orchestrated consumer interactions that work together to maximize business impact.

Salar Labs is part of Attivo Group, combining the agility and entrepreneurial spirit of an independent agency with access to world-class talent, technology, and capabilities, helping clients navigate the future of marketing with greater confidence and impact.

Position Summary:

We are seeking a motivated, detail-oriented Associate Media Planner to support the development and execution of integrated media plans for clients in the travel and healthcare verticals. This is an entry-level role for someone eager to learn about the full media planning lifecycle, from audience research and plan building to campaign coordination, reporting, and billing reconciliation. The Associate Media Planner works closely with senior members of the media planning team, supporting day-to-day account needs while building the foundational skills to grow into a strategic media planner.

Key Responsibilities:

Media Planning & Research

• Support the development of integrated media plans, flowcharts, and budget allocations across digital, social, programmatic, search, television, streaming, audio, out-of-home, and other relevant channels.
• Conduct audience, competitive, and category research to inform media recommendations and planning rationale.
• Pull and organize data from syndicated research and planning tools to support audience insights and channel selection.
• Help prepare media partner RFPs, gather and valuate partner proposals, and summarize findings for the planning team.
• Compile competitive media spend and category reports for assigned brands.
• Stay informed of emerging media trends, platforms, and client industry developments, and contribute to team points of view on new opportunities.

Campaign Coordination & Execution

• Coordinate day-to-day campaign logistics, including insertion orders, creative specs, asset delivery, and trafficking timelines with media partners and internal teams.
• Partner with media investment, activation, and ad operations teams to confirm campaigns launch accurately and on schedule.
• Maintain media plans, estimates, and campaign trackers, ensuring they reflect the latest approved budgets and flight dates.
• Assist with campaign pacing checks, billing reconciliation, and resolution of vendor invoice discrepancies.
• Serve as a point of contact with media partners and vendors to resolve planning, execution, or billing issues.
• Ensure accuracy, consistency, and quality across planning documents, trackers, and client deliverables.

Reporting & Performance

• Assist in validating campaign performance data pulled together by analytics teams.
• Help build recurring campaign reports and dashboards, flagging notable trends for senior planners.
• Track delivery against key performance indicators and help identify optimization opportunities.
• Support post-campaign analyses and wrap reports, translating results into clear, concise takeaways.

Client & Team Collaboration

• Support senior planners in preparing client presentations, plan recommendations, and meeting materials.
• Attend client and internal meetings, take detailed notes, and track action items and follow-ups.
• Respond to day-to-day client and internal requests in a timely, organized manner, escalating to senior team members as needed.
• Collaborate with creative, strategy, and analytics teams to keep media plans aligned with broader brand and marketing initiatives.
• Contribute research and materials to new business pitches as needed.
• Seek out feedback and learning opportunities to build media planning skills and grow within the discipline.

Salary Range: $50,000.00 - $60,000.00; commensurate with experience.

This is a hybrid role based in either NYC or Boston.

Requirements

Qualifications

• 0–2 years of experience in media planning, media buying, or a related marketing role; relevant internships or agency experience preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in Advertising, Marketing, Communications, Business, or a related field.
• Foundational understanding of traditional and digital media channels, and familiarity with core media terminology and metrics (e.g., CPM, reach, frequency, CTR).
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets and Microsoft PowerPoint/Google Slides; comfort working with data and large spreadsheets.
• Exposure to media planning, research, and measurement platforms such as Nielsen Media Impact, MRI-Simmons, MediaRadar, or TelmarHelixa is a plus, but not required.
• Comfort with use of LLMs for producing written or numerical deliveries strongly preferred.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Clear and professional written and verbal communication skills.
• Curiosity, a willingness to learn, and a genuine interest in media, advertising, and marketing.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced agency environment and take direction from multiple team members.

Key Competencies

• Media planning fundamentals
• Research and data gathering
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Organization and time management
• Campaign coordination and follow-through
• Analytical and problem-solving skills
• Communication and collaboration
• Proactivity, coachability, and eagerness to learn